Pitting susceptibility of metastable austenitic stainless steels as a function of surface conditions

The influence of surface roughness and local defects on pitting susceptibility of type 304 (UNS S30400) and type 301 (UNS S30100) in chloride solution were investigated. Because the mechanical properties can be regarded as decisive for the achieved surface quality, different properties of the base material were obtained by cold rolling the metastable austenites. This was done before the surfaces were finished. Therefor the surfaces were treated by different grinding parameters to generate different surface conditions and different defects. As a reference, different standardised surface finishes were used. By using and comparing different methods for the characterization of surface roughness and surface texture, it is possible to find a relationship between the quantity and characteristics of local defects on the one hand and pitting susceptibility on the other hand. For the machining parameters used, a ranking of the influencing factors on the corrosion resistance achieved could be determined. The automated application of software-based solutions for estimating the pitting susceptibility of machined surfaces and components will be discussed using concrete examples