Effect of Microstructural Bands on the Localized Corrosion of Laser Surface-melted 316L Stainless Steel

The localized corrosion of laser surface melted (LSM) 316L stainless steel is investigated by a combination of potentiodynamic anodic polarization in 0.1M HCl and microscopic investigation of the initiation and propagation of localized corrosion. The pitting potential of LSM 316L is significantly lower than the pitting potential of wrought 316L. The LSM microstructure is highly banded as a consequence of the high laser power density and high linear energy density. The bands are composed of zones of changing modes of solidification, cycling between very narrow regions of primary austenite solidification and very wide regions of primary ferrite solidification. Pits initiate in the outer edge of each band where the mode of solidification is primary austenite plane front solidification and primary austenite cellular solidification. The primary austenite regions have low chromium concentration (and possibly low molybdenum concentration), which explains their susceptibility to pitting corrosion. The ferrite is enriched in chromium, which explains the absence of pitting in the primary ferrite regions. The presence of the low chromium regions of primary austenite solidification explains the lower pitting resistance of LSM 316L relative to wrought 316L. The influence of banding on localized corrosion is applicable to other rapidly solidified processes such as additive manufacturing.

The Corrosion Studies of Electron Beam Welded Nickel Alloy

The paper presents the influence of electron - beam (EB) remelting effect on the surface layer electrochemical parameters obtained from potentiodynamic anodic polarization studies and impedance spectroscopy measurements for a set of Inconel 617 electron beam remelted obtained for different process parameters. The correlation between EBW process parameters and characteristic of surface oxide layer properties and resistance to the acidic environment were discussed. The electrochemical studies were supported by microstructural analysis of the remelted zone (RZ), heat affected zone (HAZ), native metal and observed precipitates formed under rapid solidification process. Both electrochemical technics applied to evaluate corrosion properties of remelted Inconel 617 evidenced a strong influence of the electron beam current on the corrosion resistance.

Using Ce to modify inclusion in spring steel

The effect of rare earth metals addition on the Al2O3 inclusions in spring steel used in fastener of high speed railway was investigated by metallographic examination, SEM-EDS and composition analysis. To deform those harmful inclusions to improve material performance?the evolution process of Al2O3 inclusions was investigated through the surface and line scanning. Ce metal modifying Al2O3 is a stepwise reduction process based on a formation of ring shape Ce-riched band around the Al2O3 inclusions during reaction process. Through experiment and thermodynamic calculation, an evolvement rule about Al2O3 inclusions change after Ce addition is obtained, i.e. Al2O3?Ce2O3-Al2O3?Ce2O2S. Changing the inclusions from Al2O3 to rare earth inclusions could improve the resistance to pitting corrosion based on potentiodynamic anodic polarization test.

Obtaining and Characterization of Zirconium and Cerium Coatings

Some metals prior to receiving a layer of paint should be submitted to a treatment of metal surface, since they are subjected to corrosion. This work aims the obtaining and characterization of a coating based on ceramics of cerium and / or zirconium for metal surfaces treatment. The ceramics were obtained by immersing the aluminum alloy 3003 and the carbon steel (SAE 1010) in the polymeric resin of citric acid and ethylene glycol according to the Pechini method. The characterization of the samples was performed using the following techniques: scanning electron microscopy (SEM), open circuit potential (OCP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Potentiodynamic Anodic Polarization (PAP). It was confirmed that the coatings of cerium and / or zirconium presented themselves as promise in the treatment of metal surfaces, because both showed good resistance, protecting the metal from corrosion.

Electrochemical behavior of hydrogen precipitated Zircaloy-4

This work investigates the hydrogen precipitation effects on the electrochemical behavior of Zircaloy-4 in acidic saline media. The specimens of Zircaloy-4 were hydrogen charged at 200, 400 and 600 ppm concentrations for 30 min at 400[Formula: see text]C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies confirmed the formation of delta hydrides in the material. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results also indicated the presence of elongated hydrides whose density and thickness increased with the increase of hydrogen concentration in the alloy. The corrosion kinetics of the specimens were explored before and after hydrogen precipitation using potentiodynamic anodic polarization (PAP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The results showed that hydrogen precipitation shifts the corrosion potential towards more positive and thus improves the corrosion resistance of the alloy. The charge transfer resistance [Formula: see text] of the alloy was found to increase with increasing hydrogen concentration. This indicates an increased polarization tendency of the Zircaloy-4 surface with a limited dissolution tendency in the presence of delta hydrides.