Despite its high efficiency, autogenous keyhole welding is not well-accepted for duplex stainless steels because it causes excessive ferrite in as-welded duplex microstructure, which leads to a degradation in toughness and

In this study, quartz and feldspar powders were surface treated using a silane coupling agent to achieve a more compatible mineral surface with the polymer matrix. Details of surface characteristics of minerals were examined by energydissipative X-ray spectroscopy, contact angle measurements, and infrared spectroscopy. Thermoplastic polyurethane-TPU was compounded with minerals using the melt-blending technique. Mechanical, thermo-mechanical, meltflow, and morphological characterizations of TPU and relevant composites were performed by utilizing tensile and Shore hardness tests, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), melt flow index (MFI) measurements, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Water repellency of TPU and composites were also evaluated experimentally. Effects of surface treatments were discussed by comparing the results of composites filled with pristine and modified minerals. Results revealed that enrichment of quartz and feldspar surfaces confer mechanical and thermo-mechanical performance of composites. Mineral inclusions caused no drastic changes to the MFI parameter of TPU. The silane layer on the mineral surface displayed a barrier effect to water uptake of composites. Homogeneous dispersion and improved interfacial adhesion of mineral particles to the TPU phase were confirmed with help of SEM observations. Quartz exhibited slightly higher performance thanks to its silicarich composition. The findings of this research exhibited the considerable influence of the silane layer on the mineral surface on the mechanical performance of TPU-based composites.

Contrary to other keyhole welding applications on duplex stainless steels, a proper cooling time and a dilution were achieved during hybrid plasma gas metal arc welding that provided sufficient reconstructive transformation of austenite without sacrificing its high efficiency and productivity. Simultaneous utilization of keyhole and metal deposition in the hybrid welding procedure enabled us to get an as-welded 11 mm-thick standard duplex stainless steel plate in a single pass. Metallographic examination on hybrid plasma-gas metal arc weldments revealed only primary austenite in ferrite matrix, whereas in addition to reconstructive transformation of primary austenite during solidification, secondary austenite was also transformed in a displacive manner due to successive thermal cycles during multi-pass gas metal arc welding. On the one hand, secondary austenite provided barriers and retarded the crack propagation during the tests in laboratory air. On the other hand, chromium and molybdenum depletion in the neighborhood of secondary austenite precipitates yielded relatively high crack propagation rates in multi-pass weldments under chloride attack.

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