Partitioning of chromium and molybdenum in super duplex stainless steels with respect to nitrogen and nickel content

Experimental data of elemental partitioning of Cr, Mo, and Ni in a 5% Mn containing SAF 2507 super duplex stainless steel (SDSS) with varying nitrogen and nickel mass fractions are presented. Experimental results on phase equilibria and alloying element partitioning are compared to values calculated using Thermo-Calc software revealing good agreement. A trilinear model is proposed to describe the partitioning ratio of Cr, Mo and Ni with nitrogen and nickel mass percent in the austenite and the annealing temperature as variables. While nitrogen is found to reduce the partitioning of chromium and molybdenum, nickel enhances the partitioning ratio of these to alloying elements. Based on this semi-empirical model, a guideline for the future development of improved SDSS is formulated. With respect to corrosion resistance, a higher nitrogen level is not beneficial by itself but needs to be paralleled by increasing molybdenum and decreasing chromium contents.