Experiment Investigation for Design on the Sensitization-Dependent Passivation Characteristics of AL-6XN in 3.5% NaCl Solution
The sensitization and passivation characteristics of AL-6XN heat-treated for up to 24 h at 800 °C were evaluated through double loop electrochemical potentiodynamic reactivation (2 M H2SO4 + 0.01 M KSCN +2 M NaCl solution) and cyclic potentiodynamic polarization (3.5% NaCl solution) test methods. Furthermore, the dependence between the characteristic values (Epit, Erep, and degree of sensitization) was discussed. The σ phase was precipitated at the intergranular and intragranular in AL-6XN at 800 °C. When the heat treatment time exceeded 1 hour, AL-6XN occurred rapid sensitization due to the precipitation of σ phase. In a 3.5% NaCl solution, the passivation characteristics of AL-6XN with sensitivity were very poor and depended much on the degree of sensitization.