The EPR-technique to evaluate special questions on the corrosion resistance of high-alloyed materials

摘要

The electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (EPR-)test is a very useful tool to reveal microstructural peculiarities of high-alloyed materials and especially the sensibility to intergranular corrosion even if only very localised; it is possible to quantify the results referring to a standard. As this test does not only react on chromium depletion due to carbide formation a metallographic examination of the tested surface is indispensable. Due to it's very high sensitivity this technique is highly qualified not only for research tasks but also for the evaluation of components and for failure case analysis. To our opinion this method seems less recommendable or suitable for general purposes of acceptance testing as the results may be ambiguous and. in addition. generally accepted standards are missing up to now.