Aqueous corrosion characteristics of iron aluminides

Aqueous corrosion behaviors of Fe₃Al-based iron aluminides were investigated. From the result of cyclic anodic polarization tests conducted in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution at 25, 48, 72 and 95°C, as the temperature increased, the resistance to pitting corrosion decreased significantly, especially over the range of 25-48°C. From the result of crevice corrosion tests, no crevice corrosion occurred on FAL-Mo in the lower chloride-containing solution (200 ppm Cl^-), however, FAL-Mo did not perform as well as the 304L SS in the higher chloride-containing solution (3.5 wt.% NaCl). From the result of anodic polarization tests performed in sulfur-compound solutions, additions of Cr and Mo to the Fe₃Al-based iron aluminides tend to improve the aqueous corrosion resistance. Aqueous corrosion behaviors with different Al content evaluated by cyclic anodic polarization test in the chloride-containing solution exhibited the more stable passive behavior and the higher pitting resistance as Al contents increased.