LAUSR

Purpose In this study, corrosion behavior of X53CrMnNiN219 austenitic stainless steel (SS) and X45CrSi93 martensitic SS, as well as the galvanic corrosion produced by coupling of these dissimilar alloys, are evaluated in a 3.5 Wt.% NaCl solution at temperature 25°C ± 1°C. Design/methodology/approach The corrosion parameters were estimated through a series of electrochemical tests, including Tafel polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and zero-resistance ammeter (ZRA) technique. Findings The results of polarization measurements indicate that the value of corrosion current in the galvanic pair is slightly higher than that of both the austenitic and martensitic SS during the initial time of immersion in the chloride solution, which is an indication of compatibility of members in the couple. The galvanic current density measured by ZRA technique shows negative values throughout the test; accordingly, the martensitic SS acts as anode of the pair and corrodes preferentially. Localization index values are limited to the mixed corrosion process, showing relative susceptibility of the martensitic alloy to the uniform and localized corrosion (pitting) due to chloride ions. Originality/value The originality is the evaluation of galvanic corrosion susceptibility of X53CrMnNiN219 and X45CrSi93 SSs in chloride solution by the various electrochemical methods consisting of Tafel polarization, EIS, and (ZRA) technique. To our knowledge, no work has been reported on this issue for these chemical compositions under this condition up to now.