The corrosion behavior of low carbon steel (AISI 1010) influenced by grain size through microstructural mechanical

Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 1;14(1):5098. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-47744-y.

Abstract

Low-carbon steel (AISI 1010) is the predominant material used in industrial food processing equipment. Such equipment is vulnerable to the corrosive environment produced by various production stages. Different processes, such as sulphonation and carbonation, are used in the processing of sugar in the sugar industry, creating a corrosive atmosphere. The corrosion behavior of low carbon steel (AISI 1010) is strongly influenced by grain size variations, which in turn affect the microstructural mechanical properties of the material. The mechanical behavior and performance of metallic materials, including their corrosion resistance, is determined by grain size which is an important parameter for this phenomena. The impact of low-carbon steel (AISI 1010) microstructure on corrosion behavior is discussed in this work. Heat treatment produces two different types of microstructure from the same material, which are then analyzed. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) have both been used to study characteristics including morphology and content. By supplying an appropriate corrosive medium, the corrosion performance of several microstructures of low-carbon steel (AISI 1010) was assessed, and corrosion rates were calculated using weight-loss and electrochemical techniques. Results show that the creation of a protective coating with a higher charge transfer resistance is caused by the adsorption process. The variety in phases and grain sizes may contribute to the corrosion stability of different microstructures, and as a result, the corrosion rate lowers as average grain sizes are reduced. Employing the galvanic effect, pearlite increases the rate of ferrite corrosion. The study's findings support the notion that quenching low-carbon steel (AISI 1010) results in a finer grain structure and greater corrosion resistance.