Analysis of the interface and mechanical properties of field-assisted sintered duplex stainless steels

The development of duplex stainless steels produced by powder metallurgy represents an interesting alternative to conventional fabrication routes, since typical routes imply a strict control of composition and temperature during the processing path in order to avoid undesirable brittle phases. This work proposes a sintering route, designated as field-assisted hot pressing technique, in which an alternating current is applied to consolidate duplex stainless steels with different initial austenite percentages, always higher than ferrite. In all the cases, a thin and hard planar interface composed by two different microconstituents is generated between austenite and ferrite, growing inside the ferritic phase. The good mechanical properties achieved by these field-assisted sintered duplex stainless steels, in terms of nanohardness, elastic modulus, yield strength, ultimate tensile stress and ductility, establish these steels as promising candidates to be introduced in the market.

duplex stainless steel; field-assisted sintering; interface; microstructure; mechanical properties; powder; diffusion; austenite; ferrite

Analysis of the interface and mechanical properties of field-assisted sintered duplex stainless steels Articles