ZERON 100 SUPER DUPLEX STAINLESS STEEL

WEIR MATERIALS & FOUNDRIES

Guidelines for Welding
ZERON 100
SUPER DUPLEX
STAINLESS STEEL
 CONTENTS

PAGE

Preparation for welding Zeron 100 3

Welding Consumables 4
Typical Joint Configurations 4
Welding 6
Welding Procedure 8
Post Weld Cleaning 14
Health and Safety 16
Summary 16
Contacts 16

Zeron 100* invented and developed by Weir Materials & Foundries

was the first of the super duplex stainless steel alloys. The unique
chemical composition has been shown to be correctly balanced to
offer the best combination of corrosion resistance and strength.
The steel is tightly controlled from melting through manufacture to
ensure a better performance than other steels from the same generic
grade. Zeron 100 is available in all product forms, many ex stock,
with a proven track record through manufacture fabrication and
successful service.

When welding Zeron 100 super duplex stainless steel, there are sev-
eral factors that must be considered. This pamphlet highlights the
main factors that must be taken into account. It relates particularly to
welds to be used in the “as-welded” condition, made using all the
common welding processes. The same principles will apply if post
weld heat treatment is being applied.

*Zeron is a registered trade mark of Weir Materials & Foundries.

2
 PREPARATION FOR WELDING ZERON 100

ZERON 100 SUPER DUPLEX STAINLESS STEEL

It is strongly recommended that a Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) and corre-
sponding Welding Procedure Qualification Record (WPQR) are available prior to
commencement of production welding. The WPS should be qualified to a higher level
than the statutory requirements of the base codes such as ASME etc. and should
include an ASTM G48 Method A corrosion test, a microstructural evaluation and fer-
rite determination in addition to the mechanical and non-destructive tests required.
Welder qualification (WQR) should also carry these extra requirements to show that
the metallurgical quality of the weld area is satisfactory as well as the structural
integrity for the codes.
There should be considerable emphasis by the Welding Engineer on maintaining the
qualified parameters throughout production welding.

Handling and Storage of Parent Material

All duplex stainless materials should be handled and stored under conditions which
prevent contamination from other ferrous and non ferrous alloys.

Use stainless steel, wood, plastic or other non-metallic materials as protective covers
with storage racking, fork lift truck arms, overhead crane slings etc. Welding should
be carried out in a contaminant free work area as recommended for other stainless
steel fabrications. Only qualified duplex stainless steel should be used for temporary
attachments at the corrosion side. A minimum number of temporary attachments
should be employed.

Handling and Storage of Welding Consumables

Welding consumables for Zeron 100 should be handled and stored accordance with
the manufacturer’s recommendations. In general, the consumables should be stored in
an “electrode store” held at approximately 10˚C above ambient temperature and with
a relative humidity below 60%.

Opened packs of electrodes and flux should be baked in accordance with the manu-
facturer’s recommendations.

Identification of Materials to be Welded

Check against the welding procedure, specifications and drawings that the materials
and welding consumables issued are correct and identified. Where it is necessary to
mark materials using pens or paint markers, these must be free of chlorides, sul-
phides, halides and Zinc.

3
 Welding Procedure Specification
Check that an appropriate WPS and WPQR are available, outlining the welding pro-
cedure to be followed. The procedure should be qualified in accordance with the rec-
ommendations of the lastest issue of MDS 12804/21, or other similar specifications.

Tooling
Use only stainless steel grade cutting tools, grinding discs, grinding wheels, wire
brushes and polishing wheels. Avoid the use of power wire brushes at the corrosion
side so as not to smear the weld zone which has been shown to lead to reduced cor-
rosion resistance.

Joint Preparation
Welding bevels should preferably be prepared by cold methods. Where plasma cut-
ting is used the process should be under water and at least 1 mm of material be
ground off to remove the heat affected zone. When machining preparations, outline
machining details are available from WMF upon request. Recommended joint con-
figurations for single sided welds are detailed in the next section. The recommended
root gaps, root faces and joint angle are based on the need to:-
- maximise production
- minimise parent metal dilution in the root
- control the heat input
For this reason, control of the root gap is considered an important factor.
Compound bevels must be balanced to ensure access whilst minimising joint volume.

WELDING CONSUMABLES
Two grades of welding consumables are available.

Zeron 100 “M” grade has a composition matching that of the parent material and
should generally be used for joints to be solution annealed. Zeron 100 “X” grade is
overalloyed with nickel and is intended for use in joints that are to be put into serv-
ice in the “as-welded” condition.

Autogenous welding of square close butt preparations can only be used under specif-
ic circumstances and its use needs to be considered on a case by case basis. Advice
on specific situations can be supplied on request.
TYPICAL JOINT CONFIGURATIONS

Manual Welding
The joints detailed in Fig.1 are for single sided manual welding with the GTAW or
GMAW-STT* process in the root. Other joints, for example two sided, are similar to
those applied in general stainless steel practice.
*STT - Surface Tension Transfer - Registered trademark of the Lincoln Electric Company.

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 ZERON 100 SUPER DUPLEX STAINLESS STEEL
JOINT GEOMETRY WALL Included Root Root
THICKNESS angle (˚) gap face
t (mm) a ß g (mm) f(mm)

2-3 70-90 - 2-3 0.5-1.5

>4 70-80 - 2-3 0.5-1.5

>20 70-80 15-20 2-3 0.5-1.5

R (mm)

>20 15-30 4-6 2-3 0.5-1.5

Fig. 1 Typical manual welding joint configurations.

Automated Welding
For automated GTAW welding a closed butt (zero root gap) may be used.
The joint is designed to maximise the filler addition to the root bead and to
achieve adequate root bead thickness. Care must be taken to ensure that
there is sufficient filler metal addition. A typical joint is shown in Fig.2.

Fig. 2 Typical automated weld joint configuration.

5
 Welding Equipment
There are no specific welding equipment requirements associated with Zeron 100
over and above good stainless steel welding practice.

As with sophisticated stainless steel welding, slope in/out facilities together with pre
and post gas purge are important requirements for GTAW welding plant. Equipment
with pulsed arc facilities is considered beneficial for GTAW and GMAW welding of
Zeron 100 due to optimal control of arc energy.

Newer processes where high deposition rates are achieved with lower arc energy are
particularly suited for welding Zeron 100 super duplex stainless steel. Processes such
as GMAW-STT, GTAW-DSP* and the use of consumable socket rings are typical of
recent developments. Further details are available on request.

Joint Cleanliness
Joint faces and pipe/vessel surfaces 50 mm either side of joint seam should be
cleaned and degreased using acetone and lint free cloth. Abrasive cleaning is rarely
necessary. Should mechanical cleaning be necessary, light grinding or grit (alumina)
blasting may be used.

WELDING

Joint Fit Up
Line up clamps can be used to assist joint fit up. The clamp may be either internal or
external. Excessive mismatch of abutting joint edges (“Hi-Lo”) should be avoided in
order to ensure a satisfactory final root underbead profile and weld quality.
Counterboring of tubular components can be carried out to achieve the required fit up
alignment. Care must be taken to avoid reducing the wall thickness excessively and
to taper in the counterbore in accordance with the specification.

Joint fit up, and plate pre-setting, must be related to the normal distortion control
techniques including balanced welding and back step welding.

* DSP - Dual Sync Pulse Welding - registered trade mark of Dimetrics Inc.

6
Tack Welding

ZERON 100 SUPER DUPLEX STAINLESS STEEL

Several options are available:

root tack bridge tack

bullet tacks

Fig. 3 Tack welding

Bridge tacks or spacer “bullet” blocks are recommended to maintain the root gap and
joint alignment. Plate joints must be pre-set as normal to counteract distortion. All
spacer blocks are to be stainless steel and they should be tacked at a controlled heat
input in accordance with the WPS.

Where tack welds are intended to form an integral part of the weld root bead, the root
tack welds should be deposited in accordance with the approved WPS and the ends
should be taper ground to ensure fusion with subsequent weld runs. Back purging
should be employed when GTAW is used to deposit integral tacks.

The tack welds should be balanced around the joint in order to maintain the root gap
and joint alignment.

Back Purging
When welding Zeron 100, it is recommended that commercial purity argon is used to
displace the air behind the joint. The oxygen content of the resulting argon/air mix-
ture must be monitored and controlled to ensure that sufficient nitrogen is retained in
the backing gas “mixture’ in order to inhibit loss of nitrogen from the weld pool. In
practice the oxygen level of this mixture should be controlled at approx 0.5% oxygen
monitored at the start of the welding sequence. In this way, a positive partial pressure
of nitrogen is maintained behind the joint thus preventing nitrogen loss from the root
bead, whilst the oxidation produced remains acceptable. Passes subsequent to the root
pass can be made with minimum oxygen contents.

7
 The backing gas composition should be monitored at the joint line using a portable
oxygen monitor immediately prior to starting or re-starting welding in order that con-
sistency can be maintained. Adhesive tape low in sulphur and chloride is used around
the open joint seam, and the tape should be removed progressively during the weld-
ing sequence.

Care should be taken to regulate the flow rate of the back purge gas to prevent gas
turbulence and possible air entrainment through the open weld seam. The flow rate of
the backing gas is typically 10-15 L/min although it is necessary to reduce flow rate
at the tie-in location to avoid risk of expulsion of molten metal and root underbead
concavity.

Gases containing hydrogen, eg, Formier gas, should not be used.

WELDING PROCEDURE

Preheat
Preheat is normally not required. It should only be applied where material is not dry
or is below 5˚C prior to welding. Also in highly restrained heavy constructions or in
particularly thick fabrications, preheating up to 100˚C has been shown to be benefi-
cial, further details available upon request. Oxyfuel or carburising flames should not
impinge directly onto the material. Hot spots should not occur.

Arc Energy
Arc energy is the common parameter controlled during the welding process.
However, when welding duplex/super duplex it is the cooling rate which controls the
microstructure and so the arc energy should be controlled in conjunction with the
joint thickness.
It is more effective in the control of optimum arc energy to maintain faster welding
travel speeds and associated higher welding currents rather than lower welding cur-
rent and slower travel speeds.
To ensure a consistant arc energy, weaving of the weld bead should be kept to a mini-
mum with a maximum of 3 x filler wire diameter.

Interpass
Interpass temperature, together with welding arc energy, is important in optimising
the cooling rate of a joint. Excessively high interpass temperature or arc energy may
impair the corrosion resistance and impact toughness of the joint. The interpass tem-
perature and welding arc energy must always be balanced in order to optimise the
properties of the joint. If, for example, the arc energy cannot be maintained in the
appropriate range, it would be necessary to reduce the interpass temperature.
8
The maximum interpass temperature should be as detailed in appropriate WPS and

ZERON 100 SUPER DUPLEX STAINLESS STEEL

certainly less than 150˚C.
The interpass temperature is measured immediately prior to any welding directly at
the points where a weld run is to commence and where it is proposed to terminate. A
contact thermocouple should be used. The weld zone must be below the interpass
temperature before restarting welding. The interpass temperature must be measured at
each break in welding and not just when starting a new pass.

Root Pass
The GTAW process is normally specified to enhance control of root bead quality.
Whilst fabricator choice and the practices used in a particular shop are very impor-
tant, it is generally found that:

- 1.6 mm or 2.0 mm diameter filler wire is often used for mateiral

up to 4 mm thick.
- 2.4 mm or 3.2 mm diameter filler wire is generally used for other
material thicknesses.
- Keyhole rooting practice is considered to be a preferred technique
to obtain the optimum properties within the arc energy restraints
in the root pass.

Welder preference can be considered but is should be recognised that it is beneficial

to deposit larger bead thicknesses within the arc energy restrictions.

Welding arc energy must be controlled to avoid adversely slow weld cooling rates
developing during welding cycles. Practical guidelines based on industrial experience
are given in the table below:

Table 1 Typical root arc energy and layer thicknesses

Wall thickness Arc energy Typical Pass *Arc Energy =

(mm) (kJ/mm)* Thickness (mm) Amps x Volts x 60
kJ/mm
Travel Speed (mm/min) x 1000
2.88 0.4-0.6 2 OR
7.11 0.8-1.2 3-3.5 *Arc Energy =
Amps x Volts x Arc time(s)
17.5 1.5-1.8 3-3.5 kJ/mm
Run Out Length (mm) x 1000

It should be considered that one important variable that is not commonly controlled
during manual GTAW welding is filler metal addition. The typical root pass thickness
indicated in the table above is based on:

a) Welding into the controlled root gaps specified in figure 1.

b) Addition of maximum and consistent levels of filler metal into the weld pool to
promote optimum cooling rates.
9
 An excessively thick root pass is generally associated with too high an arc energy,
whereas too thin a root pass is likely to result in burn through by the second pass.
Root beads that are either too thick or too thin do, of course, result in practical weld-
ing problems and are likely to result in poor penetration bead profile. The root pass
thicknesses shown are typical for the thickness being welded at the appropriate arc
energy.
It may be considered advisable to deposit weld beads as a series of balanced seg-
ments, for example such as shown in figure 4, at this offers the advantage of:

- Controlling joint gap closure

- Reducing overall joint distortion
- Maximising production whilst maintaining interpass temperature
requirements.

The stop and start regions of all weld beads should be taper ground to facilitate
smooth tie in. In GTAW welding industrial grade argon (99.995%) is recommended
as shielding gas at typical flow rates of 8-12 L/min.

Fig. 4 Balanced Joint sequences

Nozzles incorporating a gas lens ensure good gas coverage and effective weld pro-
tection with the avoidance of gas turbulence where extended tungsten electrode stick
out is being applied.

Slope down techniques at the termination of a weld to control phase balance should
be used.

Second Layer ‘Cold Pass’

The root weld bead upper surface should, if necessary, be dressed smooth and stain-
less steel wire brushed. However, grinding is rarely required.

As a general guide the second “cold” pass is deposited at a lower arc energy than
that of the root pass. GTAW welding is normally used. Interpass temperature control
as detailed previously must be maintained. It may be necessary to manipulate the
weld pool in order to ensure that the pool is “washed in’. This can be achieved by
“flicking” the weld pool up onto the side wall. Weaving must be minimised. Single
bead or split layer welding techniques can be used within arc energy and joint con-
10 figuration requirements.
A single bead “cold pass” is preferred. Figure 5 below illustrates the effect of differ-

ZERON 100 SUPER DUPLEX STAINLESS STEEL

ent root pass and 2nd “cold” pass arc energy combinations.

Root pass:
BAD: arc energy too high GOOD GOOD
2nd run:
GOOD BAD: arc energy too high GOOD
Overall result:
BAD: overheated root BAD: reheated root GOOD:optimum
poor corrosion poor corrosion corrosion resistance
resistance resistance

Fig. 5 Variations in welding GTAW root and second pass; COLD PASS technique

Joint Filling Passes

Argon back purging of single sided welds should be maintained throughout the weld-
ing of pipe and plate with weld deposit thicknesses up to 12 mm, to avoid progressive
root underbead oxidation through reheating. The back purging of double sided welds
can be stopped earlier. Balanced weld sequences should be maintained for the initial
5 mm of joint thickness. Control of interpass temperature and arc energy should be
maintained throughout the welding of the whole joint.

Joint Filling Using SMAW Process

Zeron 100 requires correct electrode handling procedures, in particular, protection
against moisture pick-up. Electrodes should be used directly from unopened contain-
ers, vacuum pack containers or from a 150˚C minimum temperature storage oven.

Electrodes should be issued and stored on the job in heated quivers in quantities suit-
able for 4 to 5 hours production or consumed within 8 to 10 hours of removal from
vacuum packaging. In all cases the Manufacturers recommendations for the particular
type of flux coating should be followed.

Welding techniques are based on electrode manipulation avoiding distinct weaving

and associated high heat input. Arc strikes should be avoided.

11
 Electrodes should be operated within the amperage range recommended by the
manufacturers. These are typically:
Table 2 Range of recommended SMAW electrode current settings
Electrode diameter (mm) Current range DC + (A)

2.5 50-65
3.2 70-90
4.0 100-140

Joint Filling Using GMAW Process

Both 1.0 mm and 1.2 mm diameter wires are available for welding. Multipass weld
layers employing minimum weave and controlled arc energy are advocated for joint
filling. Argon/helium (CO 2) gas mixtures have been successfully used for welding.

Typical parameters are given below:

Table 3 GMAW parameters

Position Wire diameter Current Arc voltage Travel speed Arc energy Gas flow
(mm) (A) (V) (mm/min) (kJ/mm) (L/min)

1G 1.2 220-240 30-32 250-400 1.0-1.5 20

6G/6G 1.0 80-95 30-32 200-300 0.6-0.8 20

Welding practice should aim to combine the productivity benefits of the process with
maintenance of arc energy control. A typical WPS is available on request.

Joint Filling with Submerged Arc (SAW) Process

Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) combining fast deposition of high quality weld
metal with mechanised process productivity, is a very viable alternative for joint fill-
ing with:

- Material thickness in excess of 15-20 mm

- Pipe or vessel diameters in excess of 150 mm
- Circumferential or longitudinal seams can be welded in the
downhand (ASME: IG) position.

The welding procedure with Zeron 100 is similar to that with standard austenitic
stainless steels (316L etc) although in order to maintain requisite arc energy/weld
cooling rate control, use of smaller diameter wires (eg 2.4 mm) and modest welding
parameters is recommended. The comparatively fast travel speed and low arc energy
conditions facilitate the benefits of continuous (eg full circumferential) welding and
a reduced level of interruptions associated with interpass temperature control.

Control of weld bead shape is very important. The depth to width ratio must be less
than 1, which requires careful selection of arc voltage, to avoid risk of centreline
12
 ZERON 100 SUPER DUPLEX STAINLESS STEEL
solidification cracking. Avoid too heavy beads per layer. The process is normally
introduced to fill out joints following deposition of 8-10 mm of TIG(GTAW) and
MMA (SMAW) root weld layers. An interpass temperature of 150˚C maximum
throughout the joint is recommended.

The flux used must be maintained in a reliable dry condition i.e., either directly from
new, unopened bags/drums or storage ovens operating at 250˚C. Unfused flux recov-
ered from the weld should be sieved and rebaked before further use.

With the agglomerated fluxes involved, repeated recycling will lead to excessive
build-up of fines and a shift in flux grin size balance, ultimately causing a deteriora-
tion in operating characteristics. To counter this effect, recycled flux should be dilut-
ed with new unused flux in a 1:1 ratio.

The recommended 25-30 mm deep flux pile is intended to prevent arc flaring
through the flux cover, leading to loss of arc/weld pool stability, possible entrain-
ment of air into the arc cavity, potential risk of weld surface ‘gas flats’ and; at worst,
internal porosity. Above 30 mm, flux pile depth will tend to inhibit release of gases
generated during welding.
With regard to electrode extensions, ‘stick-out’ of less than 20 mm, resistive heating
effects and metal droplet detachment may become unstable, resulting in weld bead
wander (“slalom effect’’). Typical welding parameters are:

Table 4 SAW welding parameters

Wire diameter Welding current Arc voltage Travel speed Arc energy Electrode Flux
DC+ extension height

(mm) (A) (V) (mm/min) (kJ/mm) (mm) (mm)

2.4 280-350 28-30 450-500* 0.9-1.2 20-25 25-30

*Travel speeds up to 750 mm/min may be required with smaller diameter,

e.g. 6” (150mm), pipe butt welds.

Repair welding
Zeron 100 has excellent welding properties and consequently gives a low repair rate
even when extensive NDE is applied on completed welds. If repairs are required
then it has been found that it is easier and preferable to cut out and completely re-
weld all small diameter thin wall welds (Typically <4” dia and <3 mm wall thick-
ness) rather than repair. When repairs are required on larger diameter, thicker welds
then these should be carried out in accordance with a qualified weld repair proce-
dure. It is essential on repair welds that the procedures are designed to prevent
excessive heating of the previous weld zone especially where a thin ligament
remains after any cut out.
13
 POST WELD CLEANING

Care should be taken to ensure that all flux or light spatter is removed from the weld
zone. Careful light grinding may be used in conjunction with wire brushing.

Pickling
Pickling of the local weld area has been found to significantly improve corrosion
resistance of the weld zone. Specific pickling pastes are available for super duplex
stainless steels and give excellent improvements in properties when used in line with
the manufacturer’s recommendations.

NOTES

14
ZERON 100 SUPER DUPLEX STAINLESS STEEL

15
NOTES
HEALTH AND SAFETY
Health and Safety requirements associated with welding Zeron 100 in relation to:
Electrical Equipment
Pressurised Gases
Personnel Protection
Fire
Fume
Arc Radiation
must be observed. If in doubt, your company Safety Officer should be consulted.
Specific product safety data sheets are available on request from the distributors for
each of the products when required.
SUMMARY
Golden Rules
Many thousands of Zeron 100 joints have been successfully welded utilising and
implementing this good welding practice. The main points to be remembered are:-

i) Use good stainless steel fabrication practice.

ii) Use a consistent joint fit up as detailed in the qualified WPS.
iii) Control the backing gas composition and flow rate.
iv) Choose the correct arc energy relative to the joint thickness.
v) Control the arc energy during production welding of the qualified WPS.
vi) Ensure consistent and maximum filler wire additions are made.
vii) Monitor and control the interpass temperatures and ensure that the maxi
mum temperature quoted in qualified WPS is not exceeded.
viii) Utilize stringer bead techniques with minimal weaving (maximum 3 x wire
diameter).
CONTACTS
Further information or advice can be obtained from:
MANCHESTER HEAD OFFICE: Technical Department, Weir Materials & Foundries,
Park Works, Newton Heath, Manchester, M40 2BA.
Telephone +44 (0)1 61 954 4678 Fax +44 (0)1 61 954 4739 email: wmlinfo@wml.weir.co.uk
www.weirmaterials.com
ABERDEEN OFFICE: Howe Moss Terrace, Kirkhill Ind. Estate, Dyce, Aberdeen, AB2 OGR
Telephone: +44 (0)1224 775 644 Fax: +44 (0)1224 775 646
OSLO OFFICE: Strandveien 5E, 1324 Lysaker, Norway
Telephone: +47 67 59 21 50 Fax: +47 67 59 21 69 email: bjarne.olsen@weir.no
PERTH OFFICE: 44-56 Fisher Street, Belmont, Western Australia, 60104.
Telephone: +61 894 799 670 Fax: +61 894 799 671 email: keithj@weir.com.au
THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR ZERON 100 WELDERS AND ENGINEERS USING
THE LATEST INFORMATION. JOINTLY BY WMF, METRODE AND LINCOLN SMITWELD.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR IMPLEMENTING THESE GUIDELINES TO MEET SPECIFIC
REQUIREMENTS REMAINS WITH THE FABRICATOR.