EFFECT OF Ni₃Al ADDITION AND HEATING MODE ON THE ELECTROCHEMICAL RESPONSE ON AUSTENITIC AND FERRITIC STAINLESS STEELS

Abstract

The effect of intermetallic Ni₃Al addition and heating mode on the electrochemical behavior of sintered austenitic (316L) and ferritic (434L) stainless steels is studied. The green compacts were sintered by conventional and microwave methods in solid state at 1350 °C in H₂ for a period of 60 min. The sintered samples were then subjected to several characterization techniques for evaluating their density and hardness, and finally their electrochemical response was evaluated through potentiodynamic polarization scan (1 mV/sec) in 0.1 N H₂SO₄. Upon addition of nickel aluminide, there was an increase in the densification of the composites, which was found more pronounced in case of 434L stainless steel with nickel-aluminide dispersoid composites. A positive response was also observed on the corrosion resistance of the composites as compared with the bare stainless steel compacts.