A series of twelve austenitic stainless steels with a composition range of Fe-22Cr-5Ni-5Mn-( 1-5)Mo-(0-0.7)N were studied for resistance to localized corrosion in a deaerated 3.5 wt. % NaCl solution. Test
temperatures ranged from 30 to 97°C. Results are compared to those of 304 and 316L stainless steel.The potentiodynamic polarization technique was used to determine the critical pit nucleation and protection potentials, and the potentiostatic cyclic thermometry technique was used to determine the critical pitting temperature. Results using the potentiodynronic polarization technique have shown that all of the stainless steels containing both nitrogen and molybdenum have pit nucleation potentials significantly higher than either 304 and 316 stainless steels. The nitrogen-molybdenum synergism is demonstrated by the fact that as little as 0.47 wt % N has a large effect on increasing the pit nucleation potential when molybdenum is present. Results using the potentiostatic cyclic thermometry technique have shown that the critical pitting potential is a linear timction of the pitting resistance equivelent (PRE) and strongly dependent on both Mo and N concentration in the alloy.
Keywords: high nitrogen stainless steel, sodium chloride, pitting
potentird, critical pitting temperature, stainless steel, localized corrosion, cyclic thermometry, potentiodynamic, potentiostatic, molybdenum.