Is it necessary to water quench after every heat treatment of a duplex stainless steel?
It is necessary to water quench after the final anneal of a mill product or of a constructed and heat-treated component such as a head, fitting, or forging. However, it may be convenient to air cool the piece during intermediate processing and then perform the final anneal and quench as a separate operation. The air-cooled piece will not have optimal toughness and corrosion resistance in that condition, but it is sufficient for further processing. The part will be brought to maximum toughness and corrosion resistance by the final heat treatment with its water quench.
