A study of the pitting behavior of 316L as-welded stainless steel joints in FeCl₃ solution

316L stainless steels are widely used throughout industry in potable water systems for their corrosion resistance. Welding of this material introduces a number of variables that can reduce the corrosion resistance and make the material subject to pitting corrosion. One such variable is the heat tint oxide that is produced during the welding process. This chromium rich layer is considered to be incoherent exposing the chromium depleted, and hence less resistant material to potentially corrosive environment. Literature suggests the pitting resistance of tinted material decreases with an increase in heat tint oxidation. The aim of this study was to test this correlation by producing welded samples with different degrees of heat tint and subject them to ASTM G48 Method A for pitting and crevice corrosion resistance. While the expected trend was not observed within the time frame of the experiments, important inferences on the pitting behavior of heat tinted stainless steel were made