Effect of La on the Corrosion Behavior and Mechanism of 3Ni Weathering Steel in a Simulated Marine Atmospheric Environment

doi:10.1007/s40195-023-01624-6

Abstract

Abstract:

The corrosion behavior and mechanism of 3Ni weathering steel in a simulated oceanic atmospheric environment are investigated in order to comprehend the impacts of La, as determined through electrochemical analysis and rust layer characterization. The results of this study demonstrate that the addition of La enhances the corrosion resistance of 3Ni weathering steel in the marine atmospheric environment, thereby reducing the corrosion rate and improving the protection of the rust layer. The influence of La on corrosion resistance can be attributed to two primary factors. Firstly, La functions as a grain refiner, minimizing the potential difference of the micro-regions on the substrate surface, thereby significantly reducing the corrosion of bare steel in the marine environment. Secondly, La inhibits the process of Fe₃O₄ oxidation back to γ-FeOOH during corrosion at the local site, thus decreasing the formation of γ-FeOOH and enhancing the charge transfer resistance. This research work may serve as a reference for expanding the application of rare earth elements in the field of weathering steel.

Key words: Weathering steel, Rare earth, Rust layer, Corrosion behavior, Corrosion resistance

Gang Niu, Rui Yuan, R. D. K. Misra, Na Gong, Zhi-Hui Zhang, Hao-Xiu Chen, Hui-Bin Wu, Cheng-Jia Shang, Xin-Ping Mao. Effect of La on the Corrosion Behavior and Mechanism of 3Ni Weathering Steel in a Simulated Marine Atmospheric Environment[J]. Acta Metallurgica Sinica (English Letters), 2024, 37(2): 308-324.

Figures/Tables 19

Table 1 Chemical composition of the two kinds of steels (wt%)

Steel	C	Si	Mn	P	S	Cr	Cu	Ni	La	Fe
3Ni	0.094	0.27	1.10	0.028	0.0055	0.34	0.34	3.02	-	Bal.
3NiRE	0.094	0.28	1.09	0.026	0.0020	0.34	0.34	2.97	0.08	Bal.

Fig. 1 SEM micrographs and EBSD maps of 3Ni and 3NiRE steels: a and c 3Ni steel; b, d 3NiRE steel

Fig. 2 Typical inclusions in 3Ni and 3NiRE steels: a Al2O3 in 3Ni steel, b MnS in 3Ni steel, c, d (La, P, S) O in 3NiRE steel. e Statistical results of inclusions in 3Ni and 3NiRE steels

Fig. 3 Surface morphologies and potential distribution of experimental steels: a 3Ni steel, b 3NiRE steel, c potential distribution comparison

Fig. 4 Weight loss of 3Ni and 3NiRE steels after corrosion tests for different times

Table 2 Fitting results after the corrosion test. R2 represents the error of fitting

Steel	A	n	R²
3Ni	2.24 × 10^-4	0.871	0.982
3NiRE	2.095 × 10^-4	0.844	0.973

Fig. 5 Cross-sectional micromorphologies and element distributions of 3Ni steel after different corrosion time: a 36 h; b 84 h; c 156 h; d 252 h

Fig. 6 Cross-sectional micromorphologies and distributions of 3NiRE steel after different time: a 36 h; b 84 h; c 156 h; d 252 h

Fig.7 Evolution of the phase composition of the rust of 3Ni and 3NiRE steels by XRD tests: a IRL of 3Ni steel; b ORL of 3Ni steel; c IRL of 3NiRE steel; d ORL of 3NiRE steel

Fig. 8 Semi-quantitative analysis result of the XRD data in 3Ni and 3NiRE steels

Fig. 9 Results of the semi-quantitative analysis and mass ratio of α/γ: a 3Ni steel; b 3NiRE steel

Fig. 10 Microstructures of typical corrosion products and their diffraction spots: a Fe3O4; b α-FeOOH; c γ-FeOOH; d α-FeOOH and γ-FeOOH

Fig. 11 XPS spectra in the products on 3Ni steel: a Cr 2p3/2, b Ni 2p3/2

Fig. 12 XPS spectra in the products on 3NiRE steel: a Cr 2p3/2, b Ni 2p3/2, c La 3d5/2

Fig. 13 Results of the EIS tests of bare steels: a-c 3Ni steel; d-f 3NiRE steel; g the equivalent circuit at 36 h and 84 h; h the equivalent circuit at 156 h and 252 h

Table 3 EIS fitting data after different test time

Steels		R_S (Ω·cm²)	R_ct (Ω·cm²)	Q_dl × 10^-2 (Ω⁻¹·cm⁻²·sⁿ)	n_dl	R_rl (Ω·cm²)	Q_rl × 10^-2 (Ω⁻¹·cm⁻²·sⁿ)	n_rl	W × 10^-3	χ² × 10^-4
3Ni	36 h	43.69	39.64	0.89	0.41	36.67	2.28	0.61	4.00	0.42
	84 h	41.51	114.77	2.62	0.64	54.72	0.78	0.56	3.29	1.12
	156 h	41.64	110.91	1.99	0.46	13.45	0.38	0.68		3.51
	252 h	44.88	80.55	2.38	0.46	16.57	0.70	0.53		2.23
3NiRE	36 h	36.64	92.74	3.42	0.55	10.62	0.29	0.72	47.5	3.30
	84 h	35.39	165.58	2.21	0.58	25.93	0.32	0.65	9.43	1.95
	156 h	34.00	238.92	1.07	0.60	22.08	0.61	0.63		2.53
	252 h	44.39	108.50	1.79	0.60	18.11	0.96	0.44		1.27

Fig. 14 Polarization curves of the two kinds of steels at different test durations: a 3Ni steel, and b 3NiRE steel

Table 4 Cathodic polarizability of the two kinds of steels at different durations of the experiment

Steel	36 h (mV)	84 h (mV)	156 h (mV)	252 h (mV)
3Ni	− 108.7	− 70.7	− 120.0	− 138.2
3NiRE	− 123.4	− 164.4	− 126.4	− 147.9

Fig. 15 Formation mechanism of 3NiRE weathering steel

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