Effect of Cu Addition on the Properties of Duplex Stainless Steels

The effect of addition of Cu on the localized corrosion performance of aged duplex stainless steel in chloride media has yet to be explained in a consistent manner, and there is some controversy in the literature regarding the composition of stainless steel and the experimental conditions (pH, temperature, chloride concentration, etc.) used. In this work, the effect of the addition of Cu on the microstructure, hardness, and corrosion resistance of duplex stainless steel in an acidic chloride or high concentration sulfuric acid solutions was investigated for annealed and aged alloys. The Cu addition of annealed duplex stainless steel strengthened the alloy and reduced the ferrite contents of the alloy, and it also increased the polarization behavior in chloride or sulfuric solutions, except for the case of a high potential in acidic chloride solution. However, the Cu addition of aged duplex stainless steel reduced the formation of harmful phases such as sigma and kai and increased the polarization behavior in acidic chloride or sulfuric solutions up to 0.8 wt% of the Cu content, after which it slightly decreased at 0.8 wt% Cu or more. KCI Citation Count: 0