The hot cracking (solidification cracking) susceptibility in the weld metals of duplex stainless steels were quantitatively evaluated by Transverse-Varestraint test with gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and laser beam welding (LBW). Three kinds of duplex stainless steels (lean, standard and super duplex stainless steels) were used for evaluation. The solidification brittle temperature ranges (BTR) of duplex stainless steels were 58K, 60K and 76K for standard, lean and super duplex stainless steels, respectively, and were comparable to those of austenitic stainless steels with FA solidification mode. The BTRs in LBW were 10-15K lower than those in GTAW for any steels. In order to clarify the governing factors of solidification cracking in duplex stainless steels, the solidification segregation behaviours of alloying and impurity elements were numerically analysed during GTAW and LBW. Although the harmful elements to solidification cracking such as P, S and C were segregated in the residual liquid phase in any joints, the solidification segregation of P, S and C in LBW was inhibited compared with GTAW due to the rapid cooling rate in LBW. It followed that the decreased solidification cracking susceptibility of duplex stainless steels in LBW would be mainly attributed to the suppression of solidification segregation of P, S and C.
