British Corrosion Journal

ISSN: 0007-0599 (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ycst19

Evaluation of intergranular corrosion susceptibility

in an as welded high alloy austenitic stainless steel
casting

C. McCaul

To cite this article: C. McCaul (1991) Evaluation of intergranular corrosion susceptibility in an

as welded high alloy austenitic stainless steel casting, British Corrosion Journal, 26:4, 239-243,
DOI: 10.1179/000705991798269026

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/000705991798269026

Published online: 20 Nov 2013.

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 Evaluation of intergranular corrosion susceptibility in an
as welded high alloy austenitic stainless steel casting
C.McCAUL lntergranular corrosion is a leading cause of failure of pump and valve castings in the
chemical process industry. High alloy austenitic stainless steels of the CN7M type .are
frequently used because they are highly resistant to sulphuric acid and other aggressive
chemicals. Existing specifications normally require a solution anneal after weld repair to
eliminate carbide precipitation in the heat affected zone. The introduction of the argon-
oxygen decarburisation ( AOD) secondary refining process in many stainless foundries has
allowed the production of CN7M and similar alloys with very low carbon levels. Cast test
plates of the CN7MS composition were joined using both gas tungsten arc and shielded
metal arc welding. Samples we,.e taken, in the as welded condition, and subjected to a series
of tests based on ASTM A262, for the detection of intergranular carbide precipitation.
Particula,. attention was given to the heat affected zones. The results demonstrate that the
heat generated by welding is insufficient to induce sensitisation in the weld heat affected
zone. Sensitisation can be induced by longer exposure, in afurnace at 675C. Thesefindings
indicate that AOD refined high alloy, fully austenitic castings behave similarly to the lower
alloyed CF3M types and that a post-weld solution anneal is unnecessary for material with
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a carbon content below 003% after welding with a low carbon filler metal and with careful
control of inter pass temperature and heat input.
Manuscript received 24 June 1991; in final form 12 September 1991. The author is with
Dresser Industries Inc., 401 Worthington Avenue, Harrison, NJ 07029-2097, USA.

INTRODUCTION basis of microstructure. Acceptance criteria for the other

Austenitic grades of stainless steel, both cast and wrought
versions, are subject to intergranul~r carbide precipitation
when heated in the 425-815C range'. The carbide precipi-
tation reaction is time dependent, and will not occur if the
material is rapidly quenched through the susceptible
temperature range. For this reason, specifications for these
alloys require a water quench or rapid cooling by other
means, following a solution annealing heat treatment.
Welding, including both fabrication welding and repair of
castings, can also induce carbide precipitation, known as
sensitisation, particularly in the heat affected zone. The
more stringent specifications, including ASTM A 744,
'Castings, iron-chromium-nickel, corrosion resistant, for
severe service', require a post-weld solution anneal to
eliminate this weld related sensitisation. This can be an
onerous requirement for pump and valve manufacturers,
who cannot solution heat treat and quench machined
castings without high risk of distortion which would render
the casting unusable. The problem arises when defects
requiring weld repair are uncovered during the machining
process, or a machining error occurs.
The rate of sensitisation in the 425-815C range is highly
dependent on the carbon content of the material. Low
carbon levels (0'03 0/0) retard the rate of this reaction to
such an extent that sensitisation should not occur during
the course of normal welding operations. Low carbon
variants of the commonly used 304 and 316 grades are
commercially available. These are often specified where
welding is anticipated and there is a desire to avoid
post-weld heat treatment.
Various laboratory screening tests have been developed
over the years to detect susceptibility to intergranular
corrosion. The most common and useful of these tests are
described in ASTM A262, 'Standard practices for detecting
susceptibility to intergranular attack in austenitic stainless
steels'. These tests have most frequently been used with
wrought material, although they are also considered
suitable for use with the cast grades CF8, CF8M, and
their low carbon variants. ASTM A262 provides acceptance
criteria only for practice A, a screening test using an
electrolytic oxalic acid etch. Samples are evaluated on the
tests described in this standard are established by the user.
In 1974, Brown 1 published a comprehensive evaluation of
the A262 standard, including acceptance criteria established
by DuPont for the practice Band C tests. These are based
on four decades of testing and correlation with service
experience.
Intergranular corrosion, frequently associated with welds,
has been identified2 by the Materials Technology Institute
of the Chemical Process Industries (MITI) as a leading
cause of failure in pump and valve castings. The materials
affected are often CF8M and CN7M, two of the alloys
most widely used for their acid corrosion resistance. Errors
in heat treatment are the root cause leading to intergranular
corrosion in service.
CN7M and a similar material, CN7MS, are high nickel
fully austenitic stainless cast alloys with nominal compo-
sitions of Fe-20Cr-29Ni-25Mo-35Cu and Fe-3Si-19Cr-
235Ni-25Mo-l75Cu respectively. These premium mater-
ials are noted for their high level of resistance to sulphuric
acid and imm unity to stress corrosion cracking. They are
chosen for a variety of demanding chemical applications.
Each is produced to a maximum car~on level of 0'07%
and, if purchased to ASTM A744, would require a post-
weld solution heat treatment. Clearly, as shown in the
MITI survey, proper heat treatment is essential for good
performance of these alloys. ,
Many CN7M and CN7MS pump and valve castings
now being supplied have been produced using the argon-
oxygen decarburisation (AOD) secondary refining process.
This process is routinely used by some of the more
technologically advanced stainless foundries because of the
very significant technical and economic benefits that it
provides. Of particular importance is the ability of this
process to reduce contaminants, particularly carbon and
sulphur, to very low levels. Carbon level in CN7M and
CN7MS can be held to ~ 0'030/0. Recent work by Gossett3
has demonstrated that AOD refined CN7M castings
provide a more uniform and higher level of corrosion
resistance than conventionally melted material. These
castings, while specified to meet 0'07%C, in fact meet
0'030/0C maximum.

Dr. Corros. J., 1991, Vol. 26, No.4 239

 240 McCaul lntergranular corrosion in high alloy austenitic stainless steel casting

Table 1 Characteristics of cast CN7MS test plates

Composition, wt-% Tensile Yield

strength, strength, Elongation, Hardness,
C Mn Si S p Cr Ni Mo Cu MN m-2 MNm-2 0/0 HB

002 0-32 3-20 <001 002 189 238 3-0 1-8 579 314 47* 143

* 50 mm gauge length.

Recent work by Pawel and co-workers4 indicates that TESTING PROCEDURE

the mandatory requirement, in ASTM A 744 for post-weld Four ADD refined cast CN7MS test plates were procured,
heat treatment of austenitic stainless castings, may not each with carbon and sulphur content limited to 003
always be necessary. Working with the CF3M composition, and 0'015% respectively. The plates measured 25 x
simulated weld repair cycles were made using a Gleeble. 178 x 406 mm and were produced to radiographic
The specific repair cycles were chosen because they were quality, meeting ASTM E446 level 2. These plates were
found to represent conditions that yield maximum sensitis- po.ured from a single heat; composition and mechanical
ation in the CF8M composition. Evaluation consisted of properties are given in Table 1.
testing in accordance with ASTM A262 practices A and An existing weld procedure for CN7M castings was
B, with the results judged against the DuPont acceptance modified for use in these tests. The procedure covers
criteria. All samples, representing both one and three repair welding by gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), shielded
cycles, were essentially immune to intergranular corrosion. metal arc welding (SMA W), or a combination of these
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Use of the CN7M and CN7MS compositions is ham-
pered, as noted above, by the requirement for post-weld
heat treatment found in ASTM A744 and other specifica-
tions. It would also be desirable, if possible, to eliminate
post-weld heat treatment because it is.a major contributor
to hot cracking. Austenitic stainless castings are prone to
develop cracks immediately after any thermal treatment.
Susceptibility to this problem becomes more pronounced
as the percentage of austenite in the casting increases.
CN7M and CN7MS, with fully austenitic microstructures,
are considerably more susceptible than the lower alloyed
CF8 alloys, which contain some ferrite. Cracking is
associated with the presence of the trace contaminants
sulphur and phosphorus.5 These tend to concentrate in
the grain boundaries, weakening them and causing inter-
granular fissures due to thermal stress as the casting cools.
The incidence of hot cracking is erratic, but shows a rough
correlation with weld repair and heat treatment cycles.
Each additional attempt at weld repair or heat treatment
increases the likelihood of hot cracking.
The use of AOD refined castings potentially benefits this
situation in two ways. There is evidence6 that these castings
are inherently less susceptible to hot cracking than
conventionally melted alloys. Also, if it could be demon-
strated that post-weld heat treatment is unnecessary to
assure optimum corrosion resistance, the elimination of a
thermal cycle would further reduce the risk of hot cracking.
Based on the findings of Pawel, Monroe, and others47
with CF3M and CF3 compositions, there appears to be
the possibility that low carbon AOD refined versions of
the CN7M and CN7MS compositions might also be
resistant to sensitisation in the as welded condition. Should
this be the case, it would facilitate weld repair of finish
machined castings, allow a highe"r fraction of marginal
castings to be salvaged, and reduce the difficulty of field
repair. To test this hypothesis, a laboratory test programme
was initiated to evaluate the susceptibility of CN7MS
cast plates, in the as welded condition, to intergranular
corrosion.
processes. Modifications to the procedure consisted of the
use of a low carbon filler metal, control of interpass
temperature, and deletion of post-weld heat treatment.
Since the procedure covers two welding processes, and
either may be used depending upon the nature of the
repair, it was decided that both should be investigated
to evaluate whether this variable had any effect on inter-
granular carbide precipitation in an as welded plate. For
this reason, two of the cast plates, intended for GTA W
welding, were milled to a thickness of 127 mm. All four
plates were then machined to a 45 V bevel and welded,
in the flat position, using a backing strip and a 32 mm
root gap. Arcos type 320 LR filler metal was used. This is
a high purity version of type 320 and was selected for this
investigation so that the carbon content of the filler would
match that of the base metal. Table 2 gives composition
and mechanical property test results for the filler metal.
The 127 mm thick plates were welded by the GTAW
process using 24 mm bare wire. The 254 mm thick plates
were welded using a combination of 32 mm and 4 mm
coated electrode. The interpass temperature was limited to
93C in both cases and there was no post-weld heat
treatment. Heat input did not exceed 1180 J mm - 1.
After welding, the backing plates and weld caps were
removed by machining. Liquid penetrant testing and
radiography were performed on the weld heat affected
zone to determine whether any significant defects were
present which might adversely affect corrosion test results.
Intermittent linear indications were found along the edges
of the welds on both test plates. These were judged to be
slight undercut and are not considered significant.
Samples were removed from the base metal and weld of
both plates for chemical analysis. This was "d<;>neto verify
the results reported by the foundry and weld consumable
supplier, and to assure the presence of low carbon in the
welds. The results correlate well with the chemical analyses
reported by the material suppliers.
A total of 24 samples, representing base metal, heat
affected zone, and weld metal were removed from the test

Table 2 Characteristics of weld filler metal obtained from 32 and 40 mm coated electrode and 24 mm bare wire respectively

Composition, wt-% Tensile Yield

strength, strength, Elongation, Reduction
C Mn Si S P Cr Ni Mo Cu MNm-2 MNm-2 % in area, %

0022 166 019 001 001 203 343 25 32 540 367 40 65

002 17 015 0008 0013 200 359 26 30 533 354 40 64
0007 17 004 0006 0013 202 328 23 34 582 438 38 67

Dr. Corros. J., 1991, Vol. 26, No.4

 McCaul Intergranular corrosion in high alloy austenitic stainless steel casting 241

incapable of developing, in a reasonable time frame, grain

boundary details in the CN7MS samples. Thus, it was
necessary to etch with glyceregia (ASTM E407-etchant
87). Etching time was about 45 s for base metal and 15 s
for weld metal. This alternative approach is commonly
used to delineate grain structure in CN7MS and similar
Fe-Cr- Ni alloys which are resistant to oxalic acid.8 A
series of microstructures, representing good, marginal, and
unacceptable conditions were the basis for evaluation.
These are shown in Fig. I and differ from the micro-
structures shown in A262 only in that the structure is fully
austenitic rather than a combination of austenite and
ferrite, and the etchant is glyceregia. The 24 samples were
judged against these microstructures in the same manner
as samples etched in oxalic acid would be judged against
a the photomicrographs shown in A262 practice A.
Figure 2 represents the microstructure evaluation portion
of this investigation. Each unsensitised sample representing
base metal or heat affected zone was acceptable. Sensitised
samples were all unacceptable.
A total of 12 samples (six from each plate) were removed
for testing in accordance with A262 practice B. These
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samples represent base metal, heat affected zone, and weld

metal. In order to obtain adequately sized samples, the
heat affected zone samples of necessity included some base
metal and weld metal. Samples were taken from both the
face and root of each welded plate. The practice B test
consists of boiling for 120 h in a ferric sulphate-sulphuric
acid solution. Acceptance criteria are based on weight loss.
The results of this test are given in Table 3.
b
DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
Practice A
The results of microstructural examination show a clear
distinction between samples which have been deliberately
furnace sensitised and those which were not. All the
sensitised samples show an unacceptable microstructure,
whereas the as welded samples are acceptable. Of particular
interest in this regard are Fig. 2(', e, and g showing the as
welded heat affected zone at the weld face and weld root
for both welding processes. Both show a fully acceptable
microstructure, providing conclusive evidence that the use
of AOD refined base metal and high purity weld filler can
be used to produce acceptable corrosion resistant heat
affected zone microstructures, as evaluated by this test. It
c was also shown that prolonged exposure to furnace
ldesirable microstructure showing small, scattered preCIpitates; sensitisation will induce intergranular carbide precipitation.
h acceptable microstructure showing scattered precipitates, with some No discernible difference was noted in microstructure
partial encirclement of grain boundaries; c unacceptable microstructure
showing carbide completely encircling grains
between the GTA Wand SMA W plates in either sensitised
A1icrostructures q( CN7MS casting: glyceregia etch x 50

Table 3 ASTM A262 practice B test data

plates for microstructural examination_ The intent was that Weight

this be done following the general procedure outlined in Initial after Weight Corrosion
ASTM A262 practice A. The samples comprised duplicates Area, weight, 120 h test, loss, rate,
from each surface of both plates. One sample representing cm2 g g g mm/year
each condition (12 total) was furnace sensitised at 675C
254 mm thick SMAW test plate assembly
for 1 h. This is in accordance with the requirements of Base 13-076 19009 18841 0168 116
practice A, which requires a sensitising treatment for low Base 13-057 19190 19-017 0173 122
carbon materials. The other sample was not sensitised, as Weld + HAZ 13524 20-457 20-382 0075 052
recent work 7 suggests this may be an unnecessary and Weld+HAZ 12624 18403 18337 0-066 049
incorrect approach with some cast compositions. Moreover, Weld + HAZ 12-919 19318 19-255 0-063 0-46
this would provide a comparison showing the amount of Weld + HAZ 12876 19,658 19591 0067 0-49
sensitisation induced by welding versus that caused by a 127 mm thick GTAW test plate assembly
combination of welding and furnace sensitisation. Base 13204 18802 18636 0-166 1-16
Base 13704 20070 19896 0-174 1-16
Two deviations from A262 practice A were necessary,
Weld + HAZ 13569 19561 19465 0096 0-64
owing to the fully austenitic structure and highly corrosion Weld+HAZ 13516 19823 19-726 0097 064
resistant character of the CN7MS composition. An electro- Weld+HAZ 13-226 19323 19231 0092 064
lytic oxalic acid etch, specified by practice A and intended Weld + HAZ 13808 20504 20-391 0-113 0-73
primarily for use with lower alloyed materials, was

Dr. Corros. J., 1991, Vol. 26, No.4

 242 McCaul Intergranular corrosion in high alloy austenitic stainless steel casting

a b
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c d

"'.~

.,~~

tJ
.~

~.
g ., h
a typical base metal microstructure, after furnace sensitisation, showing an unacceptable microstructure; b typical base metal microstructure in the as
received, solution annealed, and water quenched condition: microstructure is acceptable; (' heat alTected zone in SMAW plate, taken from face of weld:
as welded microstructure is acceptable; d heat affected zone in SMAW plate, taken from face of weld: furnace sensitised microstructure is unacceptable;
e heat affected zone in GTAW plate, taken from face of weld: as welded microstructure is acceptable; f heat atTected zone in GTAW plate, taken from
face of weld: furnace sensitised microstructure is marginal; ~ heat affected zone in GTAW plate, taken from rool of weld: as welded microstructure is
acceptable; h heat affected zone in GTAW plate, taken from root of weld: furnace sensitised microstructure is marginal
2 Microstructures of test samples x 140

Dr. Corros. J., 1991, Vol. 26, NO.4

 McCaul
or unsensitised condition. Although GTAW is considered
a higher heat input process than SMAW, the relatively
minor difference was not enough to significantly alter
cooling rates or induce sensitisation in the GTAW material,
nor did samples taken from the weld root differ in
microstructure from those taken from the weld face. These
findings indicate that either GTAW or SMAW processes,
or a combination of both, can be used to produce welds
with uniformly acceptable corrosion resistance to a thick-
ness of at least 25 mm. This of course presumes heat input
and interpass temperature are maintained within the limits
used in this investigation. A 25 mm thick weld is a major
repair weld with many passes and prolonged thermal
cycles. This represents a worst case, as most repair welding
is not so extensive. If follows that smaller welds would be
incapable of causing detrimental changes in the weld heat
affected zone.
Practice B
Acceptance criteria for weight loss in practice Bare
established by the user; they are not defined in ASTM
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A262. The selection of appropriate acceptance criteria is
recognised as being crucial to evaluation of the practice B
data. Brown has published! a detailed evaluation of A262
practices A, B, and C test data, representing thousands of
samples. Test data were correlated with many years of
service experience and it was concluded that a maximum
permissible corrosion rate of 122 mm/year in the practice
B test will assure freedom from sensitisation. This limit
was applied to both wrought and cast material.
The literature contains little else which would either
support or refute the approach advocated by Brown. Some
pump manufacturers have used a limiting value of 6I mm/
year for the practice B test when applied to CN7M, and
find that this provides acceptable corrosion resistance.
ASTM B473, which covers the wrought version of CN7M,
designated N08020, imposes a limit of 061 mm/year on
practice B when specified as a supplementary requirement
The significantly better corrosion resistance of the wrought
material, demonstrated by Gossett,3 probably accounts for
the wide variation in acceptance criteria for wrought and
cast versions of similar materials.' Neither the 061 mm/
year nor 61 mm/year limits are supported by technical
justification as convincing as that provided by Brown.
Thus, 122 mm/year was selected as the acceptance criterion
to be used for this test in the belief that it will provide the
best indication of service performance.
The 12 practice B samples, listed in Table 3, all show
corrosion rates meeting the acceptance criterion advocated
by Brown, and well below the 61 mm/year which has been
applied to pump castings. Corrosion rates for both weld
and heat affected zone, in fact, hover around the much
more stringent 061 mm/year figure established by B473
for N08020 wrought material.
Test results are remarkably consistent, with little variation
between the plates welded with SMAW and GTAW
processes for either weld metal or heat affected zone. Base
Intergranular corrosion in high alloy austenitic stainless steel casting 243
metal results should be nearly identical since both plates
were taken from the same heat and received the same
thermal treatment. In fact, the four samples taken from
base metal showed an insignificant difference, of only
006 mm/year in corrosion rate.
The weld metal and heat affected zone corrosion rates
are even lower than those for base metal, varying between
046 and 052 mm/year for the SMA W welded plate and
064-073 mm/year for the GTAW welded plate. The slight
difference in corrosion rates may be attributable to the
fact that GT AW is a higher heat input process than
SMAW.
The key conclusion to be drawn from these data is that
as welded samples, representing weld and heat affected
zone, did not show any loss of corrosion resistance.
Corrosion rates were, in fact, lower than those for base
metal. This conclusion is in agreement with that of Monroe
et al.7 who found that CF3 and CF3M alloys exposed to
A262 practice B following weld thermal cycles had corrosion
rates unchanged from the solution treated condition.
Similar results were also reported by Stickle and Spence9
who, working with low and high ferrite versions of CF3M,
found no significant increase in corrosion of as welded
samples in either A262 practice B, or practice F. The
significance of these data is that it extends the findings of
these published works to higher alloyed fully austenitic
cast aJIoys.
CONCLUSION
The work described in this paper provides evidence that
high alloy fully austenitic stainless steels, of the CN7MS
type, can be repair welded, and used in the as welded
condition without loss of corrosion resistance at the weld
or heat affected zone. To achieve this result, carbon content
of the casting must be held below 0'03%, a level easily
met using the AOD process. Low carbon filler metal, such
as 320LR is needed, and interpass temperature should be
strictly controlled.
REFERENCES
1. M. H. BROWN: Corrosion, 1974, 30, (1), 1-12.
2. D. B. ROACH and F. H. BECK: 'Performance and reliability of
corrosion resistant alloy castings', Manual 5; 1981, St. Louis,
MO, Materials Technology Institute.
3. J. L. GOSSETT: Mater. Perform., 1988~ 27~ (12), 44-46.
4. c. D. LUNDIN, S. PAWEL~ and E. STANSBURY: Proc. 1st Int. Steel
Foundry Cong., Chicago, IL~ 1985, Steel Founders' Society of
America.
5. T. OGAWA and E. TSUNETOMI: Weld. J., Mar. 1982, 82s-93s.
6. C. NALBONE: Proc. 39th SFSA Technical Conf., Chicago, IL,
1984, Steel Founders' Society of America, 111-119.
7. R. W. MONROE, S. PAWEL, and J. M. SVOBODA: Mater. Perform.,
1989~ 28, (5), 52-56.
8. H. S. AVERY: in 'Metals handbook' 8th edn, Vol. 8, 105; 1973,
Materials Park, OH, AS.M International.
9. D. R. STICKLE and T. C. SPENCE: Mater. Perform., 1987, 26, (4),
26-30.
Dr. Corros. J., 1991, Vol. 26, No.4