Influence of heat treatment on the corrosion of high speed steel

The corrosion behaviour of M2 high speed steel, as-received as well as heat-treated under different conditions, has been studied in 0.1 M KCl aqueous solution by corrosion potential measurements, Tafel curves and electrochemical impedance. Heat treatment leads to an increase of the corrosion resistance of high speed steel; the higher the tempering temperature after quenching, the higher the corrosion resistance of the steel. X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray analysis and scanning electron microscopy were also used to further understand the corrosion behaviour of the different samples. Based on these analyses, the microstructure of the different samples was correlated with their corrosion properties.