Enhancements of Passive Film and Pitting Resistance in Chloride Solution for 316LX Austenitic Stainless Steel After Sn Alloying

In the present work, the electrochemical behavior and properties of the passive film of a new Sn-alloyed 316 LX austenitic stainless steel were investigated. With the increase in Sn content in 316 LX austenitic stainless steel from 0 to 0.21%, the critical pitting temperature value increased from 32.6 to 38.8 °C, and the pitting potential increased from 0.252 V_(SCE) to 0.317 V_(SCE). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results showed that the corrosion resistance of passive film rose with the increase in Sn content, indicating a more stable passive film. The Mott–Schottky measurement revealed an n-type passive film with a decreased carrier concentration on the 316 LX austenitic stainless steel surface. The Cr, Sn~(2+) and Sn~(4+)(SnO, SnOHCl or SnO_2) enrichments were observed in the passive layer by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The enrichment of Sn and Cr in the passive film can account for the enhanced pitting resistance of 316 LX austenitic stainless steel in chloride solution.     

Pitting and Intergranular Corrosion Resistance of AISI Type 301LN Stainless Steels

The pitting and intergranular corrosion (IGC) resistance of AISI type 301LN stainless steels were evaluated using ASTM methods, anodic polarization, and electrochemical impedance techniques. The IGC results indicated that the microstructure of the samples after sensitization heat treatment at 675 °C for 1 h shows step or dual structure for both imported and indigenous materials indicating insignificant Cr₂₃C₆ precipitation. The results of immersion tests in boiling 6% copper sulfate + 16% sulfuric acid + copper solution for 24 h followed by the bend test (ASTM A262 Practice-E method) indicated no crack formation in any of the tested specimens. Pitting corrosion resistance carried out in 6% FeCl₃ solution at different temperatures of 22 ± 2 and 50 ± 2 °C (ASTM G 48) up to the period of 72 h revealed pitting corrosion attack in all the investigated alloys. The potentiodynamic anodic polarization results in 0.5 M NaCl revealed variation in passive current density and pitting potential depending on the alloy chemistry and metallurgical condition. The passive film properties studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) correlated well with the polarization results. The x-ray diffraction (XRD) results revealed the presence of austenite (γ) and martensite (α′) phases depending on the material condition. The suitability of three indigenously developed AISI type 301LN stainless steels were compared with imported type 301LN stainless steel and the results are highlighted in this article.     

Corrosion of Carbon Steel and Corrosion-Resistant Rebars in Concrete Structures Under Chloride Ion Attack

Corrosion of reinforced concrete is the most challenging durability problem that threatens reinforced concrete structures, especially structures that are subject to severe environmental conditions (i.e., highway bridges, marine structures, etc.). Corrosion of reinforcing steel leads to cracking and spalling of the concrete cover and billions of dollars are spent every year on repairing such damaged structures. New types of reinforcements have been developed to avoid these high-cost repairs. Thus, it is important to study the corrosion behavior of these new types of reinforcements and compare them to the traditional carbon steel reinforcements. This study aimed at characterizing the corrosion behavior of three competing reinforcing steels; conventional carbon steel, micro-composite steel (MMFX-2) and 316LN stainless steel, through experiments in carbonated and non-carbonated concrete exposed to chloride-laden environments. Synthetic pore water solutions have been used to simulate both cases of sound and carbonated concrete under chloride ions attack. A three-electrode corrosion cell is used for determining the corrosion characteristics and rates. Multiple electrochemical techniques were applied using a Gamry PC4? potentiostat manufactured by Gamry Instruments (Warminster, PA). DC corrosion measurements were applied on samples subjected to fixed chloride concentration in the solution.     

Effect of Nitrogen and Sensitization on the Microstructure and Pitting Corrosion Behavior of AISI Type 316LN Stainless Steels

High-nitrogen stainless steels (SS) are receiving increased attention because of the advantages of their strength over the SS with nominal composition. However, they are susceptible to dichromium nitride (Cr₂N) precipitation during thermal exposure between 873 and 1323 K resulting in sensitization and subsequent intergranular corrosion. Round tensile specimens of AISI type 316LN SS, with three different nitrogen content 0.07, 0.14, and 0.22 wt.% in mill-annealed and sensitized (973 K for 24 h) condition were studied for their pitting corrosion behavior. The results of the potentiodynamic anodic polarization studies were correlated with the results obtained using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique. Critical pitting potential (E _pp) increased with increasing nitrogen content but the same was found to decrease on aging. The parameters indicating passive film stability measured by EIS revealed faster passive film dissolution as indicated by low polarization resistance, in sensitized condition and vice-versa in mill-annealed condition. The EIS results correlated well with the variation in the respective E _pp obtained from the potentiodynamic polarization diagrams.     

316L不锈钢柠檬酸钝化工艺及其耐点蚀性能研究

采用正交试验方法研究了316L不锈钢柠檬酸钝化工艺,利用电化学测试方法测量了不锈钢焊接接头各部位在钝化前后点蚀电位的变化,并以此评价钝化工艺对不锈钢耐点蚀性能的影响.研究结果表明,由正交试验优选出的最优配方和工艺为:柠檬酸、双氧水、乙醇的质量分数分别为3%、10%、5%,温度25℃,钝化时间90 min.此工艺配方可大大提高316L不锈钢整体的耐点蚀性能.     

The Effect of Time and Temperature of Nitridation-Oxidation Process on Properties and Corrosion Resistance of AISI 316L Steel

In this research, AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel has been subjected to plasma nitriding and oxidation- nitridation heat treatment at several temperatures for different times. Plasma nitriding of the samples was performed in N₂/H₂ = 1/3 atmosphere at temperatures of 425, 450, and 475°C for 5 h. To study the effects of the combined nitridation-oxidation process on mechanical and physical properties, the samples have been exposed in O₂/H₂ = 1/5 oxidating atmosphere at 425, 450, and 500°C for 15, 30, and 60 min, respectively. The mechanical and physical properties of the samples were studied after nitridation-oxidation heat treatment. The microstructural properties were examined by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy; the phases were analyzed by X-ray diffraction. The wear behavior of the oxidized-nitrided samples was studied using pin-on-disk tribotesting. The hardness and depth of the nitrided layer were measured by a Vickers hardness tester. The corrosion resistance of both untreated and treated samples was tested by the Tafel polarization and potentiodynamic polarization in 3.5% NaCl solution at ambient temperature. The results indicate that the combined nitridation-oxidation heat treatment improves both the pitting corrosion and wear resistances of AISI 316L steel and further increases its hardness.     

Corrosion behaviour of a dissimilar joint TIG weld between austenitic AISI 316L and ferritic AISI 444 stainless steels

The AISI 444 stainless steel (SS) has become an option to substitute the AISI 316L SS because of its low cost and satisfactory corrosion resistance. However, the use of AISI 444 alloy tubes in heat exchangers causes the welding of a dissimilar joint. The aim of this study was evaluate the corrosion resistance of the tube-to-tubesheet welded by a TIG process composed of AISI 316L and AISI 444. Preparation of samples was executed through replication of tube-to-tubesheet joints. In order to test the corrosion resistance of the welded joint, the following tests were applied: sensitisation, mass loss from room temperature up to 90 °C and electrochemical corrosion tests in 0.5 mol/L HCl and 0.5 mol/L H₂SO₄ electrolytes. The results have shown that the dissimilar joint suffers galvanic corrosion with increased degradation of the heat-affected zone of the AISI 444 tube. Nevertheless, the mechanisms of localised corrosion (pit and intergranular) were more active in the AISI 316L alloy. It is concluded that the dissimilar joint showed better corrosion resistance than the welded joint composed solely of AISI 316L at temperatures up to 70 °C, as the conditions observed in this work.     

Improvement of pitting corrosion resistance of AISI 444 stainless steel to make it a possible substitute for AISI 304L and 316L in hot natural waters

The pitting corrosion resistance of AISI 444, 304L and 316L stainless steels in two tap waters with different chloride concentrations at 80 °C was studied. Cyclic potentiodynamic polarization (CPP) tests were carried out starting from E_corr ? 30 mV until the current density reached 0.1 mA/cm² (scan rate 0.166 mV/s); the scan was then reversed and continued until new passivity conditions were achieved. The corrosion potential was measured before the polarization experiments. From the E‐log i plots, the values of pitting and protection potential were obtained; from these potentials, the perfect and the imperfect passivity regions were defined to compare the corrosion resistance of the studied steels. CPP tests were performed both on as received stainless steel samples and on samples submitted to different cleaning–passivation treatments to improve their corrosion resistance. The results indicate that, for industrial production, AISI 444 stainless steel can substitute the more expensive AISI 304L or 316L after a cleaning–passivation treatment that reduces the presence of inclusions.

     

Electrochemical and XPS studies of AISI 316L stainless steel after electropolishing in a magnetic field

The thermodynamic stability and corrosion resistance of surface oxide layer are the most important features of stainless steels. Electrochemical polishing (EP) is the most extensively used surface technology for austenitic stainless steels. We have modified this surface technology by introducing a magnetic field to the system. With this new process called the magnetoelectropolishing (MEP) we can improve metal surface properties by making the stainless steel more resistant to halides encountered in a variety of environments.In this paper, the corrosion research results are presented on the behaviour of the most commonly used material - medical grade AISI 316L stainless steel. The corrosion investigations have been concerned on the open circuit potential (OCP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and polarisation curves studies in the Ringer’s body fluid under room temperature (25 °C). The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was performed on 316L samples after three treatments: MP - abrasive polishing (800 grit size), EP - conventional electrolytic polishing, and MEP - magnetoelectropolishing. The comparison of the corrosion behaviour of the stainless steel’s surface after these processes was also carried out. The purpose of XPS studies was to reveal the surface film composition and the reason of this modified corrosion behaviour. It has been found that the proposed MEP process modifies considerably the composition of the surface film and improves the corrosion resistance of the same 316L SS studied.     

Low temperature nitriding of AISI 316L stainless steel and titanium in a low pressure arc discharge

AISI 316L stainless steel (SS) and titanium nitriding were studied in a low pressure arc-assisted nitriding process where the substrate temperature and the plasma parameters are uncoupled. Lower nitriding temperature limits were explored for constant plasma parameters in Ar–N₂ gas mixtures and substrates at floating potential. Nitrogen superficial concentration, layer thicknesses and X-ray diffraction analyses were performed on SS specimens nitrided at two temperatures (580 and 680 K) for different times and titanium nitriding was studied in the temperature range 750–1025 K. At low temperature, the nitriding performances are limited by a plasma–surface phenomenon that probably involves recombination of nitrogen atoms.     

离子渗碳温度对316L不锈钢渗层组织和性能的影响

利用低温离子渗碳技术.在不同温度下对AISI 316L奥氏体不锈钢进行渗碳处理.利用光学显微镜、显微硬度计、XRD以及电化学测试技术研究了渗碳温度对不锈钢表面显微组织和性能的影响.结果表明,渗碳温度显著影响AISI 316L奥氏体不锈钢渗碳层的组织结构与性能.渗碳温度在400～550℃之间时,可以获得无碳化物析出的、具有单一γ_c相结构的渗碳层;渗碳温度在550℃时,渗碳层为γ相+Cr_(23)C_6+Cr_7C_3+Fe_3C+Fe_2C的混合组织.渗碳层的厚度与硬度均随渗碳温度的升高而增加.550℃是AISI 316L奥氏体不锈钢中铬的碳化物析出的临界温度.为了避免铬的碳化物析出而降低不锈钢的耐蚀性能.奥氏体不锈钢渗碳必须在低于550℃的渗碳温度下进行.     

Microstructure and electrochemical properties of the bonding zone of AISI 316L steel joined with a Fe-based amorphous foil

The effect of temperature and holding time on the microstructure and corrosion resistance of the junction zone of AISI 316L stainless steel (SS) bonded to itself with Fe₇₅Cr₈P₁₀B₇ filler alloy was investigated. The brazing alloy was prepared in the laboratory in the form of amorphous ribbons and its melting temperature was determined by differential thermal analysis (DTA) to be 1571 K. The joining process was carried out in a chamber with controlled Ar atmosphere at two temperatures: 1173 and 1273 K for different holding times not exceeding 40 min. Joining took place by the mechanism of diffusion bonding. The joints produced at 1273 K for 40 min exhibited no porosity in the reaction zones and presented the best quality. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterization of the bonding zone revealed an improvement in the quality of the joints brazed at 1173 K for 20 min and longer. These samples had continuous base metal–filler alloy interfaces with minimum porosity. At 1273 K the bonding interfaces diffused and for the samples held for 40 min completely vanished and porosity disappeared. Even the presence of particle precipitates the bonding zone showed acceptable resistance to localised corrosion in non-aggressive electrolytes. SEM study revealed that irregularly precipitated particles and other phases of about 10 μm in size formed in the interlayer during the joining process. The presence of σ-phase in samples bonded at 1273 K promoted preferential dissolution in the bonding zone in NaCl solution.     

The semiconducting properties of passive films formed on AISI 316 L and AISI 321 stainless steels: A test of the point defect model (PDM)

The semiconductor properties of passive films formed on AISI 316L in 1 M H₂SO₄ in three temperatures and AISI 321 in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ were studied by employing Mott–Schottky analysis in conjunction with the point defect model (PDM). Based on the Mott–Schottky analysis in conjunction with PDM, it was shown that the calculated donor density decreases exponentially with increasing passive film formation potential. Also, the results indicated that donor densities increased with temperature. By assuming that the donors are oxygen ion vacancies and/or cation interstitials, the diffusion coefficients of the donors for two stainless steels are calculated.     

Use of Electrochemical Noise (EN) Technique to Study the Effect of sulfate and Chloride Ions on Passivation and Pitting Corrosion Behavior of 316 Stainless Steel

In the present paper, studies were conducted on AISI Type 316 stainless steel (SS) in deaerated solutions of sodium sulfate as well as sodium chloride to establish the effect of sulfate and chloride ions on the electrochemical corrosion behavior of the material. The experiments were conducted in deaerated solutions of 0.5 M sodium sulfate as well as 0.5 M sodium chloride using electrochemical noise (EN) technique at open circuit potential (OCP) to collect the correlated current and potential signals. Visual records of the current and potential, analysis of data to arrive at the statistical parameters, spectral density estimation using the maximum entropy method (MEM) showed that sulfate ions were incorporated in the passive film to strengthen the same. However, the adsorption of chloride ions resulted in pitting corrosion thereby adversely affecting noise resistance (R _N). Distinct current and potential signals were observed for metastable pitting, stable pitting and passive film build-up. Distinct changes in the values of the statistical parameters like R _N and the spectral noise resistance at zero frequency (R°_SN) revealed adsorption and incorporation of sulfate and chloride ions on the passive film/solution interface.     

Acceptance Criteria for Corrosion Resistance of Medical Devices: Statistical Analysis of Nitinol Pitting in In Vivo Environments

ASTM F 2129 test method nor the FDA provides any guidance as to what constitutes an acceptance criterion for the corrosion resistance of implantable medical devices. Neither provide any guidance on how many samples to test or how to handle censored data, i.e. datasets where there are only a few tests that breakdown. The development of both a statistically valid acceptance criterion for corrosion resistance and a method of evaluation would be of significant benefit to the medical device community. This study of 420 nitinol cyclic polarization tests, which builds on previous research that was presented at SMST 2007, investigates the effect of long-term exposure to simulated in vivo environments with differing degrees of aeration. This was accomplished by pre-exposing electropolished (EP) nitinol to phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at 37 °C that had been sparged with either ultra high purity nitrogen or laboratory air. Immersion times ranged from 1 h up to 30 days. A total of 290 EP samples were tested in order to obtain a reasonable number of samples with breakdown, i.e. pitted. In addition, a total of 130 mechanical polished (MP) samples were also analyzed. This data allow us to test our statistical model that was presented at SMST 2007. This model takes into account the probability of breakdown per unit of exposed surface area and, if breakdown occurs, predicts the probability that E _b ? E _r is greater than some threshold value. Aerated PBS environments were found to have a large influence on the margin of safety against pitting in vivo. Statistical methods for treating highly right censored pitting data are presented.     

HAP Coatings for Biomedical Applications: Biocompatibility and Surface Protection Against Corrosion of Ti,Ti6Al4V and AISI 316L SS

Protection of Metals and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces - The implants used as cardio stents, orthopedic and dental implant may be subjected to biological corrosion. Uncoated implants can be...     

Numerical simulations study of the localized corrosion resistance of AISI 316L stainless steel and pure titanium in a simulated body fluid environment

The resistance of both AISI 316L stainless steel (AISI 316L SS) and commercially pure titanium (cpTi) to localized corrosion in a simulated body fluid solution was investigated using numerical simulations. The resulting model, based on transport equations in dilute solutions, is designed to predict the susceptibility of these two biomaterials to crevice corrosion initiation. The results show that cpTi and AISI 316L SS alloy are very resistant to the initiation of crevice corrosion in 0.9% NaCl solution and AISI 316L SS alloy is more susceptible to corrosion initiation over the long term than cpTi.     

On the origin of the tensile flow stress in the stainless steel AISI 316L at 300 K: back stress and effective stress

The tensile behaviour of a polycrystal austenitic stainless steel at 0.2T_m is discussed in terms of back and effective stresses with the help of qualitative and quantitative TEM observations. Particular attention is given to the transition between stages I and II which occurs at a plastic strain equal to 1.5%. The effective stress evolution can be interpreted as a competition process between the increase of mobile dislocation density and dislocation interactions and an annihilation process. The main purpose of this work is to provide a basis for separating the two different contributions of the back stress, namely the intragranular back stress X_intra arising from the heterogeneous dislocation distribution inside the grains and the intergranular back stress component X_inter resulting from plastic strain incompatibilities between grains. Moreover, it is shown that the latter contribution is dominant at small strains (stage I), whereas the former one is more important subsequently (stages II and III), when cross-slip and multiple slip occur.     

Use of the Laws of Delayed Fracture of Metallic Materials for Forecasting the Remaining Life of Structures under a Test Load

Metal Science and Heat Treatment -