Friction Stir Welding: Mitigating the Susceptibility to Intergranular Corrosion of Alloy 625

In this work, friction stir welding (FSW) was employed to alloy 625 grade I (soft annealed) sheets. Therefore, solid-state based welding was undertaken with a tool rotational speed of 200 rpm and welding speed of 1 mm/s. Microstructural features were analyzed by light optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, microhardness measurements were performed. The susceptibility to intergranular corrosion was verified by the double-loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (DL-EPR) test. Complementary, intergranular corrosion was evaluated by ASTM G28 Method A. FSW promoted grain refinement, increased microhardness, and reduction in the degree of sensitization. Finally, the mean corrosion rate observed in the ASTM G28A test was 0.4406 mm/year, which suggests a good weld quality.

Interlaboratory Testing to Assess Repeatability and Reproducibility of the Double Loop Electrochemical Potentiokinetic Reactivation (DL-EPR) Tests for Type 304H Stainless Steels

The sensitization of stainless steels may decrease their corrosion resistance in industrial applications. Traditional immersion tests exist to determine the degree of sensitization (DOS) of the stainless steels. However, electrochemical methods may be preferred because they are less expensive and faster to perform. The fast and robust double loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (DL-EPR) test has been introduced to the corrosion community some decades ago but an interlaboratory testing study was necessary to assess the repeatability and reproducibility of the DOS results. This work reports on a recent study where 11 laboratories returned results that show a high degree of confidence in the data obtained by DL-EPR.

Evaluation of the DOS by DL−EPR of UNSM Processed Inconel 718

In this work, influence of ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) on the degree of sensitization (DOS) in Inconel 718 has been studied and correlated with the resulting microstructure. The UNSM processed samples decreased their grain size from 11.9 µm to 7.75 µm, increasing the surface of grain boundaries, and thus enhancing the area where δ phase and niobium carbides precipitate. The effect of the UNSM process on the DOS of Inconel 718 was studied by the double loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (DL−EPR) test. The DL−EPR showed that for UNSM processed samples with no thermal treatment, the DOS increased up to 59.6%, while for UNSM treated samples that were post-annealed at 1000 °C for 10 min and water quenched the DOS decreased down to 40.9%. The increase of grain boundaries surface area and triple junctions after the UNSM process enables the formation of twice the amount of δ phase compared to the as-received Inconel 718 bulk sample. The area fraction of the grain boundary covered by δ phase was of 9.87% in the UNSM region while in the bulk the area fraction was 4.09%. In summary, it was found that after UNSM process, the annealing at 1000 °C for 10 min and water quenching promoted the transformation of γ″ to form δ phase on the grain boundaries, which reduces the intergranular corrosion susceptibility.

On the Role of Grain Size and Carbon Content on the Sensitization and Desensitization Behavior of 301 Austenitic Stainless Steel

The effect of grain size in the range 72 to 190 μm and carbon content in the range 0.105–0.073 wt.% on the intergranular corrosion of the austenitic stainless steel 301 has been investigated. Grain boundary chromium depletion has been studied directly using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy combined with scanning transmission electron microscopy and indirectly using double loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation tests. In addition, chromium depletion has been modelled using the CALPHAD Thermo-Calc software TC-DICTRA. It is shown that the degree of sensitization measured using the double loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation tests can be successfully predicted with the aid of a depletion parameter based on the modelled chromium depletion profiles for heat treatment times covering both the sensitization and de-sensitization or self-healing. Additionally, along with intergranular M23C6 carbides, intragranular M23C6 and Cr2N nitrides that affect the available Cr for grain boundary carbide precipitation were also observed.

Assessment of Thermal Aging of Austenitic Stainless Steel Weld Metal by Using the Double Loop Electrochemical Potentiokinetic Reactivation Technique

Double loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (DL-EPR) was applied to evaluate thermal aging of 308L stainless steel weld metal. It was found that the activation and reactivation peaks of DL-EPR curve were induced by dissolution of austenite and δ-ferrite, respectively. Before saturation of hardness, the linear relationship between reactivation ratio and hardness could be used for assessing the thermal aging-induced hardening. In the following thermal aging process, the reactivation ratio is applicable to assess the occurrence of the saturation of thermal aging-induced hardening. The results demonstrated that the DL-EPR test is applicable to assess the evolution of thermal aging.

Resistance of Thermally Aged DSS 2304 against Localized Corrosion Attack

In this paper, the effects of thermal aging in the 650–850 °C range on the localized corrosion behaviour of duplex stainless steel (DSS) 2304 was investigated. Pitting corrosion resistance was assessed by pitting potential (Epitt) and critical pitting temperature (CPT) determination, while the degree of sensitisation (DOS) to intergranular corrosion (IGC) was evaluated by double loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (DL-EPR). The susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking (SCC), evaluated in standard NACE TM-0177 solution at pH 2.7 and 25 °C, with the addition of S2O32− at 10−3 M, resulted in general good agreement with pitting and IGC behaviour. In fact, as-received DSS 2304 aged for 5 min at 650 °C or 750 °C presented a high resistance to localized corrosion. The alloy corrosion behaviour was severely impaired with an aging time of 60 min at 650 °C and of 10 or 60 min at 750 °C, due to the precipitation of finely distributed M23C6-type chromium carbides at ferrite/austenite interphases, which determined the formation of chromium and molybdenum depleted areas. The behaviour of samples aged at 850 °C also depended on the aging time, but, at 60 min, the rediffusion of passivating elements produced a recovery of the alloy resistance to pitting, IGC and SCC.