Microstructure and Corrosion Behavior of Arc Sprayed Stainless Steel Coatings
Abstract The microstructure of arc sprayed stainless steel 316L coatings appears mainly in bright white matrix, deteriorated layers (grey), and black pores under optical microscopy. The black pores and the chromium-depleted areas in the deteriorated layers are known as the factors for decreasing the ability of protecting substrate under corrosive environments. Results of experiments in this paper suggests, in the condition of this study besides the factors mentioned above, Fe-Cr oxides should be another factor of dominating the corrosion resistance in the coatings. It also describes that the quantity and the distributions of such oxides are great influence on the corrosion behaviors. In this study, two kinds of coatings were used, one with thick deteriorated layers and another with thin deteriorated layers, which were sprayed on mild steel substrate by air atomization and nitrogen atomization respectively. Salt spray test and salt-water dip test were carried out to investigate corrosion behavior in macro and micro view. An effect of sealing treatment on the performance of the coatings was also examined. Results of metallographic examination and image processing analysis are well supported by a detailed investigation of corrosion behaviors of individual phases.