Corrosion of annealed AISI 316 stainless steel in sodium environment

Solution annealed AISI type 316 austenitic stainless steel specimens were exposed in static sodium at 773 and 873 K for durations ranging from 500 to 2000 h. The results, i.e, weight loss data, hardness values, carburisation, depletion rates, sigma phase formation from the ferrite layer, corrosion morphology, roughness values etc. are analysed and discussed in the paper. Corrosion data such as the weight loss/depleted layer thickness and microstructure of fully annealed stainless steel specimens at 773 and 873 K under static sodium conditions (present study) are comparable to those of 20% cold worked stainless steel type 316 specimens at temperatures 973 K and above under dynamic sodium conditions. Annealed specimens leach out at a faster rate than cold worked specimens exposed to sodium. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.