Effect of Solution Treatment Temperature on Salt Spray Corrosion Properties of 316L Stainless Steel

ZHU Jiangpei; CHAI Ran; ZHANG Jing; WAN Hanrong; YANG Shuangquan; JIANG You; PANG Jinchang

doi:10.7643/ issn.1672-9242.2025.10.012

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Equipment Environmental Engineering ›› 2025, Vol. 22 ›› Issue (10) : 93-101. DOI: 10.7643/ issn.1672-9242.2025.10.012

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Effect of Solution Treatment Temperature on Salt Spray Corrosion Properties of 316L Stainless Steel

ZHU Jiangpei^{1, 2, *}, CHAI Ran¹, ZHANG Jing¹, WAN Hanrong¹, YANG Shuangquan¹, JIANG You¹, PANG Jinchang^{1, *}

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Abstract

The work aims to study the influence of solution treatment temperature (1 050 ℃ and 1 100 ℃) on the salt spray corrosion behavior and mechanical properties of 316L stainless steel. 316L stainless steel was treated at two levels of solution temperature with a holding time of 30 minutes, and then subject to air cooling. A neutral salt spray test was conducted to simulate the marine atmospheric corrosion environment. The microstructure and hardness variation laws of the material at different temperature were observed with a metallographic microscope, a scanning electron microscope and a Vickers hardness tester. The variation law of tensile mechanical properties of two groups of materials with the increase of salt spray corrosion cycles was studied in combination with a universal testing machine. Electrochemical tests were carried out simultaneously to analyze the electrochemical corrosion characteristics of the materials. The results showed that when the solution treatment temperature rose from 1 050 ℃ to 1 100 ℃, the average grain size of austenite increased from 25.9 μm to 26.9 μm, the hardness decreased from 216.16HV to 204.56HV, the tensile strength dropped by 18 MPa, and the elongation and cross-sectional reduction slightly increased. After salt spray corrosion, the corrosion rate of the 1 050 ℃ sample was 8.7% lower than that of the 1 100 ℃ sample, and its corrosion resistance was better. The elongation of the two groups of materials decreased significantly one week after corrosion. Tensile tests showed that the strength of the specimens at 1 050 ℃ remained basically unchanged after corrosion, and the elongation only decreased by 4.4% (after one week). The strength of the specimens at 1 100 ℃ decreased by 19 MPa, and the elongation dropped by 11%. Electrochemical tests showed that the corrosion current density of the samples treated at 1 050 ℃ and 1 100 ℃ was 0.013 0 mA/cm² and 0.016 8 mA/cm² respectively. The former has a lower tendency for electrochemical corrosion. In conclusion, 316L stainless steel treated at 1 050 ℃ has a better austenitic structure, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Treatment at 1 100 ℃ will lead to a decrease in corrosion resistance and plasticity due to grain coarsening.

Key words

solution treatment / 316L stainless steel / salt spray corrosion / electrochemical corrosion / mechanical properties / corrosion resistance

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ZHU Jiangpei, CHAI Ran, ZHANG Jing, WAN Hanrong, YANG Shuangquan, JIANG You, PANG Jinchang. Effect of Solution Treatment Temperature on Salt Spray Corrosion Properties of 316L Stainless Steel[J]. Equipment Environmental Engineering. 2025, 22(10): 93-101 https://doi.org/10.7643/ issn.1672-9242.2025.10.012

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Funding

Nantong Institute of Technology/Nantong Institute of Technology Research Project: Research on Fatigue Behavior of 316L Austenitic Stainless Steel Before and After Corrosion by Ultrasonic Impact Strengthening (2024XK(Z)11); Nantong Institute of Technology/Nantong Institute of Technology College Students' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Project: The Influence of Ultrasonic Surface Impact on Microstructure Char-acterization and Mechanical Properties of 316L Austenitic Stainless Steel (XDC2024008）