ELECTROCHEMICAL REMOVAL OF OXIDES FROM STAINLESS STEELS WITH THE AID OF AN EXTERNAL ELECTRODE.

During removal of scale and temper colors from weld seams of stainless-steel constructions there is a risk of lowering the corrosion resistance of the seams and in their vicinity as the result of shifting the corrosion potentials of these surface regions toward negative values. The corrosion potentials of surface regions of the main metal and of seam zones were measured using an electrolyte against a saturated calomel electrode with the aid of the Shch4311 combined digital voltmeter, and converted to the hydrogen scale. It is shown that after electrochemical removal of scale and temper colors the potentials of the heat-treatment and seam zones lie in the passive region. The potential of the heat-treatment zone is more negative by 0. 1 to 0. 15 V than that of the weld zone. It follows from the test results that electrochemical treatment of stainless steels with the aid of an external electrode does not lower their corrosion resistance.