Superduplexstainlesssteels(SDSS)showcomplexprecipitationandtransformationbehaviorduringheattreatmentprocesses,whichaffectsbothmechanicalandcorrosionproperties.ThisreportpresentssomedataonthemicrostructuresthatdevelopafterfoldingandsubsequentprecipitationduringheattreatmentofUNSS32750SDSSsheetsamples.ThemicrostructuralandtexturalchangeshavebeenfollowedusingSEM/EBSDtechniques.Uponfolding,bothatextureandstraingradientforminthefolded/bentregion,subsequentheattreatmentat845℃resultsintheferritephasetotransformtosigma,austeniteandchiphases.Transformationwasfoundtobeacceleratedbystrain.Completetransformationoftheferritephaseoccurredwithinhalftheannealingtimerequiredintheunstrainedregions.Thelocalmis-orientationsintheferriteandaustenitephasesreducedduringannealing,however,thereductionintheaustenitewasnotveryhighandasignificantamountremainedevenafterthelongestannealingtime.Thetexturecomponentsthatdevelopedduringthefoldingprocessremainedunchangedevenafteronehourannealingat845℃.TheimplicationofthesefindingscouldhaveabearingontheformationofsigmaphaseduringweldingofSDSSthatmayhaveresidualstressesintroducedduringfinalprocessing.
