Acceleration of 475 °C embrittlement in weld metal of 22 mass% Cr-duplex stainless steel

The present study has demonstrated the differences in the 475 °C embrittlement behavior of the base and weld metals of a 22 mass% Cr-duplex stainless steel. A grade 2205 solution-annealed plate was used as the base metal. The corresponding Ni-rich weld metal, which comprised multiple layers, was fabricated using a grade 2209 filler wire. The base and weld metals were subjected to isothermal aging for various durations (up to 1000 h) at 400 °C. Microstructural characterization, Charpy impact toughness testing, and Vickers microhardness measurements were conducted before and after aging. Furthermore, the microstructure of the ferrite phase, after aging, was evaluated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). There was a substantial decrease in the impact toughness in both the base and weld metals with increasing aging time, although the decrease in the impact toughness was more pronounced for the weld metal. The hardening of ferrite was more prominent in each layer of the weld metal than in the base metal. The TEM observations indicated that the ferrite phase in both the base and weld metals underwent spinodal decomposition, which was accelerated in the weld metal. Regarding the major alloying elements (i.e., Cr, Mo and Ni) contained in the ferrite phase, the content of each, Cr and Mo, was lower in each layer of the weld metal than in the base meal, while the Ni content was, conversely, higher in each layer of the weld metal than in the base metal. The higher Ni content promoted the decomposition of ferrite in each layer of the weld metal during aging. This resulted in an acceleration of the 475 °C embrittlement in the multilayered weld metal of the 22 mass% Cr duplex stainless steel compared to the base metal.