The Effects of Cold Work on the Incipient Pitting Morphology Evolution of 304L Stainless Steels

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of cold work on the incipient pitting corrosion of 304L stainless steels (SS). The as-received (0%-CW) and 20% cold-worked (20%-CW) 304L specimens were corrosion tested in a salt-spray system with a solution of 3.5% simulated seawater for the exposure times of 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, 96 h, and 192 h to characterize the pitting corrosion behavior of 304L SS. Weight gain and microstructures were measured using a microbalance and electron backscatter diffraction, respectively. The dimensions of corrosion pits—depth, length, and width—were analyzed by confocal laser scanning microscope to elucidate the pit growth process. The analysis of the rust and pit features revealed that the degree of corrosion is more severe in the 0%-CW specimen than in the 20%-CW specimen.