Austenitic stainless steel sensitization

High-alloy steels, thanks to their composition and content of appropriate alloying additives, are characterized by increased resistance to many corrosive environments. However, this is due to the increased sensitivity of the described construction materials to specific environmental conditions during their use. An example may be the increased susceptibility to the destructive action of chloride ions and pitting corrosion in the case of steels which produce a protective passive layer on their surface. Another example is intergranular corrosion. It is the result of local changes in the composition of steel as a result of heating it to the temperature of 675 ° C (usually, in operational realities, it occurs as a result of improper welding) [1]. This collection contains sample images showing the structural changes in the surface of AISI 304 steel due to deliberate exposure to temperatures above the limit. Imaging was performed in the semi-contact technique with the use of NSG30 probes. The collection contains 20 images.
Reference:
[1] Arutunow, A, Darowicki, K., Zielinski, A., Atomic force microscopy based approach to local impedance measurements of grain interiors and grain boundaries of sensitized AISI 304 stainless steel, ELECTROCHIMICA ACTA, 56 (2011) 2373, DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2010.11.079