Superduplex steel processing
Superduplex steel processing: when selecting the materials and metal alloys used in the field of manufacturing mechanical components, it is important to know which materials offer characteristics in line with the final product’s purpose.
If you need to make a component that has excellent wear and corrosion resistance, an excellent choice is the use of Duplex or Superduplex steels, metal alloys with exceptional properties.
This class of stainless steels can offer excellent properties of tensile and corrosion resistance, being perfect for processes that require the material’s good weldability and workability.
The difference between stainless steels, Duplex and Superduplex
To find out what Duplex and Superduplex alloys are, first you need to know that they both belong to the stainless steel family.
In the case of stainless steel, a higher chromium content is present, which has excellent anti-rust characteristics; indeed, this steel is known for its resistance to oxidisation.
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Duplex steels are characterised by a biphasic, ferritic-austenitic crystalline microstructure: therefore half have a phase balance of ferrite and the other half of austenite. This type of chemical structure of Duplex steel allows to obtain a very high resistance to corrosion and stress. But not just that, also excellent resistance to abrasion, erosion and fatigue.
Superduplex steels are made up of a two-phase “Duplex” microstructure, that is, they consist of two austenitic and two ferritic grains: this gives this super alloy very interesting and particular properties, used for machining and manufacturing niche mechanical components.
If you need to make a mechanical component that needs very high corrosion resistance, Superduplex steel is the ideal choice. Indeed, this metal alloy can withstand up to twice as much corrosion, compared to normal ferritic or austenitic stainless steels. Another advantage compared to austenitic stainless steels is the resistance of Superduplexes to stress corrosion cracking, and what’s more, they achieve excellent values of ductility, weldability, workability and hardness.
The addition of copper inside the metal alloy makes Superduplex steels even more resistant to corrosion; copper also contributes to increasing the characteristics of resistance to sulfuric acid, this is the reason why petrochemicals are the main field of application of Duplex and Superduplex steels.
Superduplex alloy and its fields of application
The addition of nitrogen inside the Superduplex alloy gives a material with higher yield strength, with better strength and toughness properties.
In general, Superduplex steels have excellent:
- workability;
- weldability;
- durability;
- corrosion resistance;
- mechanical resistance;
- ductility.
This is the reason why Superduplex stainless steel has similar fields of application to those of Duplex, because they have very similar characteristics. In fact, Superduplex steel is used for works of mechanical products suitable for extremely corrosive environments, in the chemical and petrochemical sector or in the fields of application where the metal alloy comes into contact with saltwater.
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At AG Steel S.r.l. we are able to create customised mechanical components, and carry out work on materials such as Duplex and Superduplex stainless steels, to create mechanical products able to resist in a long-lasting way to environments with extreme corrosive wear. Contact us for more information on Superduplex steel processing!