CHARACTERIZATION OF THE WELD STRUCTURE IN A DUPLEX STAINLESS-STEEL USING COLOR METALLOGRAPHY (REPRINTED FROM METALLOGRAPHY, VOL 18, PG 215-225, 1985)

A three-step etching technique, utilizing a Glyceregia etch, a 10% oxa lic acid electrolytic etch, and a boiling Murakami's reagent etch, was employed to reveal the weld structure in a commercial duplex stainles s steel alloy. Color metallography indicated that chromium segregation , which is residual from significant phase composition differences in the original ferrite-austenite base metal structure, existed in all ar eas of the weld heat-affected zone. Evidence of fine chromium-rich pre cipitates distributed homogenously within the ferrite grains and heter ogenously at ferrite subgrain boundaries in the middle and near heat-a ffected zone regions was observed and correlated with local variations in chromium content.