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Transition joints between ferritic steel and austenitic stainless steel are commonly encountered in high-temperature components of power plants. Service failures in these are known to occur as a result, mainly, of thermal stresses due to expansion coefficient differentials. In order to mitigate the problem, a trimetallic configuration involving an intermediate piece of a material such as Alloy 800 between the ferritic and austenitic steels has been suggested. In our work, modified 9Cr-1Mo steel and 316LN stainless steel are used as the ferritic and austenitic components and the thermal behavior of the joints between modified 9Cr-1Mo steel and Alloy 800 is described in this article. The joints, made using the nickel-base filler material INCONEL 82/182 (INCONEL 82 for the root pass by gas-tungsten arc welding and INCONEL 182 for the filler passes by shielded-metal arc welding), were aged at 625 °C for periods up to 5000 hours. The microstructural changes occurring in the weld metal as well as at the interfaces with the two parent materials are characterized in detail. Results of across-the-weld hardness surveys and cross-weld tension tests and weld metal Charpy impact tests are correlated with the structural changes observed. Principally, the results show that (1) the tendency for carbon to diffuse from the ferritic steel into the weld metal is much less pronounced than when 2.25Cr-1Mo steel is used as the ferritic part; and (2) intermetallic precipitation occurs in the weld metal for aging durations longer than 2000 hours, but the weld metal toughness still remains adequate in terms of the relevant specification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding process is widely employed for fabricating duplex stainless steel (DSS) components. The microstructural phase balance is disturbed in DSS welds owing to the thermal cycles associated with welding and the desired phase balance is generally achieved either through control of heat input or by altering the composition. In GTA welding, the phase balance is obtained either via the use of nickel fortified fillers or by introduction of nitrogen. Control of ferrite in the welds is essential, since metastable ferrite may transform to secondary austenite during multiple pass welding. The present work describes the influence of nitrogen on the phase balance of DSS welds and also its controlling effect on the secondary austenite formation in multiple pass welds. It was observed that neither the nitrogen addition nor the secondary austenite formation influenced the hardness of the welds, but formation of secondary austenite led to a deterioration in corrosion resistance. The corrosion resistance of welds containing secondary austenite (SA) was observed to be inferior to that of SA free weld metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The addition of nitrogen to duplex stainless steel weld metal has been achieved and the resultant weld metals have been assessed for their microstructural features and corrosion behaviour. It was found that, although autogenous welding of duplex stainless steels is not recommended, the addition of nitrogen through the shielding gas mixture can help to obtain quality welds with the desired phase balance and corrosion resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The joining of duplex stainless steel was attempted by electron beam and laser beam welding, introducing nickel and nitrogen into the weld metals by different means. The addition of nickel and nitrogen has a significant role on the microstructure, phase balance and impact toughness, but it seems to have no appreciable influence on hardness. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The excellent combination of strength and corrosion resistance in duplex stainless steels (DSS) is due to their strict composition control and microstructural balance. The ferrite–austenite ratio is often upset in DSS weld metals owing to the rapid cooling rates associated with welding. To achieve the desired ferrite–austenite balance and hence properties, either the weld metal composition and/or the heat input is controlled. In the current work, a low heat input process viz., EBW and another commonly employed process, gas tungsten-arc welding have been employed for welding of DSS with and without nickel enhancement. Results show that (i) chemical composition has got a greater influence on the ferrite–austenite ratio than the cooling rate, (ii) and even EBW which is considered an immature process in welding of DSS, can be employed provided means of filler addition could be devised. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]