Cavitation Erosion of Sensitized UNS S31803 Duplex Stainless Steels

During processing or use, duplex steels can be subjected to heating at high temperatures that can affect their behavior. This work aims to correlate the influence of the sensitization treatment on the ultrasonic cavitation erosion behavior of a UNS S31803 (X2CrNiMoN22-5-3) duplex stainless steel. Duplex stainless steels, formed as a result of rapid cooling after solution annealing, are sensitized at temperatures of 475 and 850 °C, respectively, leading to hardening and embrittlement due to the spinodal decomposition of the ferrite and the precipitation of secondary phases. The ultrasonic cavitation erosion experiments showed that the sensitization at 850 °C reduced the mean depth of erosion by about 11% and the mean depth of erosion rate by 28%. By contrast, the sensitization at 475 °C deteriorates the cavitation erosion resistance, increasing the erosion parameters by up to 22%, compared to the solution annealed state.