Chapter 9

Ferrite Testing

EFFECT OF FERRITE IN AUSTENITIC WELDS

Weld deposits that are fully austenitic have a tendency to develop small fis-
sures. This is possible even under conditions of minimum stress. These small
fissures tend to be located transverse to the weld fusion line in weld passes and
base material that were reheated to near melting point of the material by
subsequent weld passes.
The effect of these microfissures is not well established on the performance
of the weldments because it is clear that the tough austenitic matrix blunts the
progression direction of these fissures. And several fissure-containing weld-
ments are recorded to exist and have performed satisfactorily under severe
conditions. However, the very tendency to develop fissures goes hand in hand
with the development of possible larger cracks that can cause catastrophic
failures. This possibility of failure has motivated the development of a process
that would reduce or eliminate the chances of microfissures.
It is established that the presence of small fraction of magnetic delta ferrite
phase in an otherwise austenitic weld deposit has a pronounced influence on the
prevention of both centerline cracking and fissuring. Both the presence and
amount of delta ferrite in as-welded material are largely influenced and dependent
on the composition of the weld metal. The balance between the ferrite- and
austenite-forming elements is the key to the presence of d ferrite. The most
common ferrite and austenite forming elements are listed in Table 3-9-1. Details of
the subject are discussed with the help of DeLong and Schaeffler’s diagrams in
Section 2, Chapter 18.

TABLE 3-9-1

Ferrite forming elements Austenite forming elements

Chromium Nickel
Silicon Manganese
Columbium Carbon
Molybdenum Nitrogen

Applied Welding Engineering. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-804176-5.00029-3

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372 SECTION j 3 Nondestructive Testing

Having learned about the advantages of having d ferrite in a weld, we must

also note that an excessive amount of ferrite is also not desirable in welds
because it lowers the ductility and toughness of the weld metal. d Ferrite is
also preferentially attacked by a corrosive environment. It is also attacked in
the sensitizing range of the temperature that is between 800
F to 1600
F (425

to 870
C). In this temperature range, ferrite tends to transform in part to a
brittle intermetallic compound called the S phase that severely embrittles the
weldments.
This requires that the level of ferrite in austenitic weldments must be
controlled. This is done by metallographic examination of the specimen, and
the volume percent of ferrite present is determined. This method is not very
favored for several reasons. One reason is that the distribution of ferrite in
weld metal is not uniform, and the sample preparation procedure method is
very tedious. The impact of the faulty result is too serious to risk such a
method.
Chemical analysis of weld metal and its analysis result with constitution
diagrams such as Schaeffler and DeLong’s diagrams is very common and
popular in use. The result of this method depends on the accuracy of the
analysis.
Because ferrite is magnetic, it can be measured by magnetic responses of
the austenitic material. This measurement is reproducible in laboratories if
standard calibrated equipment is used. Most of the instruments are able to
convert the magnetic force reading to a standard ferrite measurement.
Ferrite content has traditionally been expressed in volume percent in the
weld metal until the ferrite number (FN) was recommended. Because there is
no agreement in laboratories on reporting of absolute ferrite percentage, an
arbitrary FN system was developed for reporting. The American Welding
Society (AWS) has developed a scale, which is described in AWS 4.2-74
Standard Procedure for Calibrating Magnetic Instruments to Measure the Delta
Ferrite Content of Austenitic Stainless Steel Weld Metal. The FN scale,
although arbitrary, approximates the true volume percentage ferrite at least up
to 10 FN.
The ferrite content recommended in weld filler metal is usually between
3% and 20%. A minimum of 3% ferrite is desirable to avoid microfissuring in
welds. The upper end of 20% ferrite is required when needed to offset dilution
losses in weld metal. d Ferrite verification can be made by a test on undiluted
weld deposits using magnetic measuring devices. AWS 5.4 details the pro-
cedure for preparation of pads for ferrite measurement.
The testing of ferrite in a laboratory setting is a very different from the
portable ferrite indicators used in the field sites. In some cases, the details and
results can vary significantly from the two methods or on site use.