Duplex Stainless Steels - A Simplified Guide

Duplex Stainless Steels - A Simple Guide

Duplex stainless steels are becoming more common. They are being offered by all the major stainless
steel mills for a number of reasons:
 Higher strength leading to weight saving
 Greater corrosion resistance particularly stress corrosion cracking
 Better price stability
 Lower price

There is a conference on the subject of duplex every 2-3 years where dozens of highly technical papers
are presented. There is a lot of marketing activity surrounding these grades. New grades are being
announced frequently.

Yet, even with all this interest, the best estimates for global market share for duplex are between 1 and
3%. The purpose of this article is to provide a straightforward guide to this steel type. The advantages and
disadvantages will be described.

Principle of Duplex Stainless Steels

The idea of duplex stainless steels dates back to the 1920s with the first cast being made at Avesta in
Sweden in 1930. However, it is only in the last 30 years that duplex steels have begun to “take off” in a
significant way. This is mainly due to advances in steelmaking techniques particularly with respect to
control of nitrogen content.

The standard austenitic steels like 304 (1.4301) and ferritic steels like 430 are relatively easy to make and
to fabricate. As their names imply, they consist mainly of one phase, austenite or ferrite. Although these
types are fine for a wide range of applications, there are some important technical weaknesses in both
types:

Austenitic – low strength (200 MPa 0.2% PS in solution annealed condition), low resistance to stress
corrosion cracking

Ferritic – low strength (a bit higher than austenitic, 250 MPa 0.2% PS), poor weldability in thick sections,
poor low temperature toughness

In addition, the high nickel content of the austenitic types leads to price volatility which is unwelcome to
many end users.

The basic idea of duplex is to produce a chemical composition that leads to an approximately equal
mixture of ferrite and austenite. This balance of phases provides the following:
 Higher strength – The range of 0.2% PS for the current duplex grades is from 400 – 550 MPa.
This can lead to reduced section thicknesses and therefore to reduced weight. This advantage is
particularly significant for applications such as:
o Pressure Vessels and Storage Tanks
o Structural Applications e.g. bridges
 Good weldability in thick sections – Not as straightforward as austenitics but much better than
ferritics.
 Good toughness – Much better than ferritics particularly at low temperature, typically down to
minus 50 deg C, stretching to minus 80 deg C.
 Resistance to stress corrosion cracking – Standard austenitic steels are particularly prone to this
type of corrosion. The kind of applications where this advantage is important include:
o Hot water tanks
 o Brewing tanks
o Process plant
o Swimming pool structures

How the Austenite/Ferrite Balance is Achieved

To understand how duplex steels work, first compare the composition of two familiar steels austenitic
304 (1.4301) and ferritic 430 (1.4016).
EN
Structure Grade C Si Mn P S N Cr Ni Mo
Number
Ferritic 430 1.4016 0.081.001.000.0400.015- 16.0/18.0- -
Austenitic304 1.4301 0.071.002.000.0450.0150.11 17.5/19.58.0/10.5-

The important elements in stainless steels can be classified into ferritisers and austenitisers. Each
element favours one structure or the other:

Ferritisers – Cr (chromium), Si (silicon), Mo (molybdenum), W (tungsten), Ti (titanium), Nb (niobium)

Austenitisers – C (carbon), Ni (nickel), Mn (manganese), N (nitrogen), Cu (copper)

Grade 430 has a predominance of ferritisers and so is ferritic in structure. Grade 304 becomes austenitic
mainly through the use of about 8% nickel. To arrive at a duplex structure with about 50% of each phase,
there has to be a balance between the austenitisers and the ferritisers. This explains why the nickel
content of duplex steels is generally lower than for austenitics.

Here are some typical compositions of duplex stainless steels:

EN
Grade Type Approx Composition
No/UNS
Cr Ni Mo N MnW Cu
2101 1.4162/
Lean 21.5 1.50.3 0.22 5 - -
LDX S32101
1.4062/
DX2202 Lean 23 2.5 0.3 0.2 1.5 - -
S32202
1.4482/
RDN 903 Lean 20 1.8 0.2 0.11 4.2 - -
S32001
1.4362/
2304 Lean 23 4.8 0.3 0.10- - -
S32304
1.4462/
2205 S31803/ Standard 22 5.7 3.1 0.17 - - -
S32205
1.4410/
2507 Super 25 7 4 0.27 - - -
S32750
Zeron 1.4501/
Super 25 7 3.2 0.25 - 0.70.7
100 S32760
Ferrinox
1.4507/
255/
S32520/ Super 25 6.5 3.5 0.25 - - 1.5
Uranus
S32550
2507Cu

In some of the recently developed grades, nitrogen and manganese are used together to bring the nickel
content to very low levels. This has a beneficial effect on price stability.

At present, we are still very much in the development phase of duplex steels. Therefore, each mill is
promoting its own particular brand. It is generally agreed that there are too many grades. However, this is
likely to continue until the “winners” emerge.

Corrosion Resistance of Duplex Steels

The range of duplex steels allows them to be matched for corrosion resistance with the austenitic and
ferritic steel grades. There is no single measure of corrosion resistance. However, it is convenient to use
the Pitting Resistance Equivalent Number (PREN) as a means of ranking the grades.

PREN = %Cr + 3.3 x %Mo + 16 x %N

The following table shows how the duplex steels compare with some austenitic and ferritic grades.
EN Typical
Grade Type
No/UNS PREN
1.4016/
430 Ferritic 18
S43000
1.4301/
304 Austenitic 19
S30400
1.4509/
441 Ferritic 19
S43932
RDN 1.4482/
Duplex 22
903 S32001
1.4401/
316 Austenitic 24
S31600
1.4521/
444 Ferritic 24
S44400
316L 2.5
1.4435 Austenitic 26
Mo
2101 1.4162/
Duplex 26
LDX S32101
1.4362/
2304 Duplex 26
S32304
1.4062/
DX2202 Duplex 27
S32202
1.4539/
904L Austenitic34
N08904
1.4462/
2205 S31803/ Duplex 35
S32205
Zeron 1.4501/
Duplex 41
100 S32760
Ferrinox
1.4507/
255/
S32520/ Duplex 41
Uranus
S32550
2507Cu
1.4410/
2507 Duplex 43
S32750
6% Mo 1.4547/ Austenitic44
 S31254

It must be emphasised that this table is only a guide to material selection. It is always important to assess
the suitability of a particular with a full knowledge of the corrosive environment.

Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC)

SCC is a form of corrosion which occurs with a particular combination of factors:
 Tensile stress
 Corrosive environment
 Sufficiently high temperature. Normally 50 deg C but can occur at lower temperatures around 25
deg C in specific environments, notably swimming pools.

Unfortunately, the standard austenitic steels like 304 (1.4301) and 316 (1.4401) are the most susceptible
to SCC. The following materials are much less prone to SCC:
 Ferritic stainless steels
 Duplex stainless steels
 High nickel austenitic stainless steels

The resistance to SCC makes duplex steels suitable materials for many processes which operate at
higher temperatures, notably:
 Hot water boilers
 Brewing tanks
 Desalination

Stainless steel structures in swimming pools are known to be prone to SCC. The use of standard
austenitic stainless steels like 304 and 316 is forbidden in this application. The best steels to use for this
purpose are the high nickel austenitic steels such as the 6% Mo grades. However, in some cases, duplex
steels such as 2205 (1.4462) and the superduplex grades can be considered.

Barriers to Using Duplex Steels

The attractive combination of high strength, wide range of corrosion resistance, moderate weldability
would seem to offer great potential for increasing the market share of duplex stainless steels. However, it
is important to understand the limitations of duplex stainless steels and why they are always likely to be
“niche players”.

The advantage of high strength immediately becomes a disadvantage when considering formability and
machinability. The high strength also comes with lower ductility than austenitic grades. Therefore, any
application requiring a high degree of formability, for example, a sink, is ruled out for duplex grades. Even
when the ductility is adequate, higher forces are required to form the material, for example in tube
bending. There is one exception to the normal rule of poorer machinability, grade 1.4162.

The metallurgy of duplex stainless steels is much more complex than for austenitic or ferritic steels. This
is why 3 day conferences can be devoted just to duplex! This factor means that they are more difficult to
produce at the mill and to fabricate.

In addition to ferrite and austenite, duplex steels can also form a number of unwanted phases if the steel
is not given the correct processing, notably in heat treatment. Two of the most important phases are
illustrated in the diagram below:
Sigma phase
475 degree
embrittlement

Both of these phases lead to embrittlement, i.e. loss of impact toughness.

The formation of sigma phase is most likely to occur when the cooling rate during manufacture or welding
is not fast enough. The more highly alloyed the steel, the higher the probability of sigma phase formation.
Therefore, superduplex steels are most prone to this problem.

475 degree embrittlement is due to the formation of a phase called α′ (alpha prime). Although the worst
temperature is 475 deg C, it can still form at temperatures as low as 300 deg C. This leads to a limitation
on the maximum service temperature for duplex steels. This restriction reduces the potential range of
applications even further.
At the other end of the scale, there is a restriction on the low temperature use of duplex stainless steels
compared to austenitic grades. Unlike austenitic steels duplex steels exhibit a ductile-brittle transition in
the impact test. A typical test temperature is minus 46 deg C for offshore oil and gas applications. Minus
80 deg C is the lowest temperature that is normally encountered for duplex steels.

Going Further with Duplex Stainless Steels

More detailed information on duplex can be found in:

Practical Guidelines for the Fabrication of Duplex Stainless Steels

Summary of Duplex Characteristics

 Twice design strength of austenitic and ferritic stainless steels
 Wide range of corrosion resistance to match application
 Good toughness down to minus 80 deg C but not genuine cryogenic applications
 Particular resistance to stress corrosion cracking
 Weldable with care in thick sections
 More difficult to form and machine than austenitics
 Restricted to 300 deg C maximum