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- Stainless steel (3) (entfernen)
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.
In indoor swimming pools stainless steels are used not only due to structural and economic reasons but also due to aesthetic considerations. And therefore not only safety relevant load bearing components have to fulfil their tasks but also the visual appearance should be free of any staining. In a lot of cases basic requirements (e.g. design criteria, material selection and maintenance) being essential parts of technical regulations were not taken into account. Typical case studies with explanation of the cause of the corrosion problems and possibilities to prevent them are shown in the present paper.
The presented investigations have proved the principal suitability of the KorroPad method to assess the passive layer stability of stainless steels. The electrochemical mode of action could be described in detail and limitations of the applicability have been demonstrated. The influence of different surface finishes has been investigated and verified by known methods for describing corrosion resistances. As a result, the increased corrosion susceptibility of two ground surfaces has been detected, but also the corrosion resistance of further surface finishes could be confirmed.