Corrosion Resistance of Open Die Forged Austenitic Stainless Steel Samples Prepared with Different Surfaces

Abstract

The use of corrosion-resistant metal materials in highly aggressive environments contributes to the preservation of the environment because it reduces the use of protective agents and coatings. Most metal objects are produced by some metal-forming process. It is well-known that plastic deformation affects the corrosion resistance of different metal materials in different ways. As a rule, austenitic stainless steels show a positive impact of plastic deformation on corrosion resistance, especially when hot deformed with protective surface oxide layers. However, most research carried out on these metals involves a carefully prepared surface which is either finely ground or polished. This paper investigates the corrosion resistance of cold-formed (open die forged) austenitic stainless steel in three different surface states for three different degrees of deformation. In doing so, we simulate possible damage to the treated surface and evaluate the stability of the material with respect to corrosion. Good corrosion resistance is shown for all three stages of deformation and for all three surface states, with some differences in the obtained results. Although the polished surface shows the highest corrosion resistance, as expected, the other two surfaces also demonstrate good results when exposed to aggressive environments. All of the results were statistically processed and presented. The results demonstrate the high usability of such materials in corrosion-aggressive environments with minimal danger of corrosion and minimal need to include additional surface protection agents, even against possible surface damage.