Elucidating Corrosion Behavior of Hastelloy-X Built Using Laser Directed Energy Deposition-Based Additive Manufacturing in Acidic Environments

Abstract

This paper reports an investigation on the electrochemical corrosion behavior of laser directed energy deposition (LDED)-based additive manufacturing built Hastelloy-X (Hast-X) bulk samples for the first time in various acidic environments (2M HNO3, 2M HCl, and 2M H2SO4). Open-circuit potential results reveal that corrosion activity is more in HCl than the other two media. The corrosion rate (CR) estimated using the Tafel extrapolation method shows that the corrosion rate (CR) is the most in HCl and least in HNO3. Potentiodynamic studies reveal active–passive behavior of Hast-X in all the media and it is seen that the material stays in passivation for a longer potential range in HCl. Further, pitting potential is observed to be comparable in all three media. The cyclic polarization curve shows no loops, which points out the absence of pitting in the samples immersed in any of the media. The estimated CR for Hast-X in all the acidic environments under investigation comes within the acceptable CR for nickel-based alloys (4 mpy). The morphology of the corroded surface is analyzed using stereo microscope and it confirms the absence of pitting in all the three samples. These observations confirm the suitability of LDED built Hast-X components for applications in investigated acidic environments.