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In this work, the passivation and localized corrosion of selective laser melted (SLM) stainless steel 316 L when exposed to high pressures of CO2 with the presence of H2S and Cl− at 25 °C and 125 °C were studied. Depletion of Cr/Mo was observed at the cell interiors and melt-pool boundaries (MPBs) compared to the cell boundaries. Volta potential differences obtained from scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPFM) showed that the MPBs were 8–20 mV lower than the matrix, while the cell interiors were 20–50 mV lower than the cell boundaries. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Mott–Schottky tests indicated a more defective passive film at 125 °C, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the formation of a less protective film with an increased S/O ratio at 125 °C than 25 °C. Initiation of localized corrosion was observed at the MPBs and pits formed after a week of immersion were wider by an order of magnitude at 125 °C than 25 °C, with evidence of cell-interior dissolution. While passivity was observed even at elevated temperatures, local chemical heterogeneities compromised the stability of the film and contributed to localized corrosion in SLM SS316L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance in the selection of materials in the aeronautical industry for the manufacture of an aircraft is related to the fact that the materials are present during the life cycle of the aircraft. In particular, the precipitation hardening (PH) stainless steel is used in components that require the combination of excellent mechanical properties, as well as corrosion resistance due to aircraft exposure in harsh environments. Inherently corrosion resistant steels achieve an important characteristic which is passivation by forming a protective layer of chromium oxide on the surface. This research aimed to conduct an analysis of the localized corrosion on stainless steel 15–5 PH and 17–4 PH, used on fasteners or engine components. The steels were evaluated in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution, using the electrochemical technique of cyclic potentiodynamic polarization curves (CPP) according to the ASTM 61–86 standard. The microstructural analysis was performed by optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that CPP curves showed a positive hysteresis, indicating pitting localized corrosion and the corrosion current density of the 15–5 PH and 17–4 PH stainless steels were 1.31 × 10‒8 and 2.70 × 10‒8 A/cm2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]