Mechanical Response of EN24T and EN36 Steels Subjected to Corrosion

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effect of corrosion on mechanical behavior
of structural steels. Natural sea water was utilized to induce corrosion for the durations of 250, 500, 750, and
1000 hours. Two types of structural steels were considered: EN24T steel and EN36 steel. In order to
characterize the behavior of steels under corrosion, tensile and hardness tests were conducted and their
associated parameters were measured and compared with non-corroded samples. To analyze the effect of
corrosion on the surface, microstructure analysis was carried out using scanning electron microscopy. The
microstructure results reveal that, as the immersion time intervals increase nucleation of pits and exfoliation
of surface layers is observed. Tensile test results and the associated parameters show a decreasing trend with
increase in exposure durations in natural sea water. Finally, the comparative study signifies that EN24T steel
shows a better resistance to natural sea water corrosion when compared with EN36 steel.