The influence of crystallographic orientation distribution on 316LVM stainless steel pitting behavior

In this research, the influence of crystallographic orientation on pitting corrosion susceptibility of 316LVM stainless steel surface has been investigated using orientation imaging microscopy (OIM) technique. It has been shown that the susceptibility of the surface to pitting corrosion depends strongly on the crystallographic orientation of the planes parallel to the surface. This has revealed an anisotropic nature of pitting initiation on the surface, suggesting that controlling the texture of the material can be considered as a means of ameliorating the material’s pitting resistance. The generalized spherical harmonic functions have been used to express the pitting susceptibility of various crystallographic planes. Using the proposed formula and the texture inverse pole figure of the investigated material (obtained from orientation distribution function, ODF), the pitting susceptibility index (PSI) of the surface is predicted based on texture measurements. The results obtained thus demonstrate a novel method of improving pitting resistance of SS316LVM by designing the desired texture.