Advantage of Duplex Stainless Steel

Advantage of Duplex Stainless Steel

Improved Strength

Many duplex grades are as much as two-times stronger than austenitic and ferritic stainless steel grades.

High Toughness and Ductility

Duplex stainless steel is often more formable under pressure than ferritic grades and provides greater toughness. Though they often offer lower values than austenitic steels, the unique structure and characteristics of duplex steel often outweigh any concerns.

High Corrosion Resistance

Depending on the grade in question, duplex stainless steels offer comparable (or better) corrosion resistance as common austenitic grades. For alloys with increased nitrogen, molybdenum, and chromium, steels exhibit high resistance to both crevice corrosion and chloride pitting.

Cost Effectiveness

Duplex stainless steel offers all of the above benefits while requiring lower levels of molybdenum and nickel. This means that it is a lower-cost option than many traditional austenitic grades of stainless steel.The price of duplex alloys is often less volatile than other steel grades making it easier to estimate costs -- both at an upfront and lifetime level.The higher strength and corrosion resistance also means that many parts made using duplex stainless can be thinner than their austenitic counterparts providing lower costs.

 The main advantage of duplex stainless steel is its ability to provide extremely cost-effective performance compared with a wider range of alloys. At its typical pricing point, there are no obvious alternatives that can match its high strength and excellent corrosion resistance.

Duplex stainless steels are based upon a mixed microstructure of austenite and ferrite. They combine the most favourable properties of austenitic stainless steels (good corrosion resistance, good impact toughness, ready fabrication) and ferritic stainless steels (high strength, resistance to stress corrosion cracking) whilst limiting the content of expensive alloying elements such as nickel and molybdenum.