Electrochemical investigation of chloride induced pitting of stainless steel under the influence of a magnetic field

The effect of a magnetic field on chloride induced pitting of stainless steel was studied by potentiodynamic measurements in aqueous NaCl solution in a cylindrical cell with the field perpendicular to the surface under test. Compared to identical tests without field, a significant shift of the repassivation potential Er in the cathodic direction was observed, together with the formation of small pits at high density in the periphery of the electrode. These pits develop under the influence of a vortical flow induced by the magnetohydrodynamic effect. The shift of Er is explained as the consequence of the occluded morphology of these pits.