ESSC & DUPLEX 2019

Stainless steels are high-alloyed, usually with multiple components and often also dual matrix phases, as for duplex stainless steels. This makes predictions and calculations of alloying effects on equilibria and phase transformations a challenge. Computational thermodynamics has emerged as an indispensable tool for calculations within these complex systems on predictions of equilibria and precipitation & growth. This paper offers examples illustrating how computational methods can be applied both to thermodynamics, kinetics and coarsening of stainless steels in order to predict microstructure comprising of the desired matrix phases ferrite and/or austenite, as also the less desired secondary phases such as intermetallic phases and nitrides.