Influence of long-term ageing in solution containing chloride ions on the passivity and the corrosion resistance of duplex stainless steels

The influence of long-term ageing in NaCl on the passivity and the electrochemical behavior of UNS S32304 is studied. The passive film thickness, the Cr/Fe ratio and the chloride content were significantly increased after ageing. The chloride distribution depends on residual stresses, sample microstructure and surface preparation. Local electrochemical measurements revealed that pitting potentials are between 250–550 mV vs. SCE after electropolishing. The higher the chloride content, the lower the local pitting potential. It was also shown that the presence of chloride was balanced by the enrichment in chromium after ageing. Then no pitting potential could be measured.

Research highlights
► Influence of electropolishing and long term ageing in NaCl of duplex stainless steels on chemical composition and degree of homogenity of passive films.
► Role of microstructure, residual stress and surface preparation on chloride distribution.
► Role of ageing and microstructure on pitting corrosion at the microscale.