Electrochemical Properties and Corrosion Protection of Stainless Steel for Hot Water Tank

摘要

The state in which a stainless steel (STS) exhibits a very low corrosion rate is known as passivity, which is self-healing in a wide variety of environments. However, for those STS the corrosion includes pitting, crevice corrosion, galvanic corrosion, hydrogen embrittlement and stress corrosion cracking etc. And the corrosion resistance of STS is affected by area ratio, solution temperature and solution condition etc. Corrosion characteristics of STS 304, welding parts STS 316, STS 329 and STS 444 were investigated with parameters such as corrosion potential, galvanic current measurements, cathodic and anodic polarization behaviors as a function of area ratio and solution temperature in solution for hot water tank. It was found that galvanic current is affected by the area ratio, temperature and a kind of STS for hot water tank. Corrosion potential of welding part STS 316 was lower than that of STS 304, STS 329, STS 444 in solution for #1, #2 hot water tank. Therefore, it is suggested that the welding part STS 316 acts as anode for the other STSs. The amplitude of galvanic current between welding parts STS 316 and STS 304, STS 329, STS 444 in #1 solution is smaller than that in #2 solution. This is the reason that chloride ion quantity in #2 solution is more than that for #1 solution. And then welding part STS 316 corrodes easily by acting as anode compared to the other STS.