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.