Super-duplex stainless steels are in great demand in various industrial fields such as chemical processing and seawater desalination due to their excellent pitting corrosion resistance. However, detrimental phases can easily form during fabrication, and even minor additions of alloying elements can significantly impact their microstructure and properties. This study investigated the effects Cu or Ti additions on a super-duplex stainless steel. First, the effects of annealing time at 950 °C on the microstructure and corrosion characteristics were investigated. It was found that as the annealing time increased, the fraction of sigma phase increased; however, the corrosion resistance in the electrochemical test using a 3.5 % NaCl electrolyte showed only a slight improvement. The microstructure of duplex stainless steel with added Cu or Ti did not differ significantly from that of the base steel. However, the overall corrosion resistance showed improvement, and in particular, an observed increase in pitting potential. Investigating the characteristics of the passive film on the alloy surface revealed that the stability of the passive film was higher in alloys with added Cu or Ti compared to the standard alloy. Among these, the alloy with Cu addition had the thickest film, while the Ti-added alloy had the highest Cr concentration and a film thickness greater than that of the standard alloy.

The microstructure and mechanical properties of the heat-affected zone welded using the GTAW process on SDSS material used in offshore structures were analyzed. The chemical composition of the specimen material was analyzed using XRF. The microstructure of the heat-affected zone where the plate was welded was examined by SEM, and the ferrite volume fraction was assessed using the point count method of ASTM E562. A lot of ferrite was formed in the overheated weldment region, and In the weld cap where the cooling rate was fast, ferrite was not converted back to austenite and the microstructure was not uniform. From the ferrite phase fraction, it was shown that it can be applied to the pitting resistance equivalent numbers through changes in mechanical properties according to welding conditions.

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of W substitution on the precipitation behavior of χ and σ phases in super duplex stainless steel. The χ phase was precipitated at the interface of ferrite / austenite phases and inside the ferrite phase at the initial stage of aging. With an increase in the aging time, the volume fraction of the χ phase increased, and then decreased with the transformation from the χ phase to the σ phase. The σ phase was precipitated later than the χ phase, and the volume fraction of x phase increased with the increase in the aging time. The ferrite phase was decomposed into the new austenite (γ2) and σ phases by aging treatment. The decomposition of the ferrite phase into the γ2 and σ phases was retarded by W substitution for Mo. The volume fraction of the χ phase increased and that of the σ phase decreased due to W substitution. The χ and σ phases were intermetallic compounds, which had lower nickel concentration, and higher chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten concentrations. The χ phase has higher molybdenum and tungsten concentrations than those of the σ phase. The amounts of chromium and nickel in the χ and σ phases did not change, but these phases have higher concentrations of molybdenum and tungsten due to W substitution for Mo.

In this study, we investigated the precipitation behavior of the R-phase precipitated at the initial stage of aging and its effect on the pitting corrosion of 25%Cr-7%Ni-4%Mo super duplex stainless steel. The R-phase in super duplex stainless steel was mainly precipitated at the interface of ferrite/austenite phases and inside of the ferrite phase during the initial stage of aging, and it was transformed into the σ-phase with an increase in aging time. The ferrite phase was decomposed into a new austenite phase and σ-phase. The R phase was an intermetallic compound, which represented a lower Ni and higher Mo than the matrix, and also had a higher Mo and Cr concentration than the σ phase. With an increasing aging time, the pitting potential Ep was increased slowly by the precipitation of the R-phase, and it was then steeply decreased by the precipitation of the σ-phase. The R-phase was decreased the pitting potential, but its effect was smaller than effect of σ-phase.

In this study, we investigated the precipitation behavior of the R-phase precipitated at the initial stage of aging and its effects on the mechanical properties of 25%Cr-7%Ni-2%Mo-4%W super duplex stainless steel. The R-phase was mainly precipitated at the interface of ferrite/austenite phases and inside of the ferrite phase during the initial stage of aging. It was transformed into the σ-phase with an increase of the aging time. The ferrite phase was decomposed into a new austenite(γ2)phase and the σ-phase by an aging treatment. The R phase was an intermetallic compound showing higher molybdenum and tungsten concentrations than the matrix and also showed higher molybdenum and tungsten concentrations than the σ phase. In the initial stage of aging, precipitation of the R-phase did not change the hardness, the strength and the elongation. The hardness and the strength increased upon a longer aging time, but the elongation rapidly decreased. These results show that the R-phase did not significantly affect the hardness and the strength, though it did influence the elongation.