Microstructure and corrosion resistance of dissimilar welded joints between duplex stainless steel and austenitic stainless steel

The dissimilar metals components of duplex stainless steels are more and more used in engineering fields recently. But the welding of dissimilar metals is more a challenge than that of similar metals. The joints of dissimilar metals between 2205 duplex stainless steel and 304 austenitic stainless steel were produced by tungsten inert gas arc welding (GTAW) with welding wire ER2209 and ER309, respectively. The microstructural characterization of welded joints is systematically analyzed by using optical microscope and X-ray diffractometer. The pitting corrosion resistance of the joints is evaluated by electrochemical test. Results show that the microstructure of joint consists of austenite and ferrite, and no detrimental phases precipitate in the weldment. The biphase ratio of austenite (gamma) / ferrite (alpha) is adequate both in weld metal and heat-affected zone (HAZ), which is advantageous to the performance of welded joints. The weld metals have relatively lower pitting corrosion resistance compared with the 2205 base metal, and the pitting corrosion resistance of the joint produced with ER2209 is better than that of the joint with ER309 in chloride solution.