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5.4 Corrosion
Although,thepassivelayerisformedonstainlesssteelsurfaces,there are cases when it corrodes due to the following condi‐
ons:
‐Influenceofhydrochloricacidandchlorine,
‐Noongoingmaintenancewhichleadstotheformaonofstrongacidsoluonsonsteelwalls(waterevaporatesandanacid
soluonremains),
‐Anenvironmentmoreaggressivethanthesteelprovidedforit;
‐Contaminaonduringinstallaonandmanufacture(lime,cement,foreignmetallicinclusionsasaresultofusinganglegrind‐
ersnearbyorunsuitableassemblytools),
‐Contactwithnormalcarbonsteel(scratchingwithblacksteelduringtransportaonorstorage),
‐Insufficientroomvenlaonoreventheirabsenceinaggressiveenvironments(theremustalwaysbeanairflowinvenla‐
onducts).
Symptomsofstainlesssteelcorrosionaredifferent.Onecannocethatcorrosionappearsusuallyonvarioustypesofinternal
(non‐metallicinclusions,separaons,deformaons)andexternal(edges,scratches,dents,residuesofscale,sediments,etc.)
surfaces,whilesmoothandhomogenoussurfacesaremuchmoreresistanttocorrosion.Therefore,itisnecessarytoensure
properpicklingandpassivaonofasurface.
Themechanismofdestruconandthetypeofcorrosiondependonaspecificenvironmentandsteelaffectedbyit.Thefol‐
lowingtypesofcorrosionmayoccurdependingontheenvironmentandstainlesssteel:
‐Surface(uniform),Ping,Intergranular,Stress,Crevice.
Pingcorrosionisthemostfrequentlyoccurringcorrosioncausedbyinappropriatestainlesssteelmaintenance,morespecifi‐
callyduetotheuseofchlorinatedcleaningagents.
Pingcorrosionisaformofalocalisedenvironmentalaackleadingtolocallosses(pits)inmaterial.Itiscausedbytheinflu‐
enceofgalvaniccellsformedbetweenapassivatedsteelsurfaceandclearlylocalisednon‐passivaonareaslayingonit.Oxy‐
genoroxidisingsubstancesinacathodiccellareas(passivated)arerequiredforpingcorrosiontooccur.Iftheyareabsent,
cathodicareaspolarizeandthecellstopsfunconing.
Soluonswhichcausepingcorrosionofstainlesssteelsmostfrequentlyarechlorinesoluons.Forthistypeofcorrosion,
condionofasteelsurfaceisveryimportant.Thesmootherandcleanerthesurface,thesmallertheintensityofsaidcorro‐
sion.
Aqualityassessmentoftheeffectsofthistypecorrosionisdifficult,sincedamagecanbeveryseriousataminorweightloss.It
isassumedthatanaveragenumberofpitsperareaunitandtheirgreatestdepthcanserveassomeindicators.
5.5 Maintenance and Cleaning
Whenusingstainlesssteelfurnitureandequipment,alayerofchromiumoxidepresentonthesteelsurfacemustbetaken
careof.Compoundsusedinfoodindustrywhichdisturbthepassivelayer(chromiumoxide)includecompoundscontaining
chlorides–salt,disinfectantsandacids(waterfromsauerkraut,cucumbers,acidjuices,vinegar,etc.).Wateristhemosteffec‐
veneutraliserofchloridesandweakacids.
Stainlesssteelisnotanexcepontothisruleandeachusermustbeawarethatregularcleaningandmaintenanceofstainless
productsisrequired.