This study presents the assessment of the dynamics of intergranular corrosion of austenitic stainless steel with different degrees of sensitization through the analysis of electrochemical current noise signals. Samples of S30400 stainless steel were aged at 923 K for 50, 250 and 1,000 min before being quenched in water. The double Loop Electrochemical Potentiokinetic Reactivation test was applied to assess the degree of sensitization. The electrochemical noise data were analysed using a novel mathematical tool named Recurrence Plots (RP). This method allowed us to assess the dynamics of the intergranular corrosion process of the steel in a H 2 SO 4 ? KSCN solution at room temperature. The study was conducted using a recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) from which it was possible to determine the percent of recurrence (%R), the percent of determinism (%D) and the information Entropy of the corrosion process. It was found that these parameters increased with the sensitisation intensity, which indicates that sensitisation induced a more deterministic dynamics on the electrochemical process.
It is now recognised that a complex load history may lead to structural damage that cannot be predicted on the basis of simple uniaxial loading conditions. The application of a single overload can induce sufficient crack growth such that the fatigue limit of a material is compromised. In a similar manner, it is possible to transgress the fatigue limit of a material by applying a number of corrosion cycles which lead to an increase in the size of the defect(s) present in the material beyond that of a 'threshold condition'. Damage accumulation within materials arises owing to the load and environmental history experienced throughout the lifetime of a component or structure. Furthermore, damage owing to load or environment in isolation impacts less on the durability of a structure/component, compared with that when conjoint effects of load and environment are experienced. This paper discusses the contribution that arises from environmental processes, such as corrosion, to final material failure. Synergy owing to corrosion and static/cyclic stress are discussed for both passive (stainless steel) and active (carbon steel) materials.
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