Electrochemical Assessment of Corrosion Resistance of PWHT UNS G10350 Carbon Steel Weld in Simulated Seawater
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62638/ZasMat1831Abstract
This study investigates the effect of post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) on the corrosion behavior of carbon steel (CS) welded pipe in a chloride-containing brine environment at 25 °C. The corrosion performance of the as-welded (control) specimen was compared with that of PWHT-treated specimens at 300 °C, 450 °C, and 650 °C using gravimetric (mass-loss) measurements and electrochemical techniques, including open-circuit potential (OCP), potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).Mass-loss results obtained over 120 h of immersion showed that the as-welded specimen experienced the highest degradation. A rapid increase in weight loss was observed during the early exposure period (up to approximately 70 h), followed by a reduction in the mass-loss rate for all samples at longer immersion times. This behavior is attributed to the formation of a protective surface film. Similarly, the corrosion rates decreased with increasing immersion time, likely due to the accumulation of corrosion products that partially inhibited further attack.OCP measurements revealed that the PWHT-treated samples shifted toward more positive potentials relative to the as-welded condition, indicating improved surface stability associated with oxide-layer formation. PDP measurements further confirmed the enhanced corrosion resistance after PWHT, with corrosion rates reduced to 0.126, 0.0864, and 0.0148 mm·yr⁻¹ for specimens treated at 300 °C, 450 °C, and 650 °C, respectively. The EISNyquist plots showed an increase in charge-transfer resistance with increasing PWHT temperature, accompanied by a decrease in double-layer capacitance, indicating improved interfacial protection. SEM observations supported the electrochemical and gravimetric results: the as-welded surface exhibited localized pitting, whereas PWHT promoted microstructural evolution toward tempered martensite and grain growth, resulting in significantly improved corrosion resistance, particularly for the PWHT-treated specimen at 650 °C. Overall, PWHT, especially at 650 °C, markedly enhanced the corrosion resistance of carbon steel weldments in chloride-containing environments
Keywords:
Carbon steel weld, weldability, PWHT, Embrittlement, SusceptibilityReferences
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