Mechanical property and microstructural change by thermal aging of SCS14A cast duplex stainless steel

The aging behavior, especially saturation, of JIS SCS14A cast duplex stainless steels was investigated on the basis of the mechanical properties and microstructural changes during accelerated aging at 350 °C and 400 °C. The aging behavior of the materials mainly proceeds via two stages. During the first stage, the generation and concentration of the iron-rich and chromium-enriched phase in ferrite occurs by phase decomposition. The first stage corresponds to aging times of up to 3000 h at 400 °C. During the first stage, the ferrite hardness achieved is approximately 600 VHN, and the Charpy impact energy is almost saturated. During the second stage, the precipitated chromium-enriched phase aggregates and coarsens, and the G phase precipitation also occurs. The second stage corresponds to the aging times range of 3000–30 000 h at 400 °C. During the second stage, the ferrite hardness achieved is about 800 VHN; however, further hardening exceeding 600 VHN does not influence the Charpy impact energy.