Abstract
The effect of alternating current on the corrosion of Type 304 Stainless Steel in aqueous solutions of Na 2SO 4, NaNO 3 and NaCl has been investigated with an alternating voltage (AV) modulation technique, using 60 Hz square wave AV. The anodic and cathodic polarization curves were measured for a range of AV from 0 to 1000 mV and the surfaces of specimens after a potentiostatic coulometry experiment were examined under a scanning electron microscope. It was found that AV shifted the corrosion potential toward the positive direction and the passive-transpassive transitional potential toward the negative direction. AV destroyed the passivity and enhanced the pitting corrosion of the steel in aqueous environments. The behavior was explained with a simple mathematical model. The computer simulated polarization curves for the AV modulation of Type 304 Stainless Steel showed characteristics similar to the experimental curves: good agreement was obtained for the onset of transpassive potentials in the presence of AV.
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