Uniformity Analysis of the Passive Film for SS316 Stainless Steel

Passive film of stainless steels possesses good corrosion resistant property. However, the passive film formed in nature is not uniform and the quality is not consistent. It is the major causes for local corrosion. The pitting potential test is a traditional method to test local corrosion of stainless steels. The local corrosion is usually induced by the break-down of the passive film. Therefore, it can be utilized to evaluate the quality of the passive film. Also, because the pitting test is quick and inexpensive, many tests can be performed to evaluate the uniformity of the passive film. This study focuses on SS316 stainless steel. The specimens were treated with electropolishing processes. The original and the processed specimens were tested by pitting potential tests. From these results, the distribution and the uniformity of passive film could be evaluated. An efficient and inexpensive index of the uniformity of the passive film is proposed.