Effect of Tempering Temperature on Microstructure and Intergranular Corrosion Property of 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel

Abstract

The effect of tempering temperature on the microstructure and intergranular corrosion property of 2205 duplex stainless steel (DSS2205) was determined using a boiling acid intergranular corrosion test (boiling 65% nitric acid and 50% sulfuric acid–ferric sulfate), an optical microscope, a transmission electron microscope, and a double-loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (DL-EPR) test. The results show that the ferrite content of the DSS2205 is about 50% in a specimen close to a solid solution state (1050 °C for 1 h, then water-quenched) when tempered at 675 °C–725 °C for 1 h. As the tempering temperature rises to 750 °C–800 °C for 1 h, the ferrite content drops gradually from 49% to 35%. M23C6, FeCr (σ phase), and Cr2N phases are precipitated when the specimen is tempered at 675°C–800 °C for 1 h. When the tempering temperature rises to 750 °C–800 °C for 1 h, the content and size of σ phase increase significantly. In the boiling acid intergranular corrosion test, when the specimen is tempered at 675 °C–725 °C for 1 h, the corrosion rate is higher than when it is tempered at 750 °C–800 °C for 1 h. In the DL-EPR test, when the specimen is tempered at 675 °C–800 °C for 1 h, the intergranular corrosion sensitivity rises gradually. External polarization is added during the DL-EPR test, and the test principle is different from that of the boiling acid intergranular corrosion test, resulting in a different sensitivity to intergranular corrosion compared to boiling acid intergranular corrosion.