Cyclic response-electrochemical interaction in mono- and polycrystalline AISI 316L stainless steel in H 2SO 4 solution — I. The influence of mechanical strain on the transient dissolution behavior during corrosion fatigue

Abstract

Mono-γ and polycrystalline specimens of an AISI stainless steel were cycled in a 1N H 2SO 4 solution under different potentials. The correspondence between strain wave form and transient current curve has been studied. Transient current, which has been measured with out-of-the-ordinary resolution, has been demonstrated to have two components: the current associated with plastic strain (CAPS) and the current associated with elastic strain (CAES), caused exclusively by plastic deformation and elastic deformation respectively. The strong interaction between the environment and the fresh area at slip steps is the main cause of the CAPS. The wave forms of the CAPS is affected by selective dissolution of iron, tension-compression asymmetry, and the fatigue cracking process. The CAES is produced by the variation in the energetic status of the surface, and possibly by the charging effect of the electric double layer.