This work studies the corrosion resistance of the martensitic stainless steel cast in CO2-saturated synthetic seawater. A comparison is also made with an aerated solution. The alloy was used in a quenched and tempered condition. The corrosion behavior was evaluated using the cyclic potentiodynamic polarization technique. The potentiodynamic polarization measurements were taken in synthetic seawater with 20000ppm and 80000ppm chloride contents at room temperature. The obtained cyclic polarization curves show a defined passive region for the adopted test conditions making possible the identification of the electrochemical parameters: pitting potential, protection potential and susceptibility to pitting. In the CO2 saturated solution and in the 20000ppm chloride contents, the protection potential increased and the pitting susceptibility decreased in comparison with the aerated solution. In contrast, the pitting and the protection potentials decreased in the CO2 saturated solution and in the 80000ppm chloride content indicating that the pitting resistance is influenced by a synergy between the chloride concentration and the CO2 saturated solution.
pitting corrosion; chloride; martensitic stainless steel
