Friction stir welding of duplex and superduplex stainless steels and some aspects of microstructural characterization and mechanical performance

Friction stir welding was used to produce butt joints on 6 mm thick plates of UNS S32101 lean duplex stainless steel, S32205 duplex stainless steel, and S32750 and S32760 superduplex stainless steels. Fully consolidated joints were achieved, with full penetration, using heat input of 1.37-1.50 kJ/mm. Specimens submitted to tensile testing performed perpendicular to the welding direction showed failure on the base metal, reflecting better mechanical performance of the welded joints. Furthermore, tensile testing along the joints revealed higher yield and tensile strengths in all cases, as well a...