In addition to constructional requirements in civil engineering stainless steels often have to fulfil high visual demands. Unexpected impairments of the visual appearance of stainless steels under low corrosive conditions are a widespread problem today. Frequently it is supposed that this is caused by changes in the alloy composition, worse environmental conditions or improper handling. Within a research project the systematic investigation of several cases of damaged stainless steel bars has shown that the reasons are based on well-known material defects like chemical inhomogeneities (e.g. precipitations or local carburization) or geometrical defects (e.g. undercuts, rolling defects or shell formation). Thus, the failures could be clearly identified as production failures of the respective semi-finished products.
The second part of this paper looks continues the comparative investigation of lean duplex stainless steels, manganese alloyed austenitic and duplex stainless steels and ferritic stainless steels. These new materials were investigated in many different test procedures and in different conditions focused on the application in civil engineering and common use. In addition to electrochemical investigations, all materials were exposed to atmospheric conditions in different surface states. In Part 2, Prof. Gümpel and his team examine the effects of coastal and urban atmospheres on the samples, and presents their final conclusions.
Rising prices of nickel and molybdenum in the recent past years have led to unprecedented interest in substituting leaner-content alloys for standard 300-series austenitic stainless steels in many applications. Due to the price volatility of various alloying elements, many new materials have entered the market, yet no direct comparison of corrosion resistance of these new materials exists. In this project, comparative investigations were carried out and in each case one or several representatives of a material group were taken into account. The material groups covered were: lean duplex stainless steels, manganese alloyed austenitic and duplex stainless steels and ferritic stainless steels. In addition to electrochemical investigations, all materials were exposed to various atmospheric conditions in different surface states.