Abstract
The influence of surface treatment of Type 304L (UNS S30403) stainless steel on atmospheric corrosion resistance in urban and marine environments was investigated during 2 months and 7 months of exposure. The surface conditions investigated included as-received, pickled, abraded, and bright-annealed samples. The surfaces were investigated before the exposures, and differences in surface composition, polarization resistance, surface roughness, and wettability were observed between the various surface treatments. During the exposures, all samples decreased in weight. Under the present conditions, the as-received samples showed the best performance in the urban environment, whereas the bright-annealed samples showed the best performance in the marine environment. Different effects of surface treatments on atmospheric corrosion resistance in both environments could be explained best by the resulting differences in passive film composition.
