Z. Y. Cui

Crack growth behaviour and crack tip chemistry of X70 pipeline steel in near-neutral pH environment

In this paper, crack growth behaviour and the crack tip chemistry of X70 pipeline steel in the near-neutral pH environment were investigated using the in-situ measurements. The stress corrosion crack propagated forward under the cyclic load, with a mean crack growth rate (CGR) of 4.28 × 10–3 mm/cycle. The CGR da/dN obeys well with the stress corrosion fatigue mechanism. During the crack propagation, the crack tip environment differed significantly from the bulk solution. An aggressive electrolyte with low pH (about 4.0) and high concentration of Cl– (about 3.8 M) was produced near the crack tip. These results provided the direct evidence for simulating the crack tip solution and investigating the crack tip anodic dissolution.

Atmospheric corrosion behaviour of pure Al 1060 in tropical marine environment

Abstract In this study, atmospheric corrosion behaviour of pure Al 1060 after 1–48 months of exposure in a tropical marine environment was studied. The corrosion kinetics was evaluated by weight loss measurement and pit depth calculation. The rate controlling steps as well as the effect of the native oxide film and the corrosion product layer on the corrosion process were analysed via electrochemical impendence spectroscopy. The results showed that synergetic effect of the deposition rate of chloride ions and time of wetness resulted in an abnormal increase in weight loss and an obvious fluctuation in corrosion rate. During the initial exposure period, corrosion was controlled by charge transfer process attributed to the limited corrosion area. With the increasing exposure duration, the rate controlling step was changed to diffusion due to the barrier effect of the corrosion products. Simultaneously, initiation of the new corrosion areas and the growth of the stable pits dominated the corrosion process during this period, resulting in a lower charge transfer resistance, a larger pit depth and a bigger corrosion area.

Pitting corrosion behaviour of AZ31 magnesium in tropical marine atmosphere

Abstract Corrosion behaviour of AZ31 magnesium during the initial six exposure periods in a tropical marine atmosphere is investigated. The results reveal that corrosion process of magnesium is dominated by pitting corrosion which consists of initiation of new pits, propagation of small scale pits and coalescence of neighbouring pits. There exists a critical depth above which the pits cease to grow down, resulting in the fluctuation of the mean pit depth. Different exposure conditions are found to be crucial for the different pit characters. Pits on the skyward surface are in deep-hole shape, while the groundward surface is covered with shallow dish pits.

Effect of pH Value on the Electrochemical and Stress Corrosion Cracking Behavior of X70 Pipeline Steel in the Dilute Bicarbonate Solutions

In this work, effects of pH value on the electrochemical and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of X70 pipeline steel in the dilute bicarbonate solutions were investigated using electrochemical measurements, slow strain rate tensile tests and surface analysis techniques. Decrease of the solution pH from 6.8 to 6.0 promotes the anodic dissolution and cathodic reduction simultaneously. Further decrease of the pH value mainly accelerates the cathodic reduction of X70 pipeline steel. As a result, when the solution pH decreases form 6.8 to 5.5, SCC susceptibility decreases because of the enhancement of the anodic dissolution. When the solution pH decreases from 5.5 to 4.0, SCC susceptibility increases gradually because of the acceleration of cathodic reactions.

Influence of alternating voltages on passivation and corrosion properties of X80 pipeline steel in high pH 0.5 mol L− 1 NaHCO3+0.25 mol L− 1 Na2CO3 solution

Abstract X80 steel exhibits two different steady states in 0.5 mol L− 1 NaHCO3+0.25 mol L− 1 Na2CO3 solution with and without precathodic polarisation, which are activation and passivation respectively. Different amplitudes of alternating voltages were superimposed to the pre- and non-prepolarised steels. The results demonstrated that passivation of the non-prepolarised steel was enhanced by low amplitude alternating voltages but was destroyed by high amplitude alternating voltages. Moreover, the corrosion of the prepolarised steel was worsened with the application of alternating voltages.

Anodic Dissolution Behavior of the Crack Tip of X70 Pipeline Steel in Near-Neutral pH Environment

In this work, the anodic dissolution behavior of the fresh metal surface at crack tip of X70 steel in near-neutral pH environment was investigated using galvanic corrosion simulation method. The solution environment, strain, strain rate, hydrogen enrichment, and fresh metal surface at the crack tip were considered. Corrosion current of the specimen during fast stretching increased linearly with plastic strain. The increment and increase rate of the corrosion current during plastic deformation stage were dependent on the strain rate. Combining Faraday’s law and crack tip strain rate equation, the crack growth rate (CGR) induced by the anodic dissolution of the fresh metal surface was calculated. Results show that CGR caused by anodic dissolution was roughly one order lower than that measured on the compact tensile specimen under cyclic load. This finding indicated that hydrogen embrittlement may play a dominate role in stress corrosion crack propagation of pipeline steels in near-neutral pH environment.