Mechanical and wear characteristics of duplex stainless steels using Taguchi s grey relational analysis

Abstract

Sintered components fabricated from Duplex Stainless Steels (DSS) are suitable for many applica-Tions. Duplex Stainless Steels are the combination of ferritic and austenitic stainless steels employed in different industries owing to their combined mechanical and corrosion properties. The usage of DSS is growing up year by year in automobile industries and offshore industries. In this paper, two-phase structure steels fabricated by powder metallurgy route are presented. DSS A and DSS B are the two compositions made by prealloyed pow-ders (310L and 430L) along with ferrite and austenite stabilisers such as chromium, molybdenum, and nickel. The powders were blended in a pot mill for 12 h. Sintering of powder preforms was carried out at 1350 C in partial vacuum and hydrogen atmospheres, respectively. Sintered compacts were subjected to forge operation at 1150 C and quenched in water. XRD analysis of sintered and forged DSS confirms the absence of intermetal-lics. The mechanical and wear behavior of DSS were analyzed using Taguchi s Grey Relational Analysis. DSS B in forged condition subjected to 20N loading conditions under hydrogen atmosphere exhibited COF of 0.53.