Metastable pitting behaviour of austenite stainless steel under compressive residual stress

Metastable pitting behaviour of austenite stainless steel after compressive deformation in an acidic NaCl solution was investigated. The results show that the pit initiation rate increases while both metastable pit lifetime and growth rate decrease after compressive deformation. Meanwhile, the ratio of the surface oxide fraction of Cr to Fe increases whereas the average size of stable pits is smaller and shallow disk-shaped under compressive residual stress. The results reveal that with the aid of enrichment of Cr oxides and compressive residual stress, which helps break the remnants of the undermined passive film, pit repassivation can be accelerated.