The Influence of Cyclic Plastic Strain on the Transient Dissolution Behavior of 18/8 Stainless Steel in 3.7 M H 2 SO 4

Abstract

Austenitic stainless steel specimens were subjected to strain cycling using a square strain wave while under potentiostatic control in aqueous solution. Strains of ±0.025 to ±0.05 were employed at an average strain rate of 0.30 sec−1. The transient dissolution behavior of the steel was investigated at active, passive, and intermediate potentials during both the tensile and compressive parts of the strain cycle. Enhanced dissolution of the metal surface was found to occur during the application of strain, the effect being much more pronounced for tensile strains. Subsequently, at constant strain, the enhanced activity decayed at varying rates depending on potential. The greatest dissolution transients were found to occur at potentials corresponding to the active/passive transition where substantial increases in surface activity were observed with each successive strain cycle.