Emergence of micro-galvanic corrosion in plastically deformed austenitic stainless steels

Xin Chen; Maxim Gussev; Magdalena Balonis; Mathieu Bauchy; Gaurav Sant

Materials & Design (May 2021)

Emergence of micro-galvanic corrosion in plastically deformed austenitic stainless steels

Xin Chen,
Maxim Gussev,
Magdalena Balonis,
Mathieu Bauchy,
Gaurav Sant

Affiliations

Xin Chen: Laboratory for the Chemistry of Construction Materials (LC2), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Institute for Carbon Management (ICM), University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Corresponding authors at: Laboratory for the Chemistry of Construction Materials (LC2), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Maxim Gussev: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
Magdalena Balonis: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Mathieu Bauchy: Physics of AmoRphous and Inorganic Solids Laboratory (PARISlab), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, US; Institute for Carbon Management (ICM), University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Gaurav Sant: Laboratory for the Chemistry of Construction Materials (LC2), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI), University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Institute for Carbon Management (ICM), University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Corresponding authors at: Laboratory for the Chemistry of Construction Materials (LC2), Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 203
p. 109614

Abstract

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Localized plastic deformation has been observed to render nuclear reactor components more susceptible to stress corrosion cracking (SCC). However, it is not fully clear how localized strain impacts corrosion (oxidation) behavior. Herein, the surface reactivity and corrosion behavior of 304 L stainless steel specimens, deformed to different strain levels, was analyzed using advanced multimodal and multiscale methods. For the first time, we observed that localized deformation regions, e.g., deformation bands and α’-martensite featured smaller Volta potentials than the parent austenite matrix. This resulted in the establishment of localized corrosion potential gradients and the emergence of accelerated microscale galvanic corrosion. Particularly, regions that featured higher dislocation concentrations were more reactive on account of the reduction in the activation energy of corrosion due to the stored energy. The superposition of surface reactivity and strain distributions reveals that, SCC cracking is expected to initiate in regions of strain localization wherein micro-galvanic corrosion is favored.

Published in Materials & Design

ISSN: 0264-1275 (Print); 1873-4197 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Technology: Electrical engineering. Electronics. Nuclear engineering: Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/materials-and-design

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