Pitting corrosion of 2Cr13 stainless steel in deep-sea environment

Pitting corrosion of 2Cr13 stainless steel was investigated by deep-sea exposure test at various depths of 500 m, 800 m and 1200 m in the South China Sea for 4 months. With the aid of electrochemical measurements in simulated deep-sea environments and grey relational analysis, the influence of deepsea environments on passive film and the mechanism of pitting corrosion were discussed. The results indicated that with the increase of sea depth, pitting depth of 2Cr13 stainless steel increased, which can be attributed to the change of chemical composition and the degradation of pitting resistance of passive film. Film growth was greatly retarded in the condition of low seawater temperature and low dissolved oxygen content of deep sea, resulting in an unstable and vulnerable film. Pitting depth was most influenced by hydrostatic pressure, which can increase the adsorption and penetration of Cl- ion, and promote the proliferation of point defects in passive film, leading to rapid deconstruction of protective oxides of the film. Pitting sensitivity of 2Cr13 stainless steel increased eventually with the combination of accelerated dissolution and suppressed self-healing of passive film in deep sea. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.

Automated summary

The pitting corrosion behavior of 2Cr13 stainless steel was studied through deep-sea exposure tests in the South China Sea at various depths, revealing that the deep-sea environments can significantly impact the stability of passive film and the susceptibility to pitting corrosion.