Cyclic deformation of duplex stainless steels: Microstructure and crystallographic texture effects

Over the last decades duplex stainless steels (DSS) have become standard materials, successfully employed in many different fields. Considering that the mechanical properties of a material are known to be strongly dependent upon texture, it is clear that a better knowledge of the influence of distinct microstructural and crystallographic parameters on the cyclic behaviour of DSSs is required if they are going to be used effectively under fatigue. Consequently, the aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of crystallographic texture on the cyclic stress-strain response of a 2205 DSS supplied as rods and plates which were produced following two distinct processing routes. As expected, the tensile and cyclic responses of the DSSs indicated a strong anisotropy of the mechanical characteristics. These results are discussed by means of interactive effects of crystallographic texture and microstructure on the determined responses.