Seawater Resistance of Stainless Steels
Stainless steels are susceptible to crevice or pitting attack in chloride bearing waters. Their behavior has been studied by a number of
investigators. There is considerable variation in the percentage of
apparently identical sites where attack occurs, when it occurs. It is
useful to describe results in terms of the percentage of apparently
identical sites where attack occurs at a given chloride concentration.
Very tight crevices increase the likelihood of attack. Rough surfaces,
sheared edges, scratches and similar imperfections also tend to increase
the incidence of attack. Crevice or pitting attack also occurs under
deposits and under biofouling growths attached to the metal surface.
Relative resistance can be described by the chloride concentration below
which there is little likelihood of crevice attack occurring. The
ability of chlorides to concentrate in some crevices means that
occasional attack may occur at lower concentrations than shown in the
following table. Nevertheless, the table provides useful guidelines.
Guidelines for relative resistance of stainless steels
to crevice attack in natural waters
| Alloy |
Chloride concentration below which
crevice corrosion is rare |
| 400 series: |
crevice attack occurs in fresh waters |
| 304SS: |
100-200 ppm |
| 316SS: |
1000 ppm |
The 4 1/2% Mo and duplex stainless steels are more resistant than
type 316, but suffer varying degrees of crevice attack in
brackish water and seawater.
The 6% Mo stainless steels have excellent resistance to crevice
attack in seawater.
For further information: NiDI 11 003 "Guidelines for Selection
of Stainless Steels for Marine Environments, Natural Waters and
Brines"
 |
 |
< < < click here to go back to the previous page :: |
|
