Effect of friction stir welding process on microstructural characteristics and corrosion properties of steels for naval applications

Dao Trinh (1) , Simon Frappart (2) , Guillaume Rückert (2) , François Cortial (2) , Sébastien Touzain (1)

1 LaSIE - Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Ingénieur pour l'Environnement - UMR 7356
2 Naval Group Research [Bouguenais]

Electrochemical properties and microstructure examinations have been performed on three Friction Stir Welded (FSW) shipbuilding steels (DH36, S690QL, 80HLES). Galvanic coupling has been assessed using Scanning ElectroChemical Microscopy (SECM) and an electrochemical mini-cell in order to subsequently identify possible FSW-related damages of these steels. The galvanic macro-coupling between the base material and the welded zone is measured by the SECM tip. The 80HLES steel has greater differences in surface hardness and electrochemical reactivity which lead to a galvanic coupling inducing an initiation to corrosion.

Mots clés: FSW; SECM; friction stir welded; steel; microstructure; galvanic coupling

Domaines: Chimie; Matériaux

Dao Trinh, Simon Frappart, Guillaume Rückert, François Cortial, Sébastien Touzain. Effect of friction stir welding process on microstructural characteristics and corrosion properties of steels for naval applications. Corrosion Engineering, Science and Technology, 2019, 54 (4), pp.353-361. ⟨10.1080/1478422X.2019.1593651⟩. ⟨hal-02467864⟩