Abstract

Currently, to increase the hardness, strength and wear resistance of thermally non-hardenable austenitic chromium-nickel steels, such methods as frictional treatment with a sliding indenter and liquid carburizing have been used. However, along with an effective increase in mechanical characteristics, the application of these types of treatment may be accompanied by a decrease in the corrosion resistance of austenitic steels. Therefore, it is reasonable to study the influence of frictional treatment and liquid carburizing on the general corrosion resistance of Cr–Ni austenitic steels. In this work, the surface microhardness of the 12Cr18Ni10Ti and AISI 321 steels was determined using the recovered indentation method after electropolishing, mechanical grinding, frictional treatment, and liquid carburizing at a temperature of 780 °C. Using scanning electron microscopy and optical profilometry, the authors studied steel surfaces subjected to the specified types of treatment and determined their roughness. The corrosion resistance of steel was studied by testing for general corrosion using the gravimetric method. When testing for general corrosion, it was found that hardening (up to 710 HV 0.025) frictional treatment leads to an increase in the corrosion rate of the 12Cr18Ni10Ti austenitic steel compared to the electropolished state (from km=0.35 g/(m2·h) to km=0.53–0.54 g/(m2·h)). The corrosion rate of the ground steel is km=0.58 g/(m2∙h), while mechanical grinding does not provide a significant increase in the microhardness of the steel under study (from 220 to 240 HV 0.025). It is shown that the corrosion behavior of 12Cr18Ni10Ti steel subjected to various types of treatment is determined by the following factors: the presence/absence of strain-induced α'-martensite in the structure, the quality of the formed surface and, apparently, the dispersion of the formed structure. Liquid carburizing of the AISI 321 austenitic steel leads simultaneously to an increase in its microhardness to 890 HV 0.025 and a certain increase in corrosion resistance compared to fine mechanical grinding. This is related to the fact that carbon embedding atoms stabilize the electronic structure of iron (austenite and martensite), thereby increasing its corrosion resistance.

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