Localised corrosion of highly alloyed stainless steels in an ammonium chloride and diethylamine chloride aqueous solution

This paper studies the pitting corrosion of highly alloyed stainless steels (SS) immersed in an ammonium chloride and diethylamine chloride aqueous solution at temperatures of 25, 40, 60 and 80°C. Four materials were tested: UNS S 31726 SS, UNS S 31254 SS, UNS S 32550 SS and titanium, for comparative purposes. Gravimetric, after immersion up to 103 days, polarisation curves, impedance, SEM, EDX and optical microscopy were the techniques used. UNS S 31726 SS shows the lowest corrosion resistance. UNS S 31254 and UNS S 32550 SSs show similar behaviour. Titanium presents impedance data three orders higher than the other SS materials. The SS materials present a pseudoinductive behaviour on impedance data, associated with an adsorption process of the amine compound which decreases as the temperature increases.     

Corrosion behaviour of stainless steels in aqueous solutions of methanesulfonic acid

The corrosion behaviour of different grades of stainless steel in five commercial products labeled as 70% aqueous methanesulfonic acid was investigated. Chemical analysis showed that these products contain different amounts of impurities, most probably the consequence of the production procedure. Three austenitic stainless steel grades, 304, 316 and 316Ti, are widely used for storage and transportation vessels for methanesulfonic acid (MSA). Corrosion behavior has been studied by electrochemical techniques, immersion tests and by surface analysis. The selected stainless steels are highly stable in the most purified acid, but the presence of impurities in MSA disrupts the metal’s surface, leading to corrosive attack.     

Corrosion behaviour of stainless steel exposed to highly concentrated chloride solutions

The characteristics of pitting corrosion of Type 304L stainless steel (SS) exposed to highly concentrated chloride solutions were studied through the evaluation of the corrosion potential, the pitting potential, the structure of the passive layer and the statistics of pitting depth and density. Both as-received and weld metal samples were studied. The weld metal sample was machined from the welding zone of a butt weld of Type 304L SS. The results showed an accelerated anodic dissolution and depressed film resistance at the welding zone, but no dramatic change on pitting corrosion was observed from the statistics of pitting during the test duration up to 720?h. The pitting corrosion resistance was significantly affected by the chloride concentration and slightly affected by the temperature under the investigated conditions.     

Sintered austenitic stainless steels: Corrosion behaviour in sulphate and chloride media

Electrochemical investigations (polarization curves, polarization resistance measurements), together with weight loss measurements and quantitative chemical analysis of the solutions after immersion of samples were used to evaluate the corrosion behaviour of type 304L and 316L sintered austenitic stainless steels in sulphate and chloride containing solutions. The samples were sintered in nitrogen based atmosphere, at 1120 and 1190°C, and in vacuum at 1200°C and submitted to X-ray diffraction analysis and SEM observation together with EDS microanalysis before and after the corrosion tests. A correlation is tempted between the corrosion behaviour and the mechanical properties of samples as Rockwell hardness, shrinkage, unnotched impact strength, ultimate tensile strength.     

Corrosion of austenitic stainless steels in hot concentrated aqueous NaOH solutions

When austenitic stainless steel is exposed to a hot concentrated aqueous NaOH solution, two corrosion products are formed at the surface: (i) nickel, building up as a superficial metallic layer, and (ii) mixed oxide of the type NaMO₂, finely dispersed in the underlying austenite. The electrochemical and crystallographic factors which govern the growth of these products have been studied. The thermodynamics and kinetics of their formation are discussed. The morphology of the mixed oxide small crystals and their orientation relationships with the metallic matrix are such that they may be liable to initiate cracks. This possibility of crack initiation by the corrosion products is presented as a working hypothesis for the extension of this study.     

Corrosion behaviour of corrugated lean duplex stainless steels in simulated concrete pore solutions

This work studies the corrosion behaviour of two corrugated lean duplex stainless steels (SAF 2001 and 2304 grades) in eight alkaline solutions (carbonated and non-carbonated, saturated Ca(OH)₂ solutions with different chloride contents). 2001 stainless steel is a new grade in market because of its composition. 2304 is a grade previously studied under different conditions. However, its use as reinforcement in concrete is new. Studies are carried out by polarization curves following scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and optical observations. Results are compared to those of carbon steel and austenitic AISI 304 and duplex SAF 2205 under similar conditions. After corrosion tests in alkaline media with chloride, ferrite tends to corrode selectively in 2304 duplex, while austenite corrodes selectively in 2001 under the same conditions. The influence of the duplex microstructure on attack development and morphology is analyzed. The electrochemical parameters obtained from the polarization curves suggest 2001 could replace 304 keeping the structure its corrosion performance (and with clear economical advantages). 2304 shows better corrosion behaviour than the more expensive 304, but somewhat lower than the excellent behaviour shown by 2205.     

Corrosion of maraging steels in chloride solutions

Abstract

The effect of a maraging heat treatment on the mechanical properties and corrosion behaviour of a special grade of heat treatable stainless steel has been studied. Although the mechanical properties such as strength and hardness of this steel are enhanced after the maraging heat treatment, its corrosion resistance is reduced as a result of the formation of intermetallic precipitates at the grain boundaries. In addition, oxide scales are formed on the surface of the specimens after the heat treatment owing to high temperature oxidation and these scales play an important role in the corrosion behaviour of the aged specimens. Corrosion studies have been conducted on underaged, peak aged, and overaged specimens with and without oxide scales and on specimens in the solution annealed condition. Impedance and potentiostatic anodic polarisation techniques in 3·5%NaCl of pH 1, 4, 7, and 10 at room temperature have been used. The corrosion performance order of this maraging steel with oxide scales in acidic, neutral and alkaline solutions is solution annealed> overaged> underaged> peak aged. The removal of oxide scales from the surface of the aged specimens by electropolishing considerably enhances the corrosion resistance without altering the performance order. The surface treated specimens behave in a similar manner to the solution annealed specimens in chloride solutions of pH 7 and 10. This tremendous increase in the corrosion resistance value is a result of the formation of a passive. film on the surface of the specimens during the surface treatment. In immersion tests the surface treated specimens show no signs of corrosion after immersion in 3·5%NaCl at room temperature for a prolonged period of time.     

Influence of nitrogen and manganese on localized Corrosion behaviour of stainless steels in chloride environments

Electrochemical localized corrosion tests in substitute ocean water at 40°C and 70°C and ASTM G48 tests in 6% FeCl₃ solution were performed on three classes of stainless steels: Ni-austenitic (both traditional and with high nitrogen content ones), high nitrogen Mn-austenitic nickel free and duplex (both traditional and with high nitrogen content ones). The Pitting Resistance Equivalent formula, PRE_Mn = % Cr + 3.3% Mo + 30% N – 1% Mn, proposed to consider the presence of noticeable amount of manganese in some of the new high nitrogen stainless steels yields good linear correlation with experimental results. The existence of a threshold value of PRE_Mn (≥ 45) to attain excellent localized corrosion resistance has been recognized. According to this observation the high nitrogen Ni-austenitic 21Cr24Ni6MoO.24N, 24Crl8Ni4MoO.48N, 24Cr22Ni7MoO.52N and the duplex 25Cr8Ni4MoO.26N “super” stainless steels are immune to localized attack also in the most severe electrochemical test conditions. This superiority is maintained also in ASTM G48 tests. Due to their values of Critical Crevice Temperature (CCT_{ASTM G48} ≥ 35°C) these steels seem suitable for practical service in seawater environments up to about 30 °C.     

Corrosion behaviour of duplex stainless steels sintered in nitrogen

Duplex stainless steels obtained through powder metallurgy (PM) technology from austenitic AISI 316L and ferritic AISI 430L powders were mixed on different amounts to obtain biphasic structures with austenite/ferrite ratio of 50/50, 65/35 and 85/15. Prepared mixes of powders have been compacted at 750 MPa and sintered in N₂-H₂ (95% and 5%) at 1250 °C for 1 h. Corrosion behaviour, using electrochemical techniques such as anodic polarization measurement, cyclic anodic polarization scan and electrochemical potentio-kinetic reactivation test and double loop electrochemical potentio-kinetic reactivation double loop test were evaluated. For duplex stainless steels, when austenite/ferrite ratio increases the corrosion potential shifts to more noble potential and passive current density decreases. The beneficial effect of annealing solution heat treatment on corrosion behaviour was established and was compared with corrosion behaviour of vacuum sintered duplex stainless steels. The results were correlated with the microstructural features.     

Pitting and crevice corrosion behaviour of high alloy stainless steels in chloride‐fluoride solutions

The localised corrosion resistance (pitting and crevice corrosion) of two high alloy stainless steels, namely superduplex (SD) and superaustenitic (SA), has been studied in chloride‐fluoride solutions at pH values ranging from 2 to 6.5. The pitting potential (E_pit) and crevice potential (E_cre) have been calculated for these test media using electrochemical techniques (continuous current). The Critical Pitting Temperature (CPT) and Critical Crevice Temperature (CCT) are in both materials lower then the room temperature. In spite of this fact and due to the high repassivation rate, the resistance of these materials to localised corrosion is high in the tested media. At the highest tested concentration of aggressive anions and pH 6.5 both materials undergo a generalised attack.     

Influence of cavitation on the passive behaviour of duplex stainless steels in aqueous LiBr solutions

The objective of this work is to study the influence of cavitation on the passive behaviour of EN 1.4462, its filler metal (EN 1.4462F), and the welded metal (EN 1.4462W) obtained by Gas Tungsten Arc Welding using electrochemical techniques. The hydrodynamic conditions of the medium were modified using an ultrasonic-induced cavitation facility.Potentiostatic experiments were used to study the effects of cavitation on the passive behaviour of the alloys. The experiments were carried out in 850 g/L LiBr solutions with and without an inhibitor (Lithium Chromate). The solution with Li₂CrO₄ (commercial solution) contains LiOH as the pH regulator. The potentiodynamic cyclic curves of the stainless steels under the static condition were used to set the values of the imposed potentials.In this work, the electrochemical behaviour of the alloys described by the potentiodynamic curves has been related to their passive behaviour under potentiostatic conditions when the pulses of cavitation were applied. The results demonstrate that cavitation affects the passive behaviour of the alloys; the influence depends on the potential applied and on the presence or absence of chromates in the medium. Only under certain circumstances the hydrodynamic conditions can suppose a breakdown of passive film formed under static conditions.     

Susceptibility of highly alloyed austenitic stainless steels to caustic stress corrosion cracking

Slow Strain Rate tests (5 × 10⁻⁶ to 4 × 10⁻⁸ s⁻¹) in 300 g/L sodium hydroxide at 200°C were conducted on highly alloyed austenitic stainless steels with various nickel and chromium concentrations: N08904 (20Cr‐25Ni‐4Mo), N8825 (22.5Cr‐40Ni‐3Mo), N08028 (27Cr‐30Ni‐3.5Mo), R20033 (32.5Cr‐31Ni‐1.5Mo). Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) resistance of studied alloys increases in the following order: N08904 → N8825 → N08028 → R20033 in accordance with increasing chromium content. The SCC susceptibility indexes decrease gradually with decreasing of strain rate. In materials exhibiting higher SCC resistance, tests should be conducted at very low strain rates ( < 2 × 10⁻⁷ s⁻¹) to observe indications of SCC. When sulphide ions are added the R20033 steel exhibiting an excellent corrosion behaviour in pure caustic solution, becomes highly susceptible to SCC, even at = 5 × 10⁻⁶ s⁻¹.     

Corrosion behaviour of low temperature plasma carburised 316L stainless steel in chloride containing solutions

The electrochemical corrosion behaviour of the carburised (expanded austenite) layer on 316L austenitic stainless steel produced by low temperature plasma carburising has been studied in 0.5 M NaCl and 0.5 M HCl + 0.5 M NaCl solutions. The present work focuses on the variation of the corrosion behaviour of the carburised layer with depth from the surface and the effect of carbon concentration on electrochemical behaviour. The results show that the carburised layer has excellent resistance to localised corrosion. There exists a critical carbon concentration, above which the expanded austenite possesses excellent resistance to both metastable pit formation and pit growth.     

Corrosion behaviour of Lotus-type porous high nitrogen nickel-free stainless steels

Corrosion behaviour of three austenitic Lotus-type porous high nitrogen Ni-free stainless steels exposed to an acidic chloride solution has been investigated by electrochemical tests and weight loss measurements. Polarization resistance indicates that the corrosion rate of Lotus-type porous high nitrogen Ni-free stainless steels is an order of magnitude lower than that of Lotus-type porous 316L stainless steel in acidic environment. The localised corrosion resistance of the investigated high nitrogen Ni-free stainless steels, measured as pitting potential, E_b, also resulted to be higher than that of type 316L stainless steel. The influences of porous structure, surface finish and nitrogen addition on the corrosion behaviour were discussed.     

Corrosion of stainless steels in acid solutions with organic sulfur-containing compounds

The influence of the organic sulfur-containing compounds on the corrosion of ferrite and austenitic stainless steels in sulfuric acid was studied. The results showed that the anodic dissolution and self-corrosion of stainless steels were remarkably accelerated in solutions with a low amount of the organic sulfur-containing compounds (0.02 mmol/dm³). With an increase of the organic sulfur-containing compound concentration, more and more the organic sulfur-containing compound molecules adsorbed on the electrode surface and segregated the metal surface from the solution, which caused the decrease of the anodic dissolution and hydrogen evolution current of stainless steels. The anodic polarization behaviors of stainless steels were also changed with the various types of the organic sulfur-containing compounds and stainless steels.     

Corrosion behavior of a superduplex stainless steel in chloride aqueous solution

Super duplex stainless steels (SDSS) have been widely used as structural materials for chemical plants (especially in those engaged in phosphoric acid production), in the hydrometallurgy industries, and as materials for offshore applications due to their excellent corrosion resistance in chloride environments, compared with other commercial types of ferritic stainless steels. These alloys also possess superior weldability and better mechanical properties than austenitic stainless steels. However, due to their two-phase structure, the nature of which is very dependent on their composition and thermal history, the behavior of SDSS regarding localized corrosion appears difficult to predict, especially in chloride environments. To improve their final properties, the effect of the partition of the alloying elements between the two phases, and the composition and microstructure of each phase are the key to understanding the localized corrosion phenomena of SDSS. This paper concerns the effects of the SDSS microstructure and heat treatment on the SDSS corrosion resistance in aqueous solutions, containing different amounts of NaCl at room temperature.     

Effect of chloride ions on corrosion behaviour of austenitic nickel and nickel free stainless steels in phosphoric acid solutions

The effect of chloride ions' presence (0·005–1·0M NaCl) in phosphoric acid solutions (5, 40 and 75%) on the corrosion behaviour of three austenitic stainless steels (an experimental steel Fe–18Cr–12Mn–0·6N and two trade grades, Fe–18Cr–9Ni and Fe–14Cr–15Mn–0·2N) has been studied by potentiodynamic polarisation measurements. The surface examinations of the samples tested involved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy as well as optical and scanning electron microscopy. It was established that chlorides added to phosphoric acid solutions deteriorate the general corrosion resistance, and under anodic polarisation, they provoke pitting corrosion. The composition of the stainless steels significantly influences its corrosion behaviour in the phosphoric acid solutions containing chloride ions. The replacement of nickel with manganese and nitrogen on top of lower chromium content has a strong negative effect on the corrosion resistance.     

Corrosion behaviour of intermetallic aluminide coatings on nitrogen-containing austenitic stainless steels

The present work reports the effect of aluminide layers on the aqueous corrosion behaviour of four different 316L stainless steels containing various nitrogen contents (0.015%, 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.56% N). Diffusion annealed aluminide layers are generated over the surface by heat treatment of the aluminium precoated alloys at 750 °C for 25 h in nitrogen atmosphere. X-ray diffraction patterns of the surface modified samples showed the presence of AlN, Al₁₃Fe₄ and FeAl₂ phases. Diffusion of aluminum into the alloy, and the formation of AlN by the reaction of aluminium with matrix nitrogen, was identified using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). The nitrogen peak in the diffused layer was found to increase with increasing nitrogen content of the base alloy. SEM observation of cross-sectionally mounted alloys showed the presence of spherical AlN phase in addition to iron aluminide intermetallic phases. The role of such a composite surface layer containing intermetallic aluminides and nitride on the corrosion resistance of austenitic stainless steels in 0.5 M NaCl and 0.5 M sulphuric acid is discussed in greater detail based on open circuit potential (OCP)–time measurements, potentiodynamic polarisation studies and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) investigations. The aluminide layered alloy with 0.1% N content showed better corrosion performance. The presence of nitrogen was found to have a positive effect in enhancing the hardness of the composite layer. Role of matrix nitrogen on the microstructure and microchemical distribution at the surface, and its role on corrosion resistance in acidic and chloride media are discussed in detail.