Characterization of microstructure, chemical composition, corrosion resistance and toughness of a multipass weld joint of superduplex stainless steel UNS S32750

The superduplex stainless steels have an austeno-ferritic microstructure with an average fraction of each phase of approximately 50%. This duplex microstructure improves simultaneously the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Welding of these steels is often a critical operation. In this paper we focus on characterization and analysis of a multipass weld joint of UNS S32750 steel prepared using welding conditions equal to industrial standards. The toughness and corrosion resistance properties of the base metal, root pass welded with gas tungsten arc welding, as well as the filler passes, welded with shielded metal arc welding, were evaluated. The microstructure and chemical composition of the selected areas were also determined and correlated to the corrosion and mechanical properties. The root pass was welded with low nickel filler metal and, as a consequence, presented low austenite content and significant precipitation. This precipitation is reflected in the corrosion and mechanical properties. The filler passes presented an adequate ferrite:austenite proportion but, due to their high oxygen content, the toughness was lower than that of the root pass. Corrosion properties were evaluated by cyclic polarization tests in 3.5% NaCl and H2SO4 media.