Corrosion behavior of Q345 steel in a simulated industrial atmosphere

Abstract

The corrosion process of Q345 steel in simulated industrial atmospheric surroundings using NaHSO3 as the corrosion medium was performed. Corrosion weight loss, X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were utilized to investigate the corrosion behavior of Q345 steel samples at various corrosion times. The results indicate that, in the industrial atmospheric acceleration system, the corrosion law of Q345 steel follows an exponential function model and that as the corrosion period lengthens, the rate of corrosion declines steadily. γ-FeOOH, α-FeOOH, Fe3O4, Fe3O2, and FeO make up the majority of the corrosion products on the surface of rust layer, and the rust layer structure is generally loose in the first stages of corrosion. As the corrosion time lengthens, the corrosion products transform from needle-like to cluster-like and the rust layer will become thicker. In addition, there is a segregation of the elements Cr, S, and O in the rust layer of Q345 steel.