Abstract
Superduplex stainless steels are important materials to the oil and gas industry, especially for off-shore production. TIG welding of super duplex stainless steels to obtain the optimal phase balance between austenite and ferrite is mainly achieved by controlling the cooling rate and the weld chemistry. The latter depends on the filler wire chosen and the shielding gas used. If TIG welding of superduplex stainless steels is performed with argon shielding gas only, then nitrogen gets lost from the weld pool, which can result in a ferrite-rich weld metal, with an inferior corrosion resistance than parent metal. In the present study, nitrogen permeation model from the shield gas which gets into the weld metal in DCEN-TIG welding has suggested. This plasma stream model shows characteristics of permeation of nitrogen ions into the molten metal due to the strong physical effect of plasma stream which formed by the arc pressure rather than the permeation of nitrogen ions caused by electric effect.
