The influence of surface condition on the localized corrosion of 316L stainless steel orthopaedic implants

The localized corrosion of austenitic stainless steel 316L intended for use as orthopaedic implants is determined as a function of the surface condition and metallurgical state. From the examination of samples exposed to a ferric chloride solution, at both 22 and 37 degrees C, the independent contribution of crevice and pitting corrosion to localized corrosion is determined. Both forms of localized corrosion occur to a greater extent at the higher temperature. The results indicate that weight loss measurements may not be sufficient to determine the extent of crevice corrosion separately from the influence of pitting corrosion. More importantly, the surface conditions required for the best resistance to crevice or pitting corrosion differ. Electropolished surfaces provide the best resistance to crevice corrosion, while "bead blasted" surfaces provide the best resistance to pitting corrosion. The implication of this result in terms of the serviceability as orthopaedic implants is discussed. The current results indicate the cold-worked state exhibits improved resistance to pitting corrosion. However, the influence of the metallurgical state could not be separated from a possible compositional effect. (C) 1999 Kluwer Academic Publishers.