Mechanical Behavior of Duplex Stainless Steels
Summary
Duplex stainless steels are characterised by an approximately equal mixture of austenitic and ferritic phases, yielding a unique combination of high strength, excellent toughness and enhanced corrosion resistance. The dual‐phase microstructure promotes load partitioning during deformation, where the harder ferrite phase carries higher stresses while the more ductile austenite undergoes greater plastic strain. This interaction leads to pronounced strain‐hardening capability and delayed onset of localisation, resulting in superior fatigue performance. Cold work and thermal treatments can induce martensitic transformations in austenite, further modifying strength and ductility. Grain size, phase fraction and precipitation of intermetallic phases such as sigma or chi govern mechanical properties and must be carefully controlled to avoid embrittlement. Advances in nanoindentation mapping and in situ diffraction techniques have provided phase‐specific insights, while crystal plasticity models now enable prediction of fracture toughness and fatigue life. Such integrated experimental and computational approaches underpin the design of modern duplex grades for demanding sectors, including oil and gas, chemical processing and marine engineering.
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Mechanical Behavior of Duplex Stainless Steels publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in mechanical behavior of duplex stainless steels across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Duplex stainless steel: A stainless steel containing roughly equal proportions of ferrite and austenite phases, combining strength and corrosion resistance.
Austenite: The face‐centred cubic phase of steel that is ductile and capable of undergoing transformation under stress.
Ferrite: The body‐centred cubic phase of steel that is harder and stronger but less ductile than austenite.
Strain hardening: The increase in material strength and hardness as a result of plastic deformation.
Load partitioning: The distribution of applied stress between different phases in a multi‐phase material during deformation.
References
- Martensitic transformation induced by cold deformation of lean duplex stainless steel UNS S32304. Materials Research (2013).
- Novel Mechanical Characterization of Austenite and Ferrite Phases within Duplex Stainless Steel. Metals (2020).
- Micromechanics driven design of ferritic–austenitic duplex stainless steel microstructures for improved cleavage fracture toughness. Engineering Fracture Mechanics (2021).
- Phase-Specific Strain Hardening and Load Partitioning of Cold Rolled Duplex Stainless Steel X2CrNiN23-4. Crystals (2020).
- Neutron and X-ray Diffraction Analysis of Macro and Phase-Specific Micro Residual Stresses in Deep Rolled Duplex Stainless Steels. Materials (2021).
- Laves phase precipitation and sigma phase transformation in a duplex stainless steel microalloyed with niobium.. Matéria (Rio de Janeiro) (2022).
- Study on Fatigue Fracture Behavior of S32750 Duplex Stainless Steel at Different Solution Temperatures. Crystals (2024).
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