Original Article

Corrosion behavior of chromium steel in dry and wet alternating chloride ion environment

¹ Research Institute of Technology, Shougang Group, Beijing 100043, PR China
² Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Recyclable Process for Iron and Steel Production Technology, Beijing 100043, PR China

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Received: 25 September 2024
Accepted: 2 January 2026

Abstract

The corrosion behavior of chromium steel in alternating wet and dry chloride ion environments with pH values of 6.5–7.5 and 10.0–12.6 was studied. The research examined the evolution of corrosion rates over time, the initiation and propagation of pitting corrosion, electrochemical potential, and the characteristics of the oxide film. The results indicate that the corrosion rate of 9Cr steel increases gradually in neutral solutions, whereas the corrosion rate of 5Cr steel shows a relatively rapid increase. In alkaline solutions, the corrosion rate of the tested steels is significantly lower than that under neutral conditions. The ranking of corrosion rates from highest to lowest are carbon steel > 1.5Cr > 5Cr > 9Cr ≈ zero, with 5Cr steel showing the most substantial decrease in corrosion rate. This study provides valuable insight into the influence of chromium content on enhancing corrosion resistance and serves as an important data reference for the durability assessment of marine and coastal infrastructure.