Enchancing Reproducibility in Stainless Steel Pitting Corrosion Test

Abstract

Pitting corrosion is a very severe and localized form of corrosion that poses significant risks in industrial applications because it is not always evident in its early stages and can lead to catastrophic failures. Although stainless steels have a remarkable resistance to corrosion due to their passive layer, they can become vulnerable in certain aggressive environments, especially in the presence of chlorides. Understanding this phenomenon is essential to ensure the durability and reliability of stainless steels in critical applications. Potentiodynamic tests are typically performed to evaluate the corrosion resistance of stainless steel. In these tests, a series of conditions must be established to obtain results that guarantee the reproducibility and repeatability. This work evaluates how the test conditions affect the evaluation of pitting corrosion resistance in EN 1.4301 stainless steel. Parameters such as water supply, agitation, nitrogen deaeration time and nitrogen flow rate are analyzed. These parameters will allow the test method to be optimized.