THE APPLICATION OF SURFACE IMAGING TECHNIQUES TO THE STUDY OF PITTING CORROSION INITIATION IN STAINLESS-STEELS

A combined Auger, EDX and SEM surface imaging study of the initial stages of pitting corrosion is presented. Examples of different pitting initiation situations are shown and the importance of multi-technique imaging to interpret the results is demonstrated. The information provided by the images is compared with theories established primarily from electrochemical results. The development of scanning probe microscopies presents the opportunity of directly studying pitting initiation using imaging. Initial atomic force microscopy images of the corrosion of sulphide inclusions in stainless steels are given and the possible capabilities of the technique for application in this field are considered.