Influence of rolling reduction on corrosion behavior of WE43 alloy

The corrosion behavior of WE43 alloy with different rolling reductions (0%, 25%, 45%, and 80%) at 500 °C was investigated in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. The microstructure evolution of the rolled WE43 alloy was characterized in detail by means of optical microscopy (OM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD). The results show that with increasing reductions, basal texture is gradually enhanced and grain size gradually decreases. Only the alloy with 45% reduction exhibits dispersed dynamic precipitates. Immersion and electrochemical measurements demonstrate the decreasing order of the corrosion resistance of the rolled WE43 alloy: 45% reduction > 80% reduction > 25% reduction > 0 reduction. The best corrosion resistance of the WE43 alloy with 45% reduction is mainly related to a large number of finely dispersed precipitates, which are capable of promoting the formation of a compact corrosion product layer. The increased corrosion rate of the sample with 80% reduction is induced by the re-solution of the majority of precipitates into the matrix. The grain size, basal texture and deformation twins have a limited effect on the corrosion resistance of rolled WE43 alloy compared with the precipitates.