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Investigation of Microstructural and Corrosion Properties of Steels and Light Alloys

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Metals and Alloys".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 August 2023) | Viewed by 18150

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Dr. Claudio Gennari

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Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
Interests: electroplastic effect; duplex stainless steel; TRIP steel; materials characterization
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Dr. Luca Pezzato

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Guest Editor

Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 9, 35131 Padova, Italy
Interests: corrosion; coatings; steels; ligth alloys
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Dear Colleagues,

Very few metals can be found in metallic form in nature; the vast majority have to be processed from their ores at a great cost in terms of energy and money. It is therefore energetically favorable for them to reverse to their initial state. This process is commonly known as corrosion or anti-metallurgy, and great efforts are made worldwide to limit this process.

According to the latest NACE estimation (2013), the global cost for corrosion is equivalent to approximately 3.4% of the global GDP (2.5 trillion US$) not considering environmental consequences or safety issues. A reduction between 15% and 35% could be realized if prevention techniques and proper precaution are used, which means savings between US$375 and $875 billion. Corrosion involves different sectors such as industry, military, civilian, services, etc., in particular energy production, transport, chemical and petrochemical industries, the mechanical industry, and drink and beverage. Among these sectors, most of the constituents are made out of steel, which is the most produced metal in the world (1808 million tons in 2018) or light alloys, mainly aluminium (60.1 million tons consumption in 2018).

A proper alloy design in terms of composition, heat treatments, microstructural features, etc. is mandatory in order to obtain the best combination of mechanical properties and corrosion resistance during operation, reducing maintenance costs and the overall impact on the global economy. In fact, microstructural features can affect both the corrosion of the material itself and also the eventual production of protective layers on their surfaces.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to correlate the key role of the microstructure of steels and light alloys to their corrosion properties.

I invite you to submit both original contributions and review works on this topic, with papers that deal both with the characterization and with corrosion resistance evaluation of different alloys.

Dr. Claudio Gennari
Dr. Luca Pezzato
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

corrosion resistance
steels
light alloys
microstructure
critical pitting temperature (CPT)
heat treatments
corrosion inhibitors
surface treatments

Related Special Issue

Investigation of Microstructural and Corrosion Properties of Steels and Light Alloys (2nd Edition) in Materials (1 article)

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 190 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Investigation of the Microstructural and Corrosion Properties of Steels and Light Alloys

by Luca Pezzato and Claudio Gennari

Materials 2023, 16(18), 6171; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma16186171 - 12 Sep 2023

Viewed by 421

Abstract

Very few metals can be found in metallic form in nature; the vast majority have to be processed from their ores at a great cost in terms of energy and money [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Microstructural and Corrosion Properties of Steels and Light Alloys)

Research

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13 pages, 5756 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Microstructure and Corrosion Behavior of Laser-Welded Al–Mn–Zr Alloy for Heat Exchanger

by Jeong-Min Lim, Yoon-Sik So and Jung-Gu Kim

Materials 2023, 16(17), 6009; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma16176009 - 01 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 993

Abstract

In this study, an Al–Mn–Zr alloy was designed and its microstructure and corrosion behavior compared after laser welding to that of AA3003. As the results of immersion and electrochemical tests showed, both alloys had a faster corrosion rate in the fusion zone than in the base metal. Laser welding caused interdendritic segregation, and spread the intermetallic compounds (IMCs) evenly throughout in the fusion zone. This increased the micro-galvanic corrosion sites and destabilized the passive film, thus increasing the corrosion rate of the fusion zone. However, Zr in the Al–Mn alloy reduced the size and number of IMCs, and minimized the micro-galvanic corrosion effect. Consequently, Al–Mn–Zr alloy has higher corrosion resistance than AA3003 even after laser welding. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Microstructural and Corrosion Properties of Steels and Light Alloys)

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31 pages, 16693 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact Fracture Surfaces as the Indicators of Structural Steel Post-Fire Susceptibility to Brittle Cracking

by Mariusz Maslak, Michal Pazdanowski, Marek Stankiewicz, Anna Wassilkowska, Paulina Zajdel and Michal Zielina

Materials 2023, 16(8), 3281; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma16083281 - 21 Apr 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1001

Abstract

The results of experimental research on forecasting post-fire resistance to brittle failure of selected steel grades used in construction are presented and discussed in this paper. The conclusions are based on detailed analysis of fracture surfaces obtained in instrumented Charpy tests. It has been shown that the relationships formulated based on these tests agree well with conclusions drawn based on precise analysis of appropriate F–s curves. Furthermore, other relationships between lateral expansion LE and energy W_t required to break the sample constitute an additional verification in both qualitative and quantitative terms. These relationships are accompanied here by values of the SFA_(n) parameter, which are different, depending on the character of the fracture. Steel grades differing in microstructure have been selected for the detailed analysis, including: S355J2+N—representative for materials of ferritic-pearlitic structure, and also stainless steels such as X20Cr13—of martensitic structure, X6CrNiTi18-10—of austenitic structure and X2CrNiMoN22-5-3 duplex steel—of austenitic-ferritic structure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Microstructural and Corrosion Properties of Steels and Light Alloys)

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15 pages, 20999 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Cu Addition on the Corrosion and Antifouling Properties of PEO Coated Zinc-Aluminized Steel

by Luca Pezzato, Alessio Giorgio Settimi, Daniel Fanchin, Emanuela Moschin, Isabella Moro and Manuele Dabalà

Materials 2022, 15(22), 7895; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15227895 - 08 Nov 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1182

Abstract

In the present work, Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) coatings were produced on zinc-aluminized carbon steels (Galvalume commercial treatment). In addition, copper particles of various sizes were introduced into the coating in order to produce samples with antifouling properties. The particles were successfully embedded into the coating. A higher number of embedded particles was observed when these are in sub-micrometric size and obtained in pulsed current. The presence of particles produces significant antifouling properties on the sample’s surfaces during the first 20 days of immersion. The presence of the particles reduces the corrosion resistance in comparison to the samples PEO coated without the particles; however, the corrosion resistance remain higher than the one of the untreated sample. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Microstructural and Corrosion Properties of Steels and Light Alloys)

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16 pages, 7048 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of Micro Laser Powder Bed Fusion for Additive Manufacturing of Inconel 718

by Saeed Khademzadeh, Claudio Gennari, Andrea Zanovello, Mattia Franceschi, Alberto Campagnolo and Katya Brunelli

Materials 2022, 15(15), 5231; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma15155231 - 28 Jul 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1613

Abstract

The development of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) additive manufacturing techniques for microfabrication raises the need for the employment of new process configurations and parameters. In this study, micro-LPBF of Ni-based superalloy Inconel 718 using a spot laser of 30 µm was examined. The response surface method with a central composite design was employed to determine the optimum process parameter. A wide range of heat treatment cycles was applied to additively manufacture Inconel samples. The mechanical behavior of heat-treated Inconel 718 parts fabricated via micro-LPBF was investigated and correlated to the microstructural characteristics. The result showed that using optimum input energy density led to a homogenous distribution of nanosized (<10 nm) circular γ′ and plate-like γ″ particles in the γ matrix. Uniaxial tensile tests on heat-treated samples showed that ageing temperature is the most determinant factor in the mechanical strength of additively manufactured Inconel 718. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Microstructural and Corrosion Properties of Steels and Light Alloys)

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14 pages, 5079 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Deposited Dust on SCC and Crevice Corrosion of AISI 304L Stainless Steel in Saline Environment

by Chun-Ping Yeh, Kun-Chao Tsai and Jiunn-Yuan Huang

Materials 2021, 14(22), 6834; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14226834 - 12 Nov 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1408

Abstract

Crevice corrosion has become an important issue of the safety of AISI 304L austenitic stainless steel canister when exposed to the chloride environments located in coastal areas. Moreover, dust deposited on the canister surface may enhance the corrosion effect of 304L stainless steel. In this work, white emery was adopted to simulate the dust accumulated on the as-machined specimen surface. To investigate the effect of deposited white emery, chloride concentration, and relative humidity on the crevice corrosion behavior, an experiment was conducted on 304L stainless steel specimens at 45 °C with 45%, 55%, and 70% relative humidity (RH) for 7000 h. The surface features and crack morphology of the tested 304L stainless steel specimens were examined by SEM equipped with energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD). From the experimental results, a threshold RH for the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) initiation of AISI 304L austenitic stainless steel with different concentrations of chloride was proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Microstructural and Corrosion Properties of Steels and Light Alloys)

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10 pages, 5488 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ex Situ Examination of Matrix and Inclusions of API-X100 before and after Exposure to Bitumen at Elevated Temperature

by Hongxing Liang and Edouard Asselin

Materials 2021, 14(17), 5007; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14175007 - 02 Sep 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1781

Abstract

The corrosivity of bitumen at 60 and 120 °C was examined by exposing American Petroleum Institute (API) X100 (yield strength 100 ksi, 690 MPa) pipeline steel to bitumen in an autoclave for 30 days. Prior to the autoclave measurements, the inclusion types in the API-X100 pipeline steel were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and four types of inclusions were identified, according to their elemental compositions. The four types of inclusions and the surrounding matrix were characterized by ex situ SEM before and after exposure to bitumen. The results show that no obvious corrosion occured at the inclusions or the matrix after exposure at 60 and 120 °C. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Microstructural and Corrosion Properties of Steels and Light Alloys)

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16 pages, 3085 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microstructure, Mechanical Properties, and Corrosion Behavior of Ultra-Low Carbon Bainite Steel with Different Niobium Content

by Yun Zong and Chun-Ming Liu

Materials 2021, 14(2), 311; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14020311 - 09 Jan 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1876

Abstract

Four types of ultra-low carbon bainite (ULCB) steels were obtained using unified production methods to investigate solely the effect of niobium content on the performance of ULCB steels. Tensile testing, low-temperature impact toughness testing, corrosion weight-loss method, polarization curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and the corresponding organizational observations were realized. The results indicate that the microstructure of the four steels comprise granular bainite and quite a few martensite/austenite (M/A) elements. The niobium content affects bainite morphology and the size, quantity, and distribution of M/A elements. The elongation, yield strength, and tensile strength of the four types of ULCB steels are above 20%, 500 MPa, and 650 MPa, respectively. The impact toughness of the four types of ULCB steels at −40 °C is lower than 10 J. Steel with Nb content of 0.0692% has better comprehensive property, and maximum charge transfer resistance in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution at the initial corrosion stage. The corrosion products on the surface of steel with higher niobium content are much smoother and denser than those steel with lower niobium content after 240 h of corrosion. The degree of corrosion decreases gradually with the increase of niobium content at the later stage of corrosion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Microstructural and Corrosion Properties of Steels and Light Alloys)

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17 pages, 15490 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Different Austempering Heat Treatments on Corrosion Properties of High Silicon Steel

by Mattia Franceschi, Luca Pezzato, Alessio Giorgio Settimi, Claudio Gennari, Mirko Pigato, Marina Polyakova, Dmitry Konstantinov, Katya Brunelli and Manuele Dabalà

Materials 2021, 14(2), 288; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma14020288 - 08 Jan 2021

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 2163

Abstract

A novel high silicon austempered (AHS) steel has been studied in this work. The effect of different austenitizing temperatures, in full austenitic and biphasic regime, on the final microstructure was investigated. Specimens were austenitized at 780 °C, 830 °C, 850 °C and 900 °C for 30 min and held isothermally at 350 °C for 30 min. A second heat treatment route was performed which consisted of austenitizing at 900 °C for 30 min and austempering at 300 °C, 350 °C and 400 °C for 30 min. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) have been used to evaluate the microstructural evolution. These techniques revealed that the microstructures were composed of carbide-free bainite, ferrite, martensite and retained austenite (RA) in different volume fractions (Vγ). An aqueous borate buffer solution with 0.3 M H₃BO₃ and 0.075 M Na₂B₄O₇∂10H₂O (pH = 8.4) was used for corrosion tests in order to evaluate the influence of the different volume fractions of retained austenite on the corrosion properties of the specimens. The results showed that when increasing the austenitization temperatures, the volume fractions of retained austenite reached a maximum value at 850 °C, and decrease at higher temperatures. The corrosion properties were investigated after 30 min and 24 h immersion by means of potentiodynamic polarization (after 30 min) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (after both 30 min and 24 h) tests. The corrosion resistance of the samples increased with increases in the volume fraction of retained austenite due to lower amounts of residual stresses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Microstructural and Corrosion Properties of Steels and Light Alloys)

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19 pages, 18870 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Chloride Concentration on Stress Corrosion Cracking and Crevice Corrosion of Austenitic Stainless Steel in Saline Environments

by Chun-Ping Yeh, Kun-Chao Tsai and Jiunn-Yuan Huang

Materials 2020, 13(24), 5640; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma13245640 - 10 Dec 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2384

Abstract

Stainless steels are used as canister materials for interim storage of spent fuel. Crevice corrosion has proved to be a safety concern of 304L stainless steel spent fuel canisters, when exposed to the saline environments of coastal sites. To study the effects of chloride concentration and test duration on the crevice corrosion behavior, and the effect of relative humidity on the initiation of discrete SCC cracks, a test program was conducted on the 304L steel specimens sprayed with synthetic sea water of 3.5 wt.%. The salt-deposited specimens, wrapped up with a crevice former to form a crevice configuration, were then exposed to an environment at 45 °C with a pre-set 45%, 55%, and 70% relative humidity (RH), for 400 h and 10,000 h, respectively. The surface features and crack morphology of the tested 304L stainless-steel specimens were examined by energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD). For the specimens deposited with a chloride concentration of 1 g/m², no cracks were found in the corroded regions after 400-h exposure, whereas SCC cracks were observed with the specimens tested for 10,000 h at all three pre-set relative humidity. The specimens tested at the pre-set relative humidity 45% are characterized with discrete SCC cracks, but, on the other hand, those exposed to the environments of 55% and 70% relative humidity show SCC cracks of distinct features. From the results of 10,000-h tests, it is inferred that the chloride concentration threshold for SCC initiation of 304L stainless steel at 45 °C is between 0.1 g/m² and 1 g/m². Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Microstructural and Corrosion Properties of Steels and Light Alloys)

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Review

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27 pages, 1917 KiB

Open AccessReview

Additive Manufacturing Processes in Selected Corrosion Resistant Materials: A State of Knowledge Review

by Alisiya Biserova-Tahchieva, Maria V. Biezma-Moraleda, Núria Llorca-Isern, Judith Gonzalez-Lavin and Paul Linhardt

Materials 2023, 16(5), 1893; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ma16051893 - 24 Feb 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2272

Abstract

Additive manufacturing is an important and promising process of manufacturing due to its increasing demand in all industrial sectors, with special relevance in those related to metallic components since it permits the lightening of structures, producing complex geometries with a minimum waste of material. There are different techniques involved in additive manufacturing that must be carefully selected according to the chemical composition of the material and the final requirements. There is a large amount of research devoted to the technical development and the mechanical properties of the final components; however, not much attention has been paid yet to the corrosion behaviour in different service conditions. The aim of this paper is to deeply analyze the interaction between the chemical composition of different metallic alloys, the additive manufacturing processing, and their corrosion behaviour, determining the effects of the main microstructural features and defects associated with these specific processes, such as grain size, segregation, and porosity, among others. The corrosion resistance of the most-used systems obtained by additive manufacturing (AM) such as aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, and duplex stainless steels is analyzed to provide knowledge that can be a platform to create new ideas for materials manufacturing. Some conclusions and future guidelines for establishing good practices related to corrosion tests are proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Investigation of Microstructural and Corrosion Properties of Steels and Light Alloys)

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