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Practical On-Site Measurement of Ferrite Content in Austenitic and Duplex Steel Components

Rakesh Bhan

Applications
Duplex steels are often used in welded tanks, pipelines, reactors, or chemical and nuclear plants.
Components are stressed both mechanically and environmentally. Testing is required during the manufacturing process as well as at regular intervals.

Ferrite content determination gives insight into the stability of the steel

Ferrite Content Measurement Austenitic Steels


Material specifications often call for a ferrite content which typically lies between 0.5 and 12%
Ferrite content influences hot cracking, brittleness, forming and corrosion resistance. Too low a ferrite content increases the chances of hot cracking

Too high a ferrite content decreases corrosion resistance.

Ferrite Content Measurement Duplex Steels


Duplex steels are becoming more common in chemical and petrochemical industries
Most favorable corrosion resistant properties when ferrite content is between 40% & 60% Contents are often quoted between 25% & 75%

Property Advantages Duplex Steel


Duplex steel has better mechanical properties than full austenitic
Duplex steel has better resistance to pitting corrosion, stress cracking, chlorides and general acidic corrosion These positive attributes only occur when ferrite content lies between specified limits

Factors That Affect Ferrite Content


Use of the wrong welding rod Inadequate regulation of heat flow Incorrect heat treatment These instances require on-site measurement to determine if the job has been done correctly

Determining Ferrite Content Metallography


Specimen examined under a microscope
Disadvantages
Ferrite appears in many forms.

Differences in decayed and interact ferrite cannot always be recognized


Metallography is usually a destructive test

Typically a laboratory test but can be used in the field taking up to 20 minutes
Measurement represents tiny portion of structure

Determining Ferrite Content - XRay Analysis


Ferrite content can be determined by X-ray Diffraction in a laboratory
Disadvantages
Only ferrite lying in proximity of surface can be detected.
Content below 3% cannot be detected.

Method cannot be used on-site

Determining Ferrite Content Chemical Composition


If the chemical composition is known, the ferrite content of a weld can be determined
Disadvantages
Weld is subject to heat treatment, deliberate and accidental
Method cannot be used strictly on-site

Method can only be used as a rough approximation of the actual ferrite content

Determining Ferrite Content Magnetic Adhesion Method


The force required to lift a magnet of exactly defined shape and field strength is measured
Disadvantages
Measurement is dependent on wall thickness
ferrite content of a thin austenitic cladding on a ferromagnetic material cannot be measured.

The form or structure of the ferrite affects the measurement - not practical for complicated geometries

Ferrite Measurement Using FERITSCOPE FMP30


FERITSCOPE FMP30 uses a magnetic induction method with a display and hand probe A low frequency current flows through the field coil. Alternating magnetic field then penetrates the sample. The field that is created is proportional to the ferrite content. Measures volume permeability of the sample which relates to all magnetic material i.e. ferrite in the sample

Measurement Principles
Magnetic Induction
low frequency alternating magnetic field (168 Hz)

Effects
Ferrite content obtained from the magnetic permeability

Magnetic Induction Ferrite Content Measurement

Measurement Principle > Part 1

Magnetic Induction Method low frequency alternating magnetic field (168 Hz)

Effects Ferrite content obtained from the magnetic permeability of the ferrite grains

Austenitic cladding with ferrite grains on a steel substrate

Ferrite Content Measurement


Measurement Principle > Part 2
Question: How is it possible to define the amount of ferrite content notwithstanding the different permeability of the ferrite grains due to changes of the alloys in the cast? As pointed out in the foregoing, the magnetic field of the probe depends on the permeability of the specimen under test! Answer: The reason is as follows: Through the probe field the grain gets magnetically polarized on its surface and an magnetic field is created, opposed to the probe field. This means a much lower amplification of the probe field than one would estimate from the original grain permeability. The grain displays a so-called demagnetization factor, which depends on its geometry. If the grain would look like a sphere, than its effective permeability would be only r(eff) = 3 instead of e.g. r = 300 for the pure grain material. ferrite grain

magnetic field of the probe

opposed magnetic field of the grain

Ferrite Content Measurement


Measurement Principle > Part 3
Consequence of the demagnetization effect on the relative effective permeability r(eff), which defines the measurement signal of the probe, for a ellipsoidal geometry of the ferrite grain. The nonlinear rise of r(eff) can be explained as follows: At low ferrite contents, the single grains are far away from each other. Their magnetic fields do not interfere. The higher the content the closer the grains and their demagnetization factor decreases. At a 100% ferrite content, r(eff) equals the original r of the grain material realtiveeffective peremability r(eff)

Note: Because of this non-linear dependence of r(eff) on the ferrite content, the measurement error increases with increasing content. Upper limit of the ferrite content measured with Fischer instruments.

ferrite content in %

FERITSCOPE
Hand Held measurement device for determining ferrite content

FMP 30

Probes for FERITSCOPE FMP 30


FGAB1.3 FE probe

FGABI1.3-FE probe
FBABW1.3-FE FGABW1.3L-FE

Duplex Steel Application


Chemical and Petrochemical Industries typically use duplex steel Weld cracks could occur on high corrosion resistant duplex stainless steel without proper ferrite content

Master and Corrective Calibrations


One calibration cant be used for all applications Master calibration based on a variety of master standards Calibration actually stored in the measurement Probe (SMART-Probe) Master standards represent a wide variety of ferrite contents that have been measured by various test methods

Master and Corrective Calibrations cont.


A set of standards is available for functional testing and for possible corrective calibration
Standards are used to ensure the accuracy, repeatability and reproducibility of measured values If a user has specimens of known ferrite content the instrument can be calibrated to them

Fischer Calibration Standards


Fischer Standards are traceable to TWI (The Welding Institute, UK), Avesta Company of Sweden, The Bergakademie Freiberg (Germany) and the Mannesman Corporation of Germany Standard sets carry both FN and % FE values Corrective Calibration Set 1 includes: 0.4, 2 and 9 FN (0.4, 2.5 and 10.5% FE) Corrective Calibration Set 2 includes: 2, 9, and 33 FN (2.5 and 10.5, and 30% FE) Corrective Calibration Set 3 includes: 9, 33, and 110 FN (10.5, 30 and 80% FE)

Master and Corrective Calibrations cont.


Corrective calibrations can be stored. The user can call up these stored calibrations for a specific measurement range The reading will display in either %Fe or WRC Ferrite No.

Measuring range extends from 0.1 to 80% Ferrite or 0.1 to 110 WRC FN No.

Documentation of Measured Values


The memory capacity of the FERITSCOPE is 10,000 measurements in 1000 blocks
100 individual applications can be stored

Measurements can be downloaded via RS-232 to both a printer and computer


Statistical evaluation including min, max, and mean value, # of measurements, standard deviation, etc.

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