Corrosion Type Diagrams of Cold Rolled Type 316L Stainless Steel in HCl Containing Aqueous Environment

The influence of HCl concentration and temperature on corrosion type, rate, and morphology of annealed and cold rolled type 316L stainless steel has been investigated. Electrochemical polarisation measurements in 0.01 - 3 M HCl at temperatures up to 80 C were conducted, to establish corrosion type diagrams. These diagrams can be applied to describe the transition between uniform corrosion, pitting, and mixed mode, uniform with pitting corrosion. The transition boundaries are predominantly dependent on temperature and HCl concentration. Cold rolling had only minor effects on the transition temperatures for the different types of corrosion.