Electrochemical Corrosion Behavior of the Laser Continuous Heat Treatment Welded Joints of 2205 Duplex Stainless Steel

The electrochemical corrosion behaviors of the welded joints of 2205 duplex stainless steel with the laser continuous heat treatment were investigated. The secondary austenite formation is the outcome of thermodynamic equilibrium breach of the alloy during heat treatment and the result of the continuous heat treatment which has the most important effect on the weld material. The partitioning behaviors of chromium and molybdenum as well as the volume fraction of ferrite and austenite have a remarkable influence on the composition of the individual phase. Mechanical examination of the laser trated weld demonstrates that the tensile strength and yield strength increase with increasing the amount of the secondary austenite. It is shown that the ultimate tensile strength of the 6 kW laser-treated weld is higher about 20 MPa than no heat treatment weld and the ductility can be further improved without compromising strength. The results indicate that the welding alters the corrosion behavior because of different post heat treatment power and the broad active peak is not identified which is attributed to the dissolution of the secondary austenitic in the ferrite phase. It is indicated that pitting resistance equivalent （PRE） values of base metal and 6 kW weld are higher than that of other welds; base metal is 33.7, 6 kW weld 33.3, no treatment 32.4, 4 kW weld 32.8, 8 kW weld 32.5. The extent of corrosion resistance improvement after reheating treatment is mainly caused by the removal of nitrogen from ferritic regions, which occurred as a consequence of secondary austenite growth.

Microstructural Characterization of Welded Joint in Duplex Stainless Steel by Laser Continuous Heat Treatment

Microstructural characterization in fusion zone of the laser continuous heat treatment welded joint was in vestigated. The results showed that the martensite-like microstructure is the face centered cubic （FCC） crystal structure so that it can be identified as the secondary austenite. The dislocation is observed inside and outside the seconda ry austenite, whereas inclusion is not found in the vicinity of the secondary austenite. In the fusion zone, there is a kind of carbide precipitate which is identified as M23 C6 by the means of transmission electron microscope （TEM）. The carbide precipitate is a representative mode of transformation, which can be generated by the eutectoid reaction. Furthermore, the formation mechanisms of the secondary austenite and chromium carbide are analyzed.

Secondary Austenite Morphologies in Fusion Zone of Welded Joint after Postweld Heat Treatment with a Continuous Wave Laser

In order to improve the weldability of duplex stainless steels,obtaining more secondary austenite in the weld metal is an effective way.Therefore,optimizing the secondary austenite by changing its morphology,volume fraction and stability may be expected to enhance the ductility of the weld.The secondary austenite morphologies in the fusion zone of the laser continuously heat treated welds of 2205 duplex stainless steel were investigated.The secondary austenite morphologies were found to be influenced by different laser power level.The secondary austenite with penniform,freely grown and dendritic shape appeared in the course of 4,6 and 8 kW continuous heat treatment,respectively.It was found that there were three kinds of morphologies of secondary austenite in the fusion zone treated by different power,i.e.,widmannst¨atten austenite,grain boundary austenite and intragranular austenite.The results demonstrated that the mechanism of the secondary austenite formation was a displacement mechanism during the initial austenite lath formation and a diffusion mechanism during cooling.The nitrides provided the nitrogen for the transformation and at the same time acted as nucleation sites for the secondary austenite.