Comparative study of mechanical, corrosion and erosion—corrosion properties of cast hyper-duplex and super-duplex stainless steels

Abstract

Duplex stainless steels (DSSs) used in subsea structures and desalination industries require high corrosion and erosion resistance as well as excellent mechanical properties. The newly introduced cast duplex grade ASTM A890 7A has a unique composition and is expected to have a much better resistance to corrosion and erosion compared with the super-duplex grades 5A and 6A. This work is a comparative study of the mechanical properties, corrosion, and erosion-corrosion resistance of super-duplex grades 5A and 6A and the hyper-duplex grade 7A. The three DSSs exhibited equiaxial austenite islands in the ferrite matrix and balanced phase ratios. The hardness of the grade 7A was nearly 15% higher than those of the super-duplex grades, which is attributed to the effect of the higher contents of W and Mn in 7A. The impact toughness of grade 7A was found to be lower than those of the super-duplex grades due to the carbide precipitation resulting from the partial substitution of Mo with W. The oxide layer strengthening effect of rare earth elements and the higher pitting resistance equivalent number (PREN) of grade 7A resulted in higher corrosion resistance. The harder and more passive grade 7A showed a 35% lower material loss during erosion-corrosion.