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Tribology International 43 (2010) 891896

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Tribology International
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/triboint

Corrosionerosion wear behaviors of 13Cr24Mn0.44N stainless steel in

salinesand slurry
Zhou Guanghong, Ding Hongyan , Zhang Yue, Li Nianlian
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huaian, Jiangsu 223003, China

a r t i c l e in fo

abstract

Available online 21 December 2009

The corrosionerosion wear behaviors of austenitic stainless steels, 316L and 13Cr24Mn0.44N, were
investigated in watersand slurry and salinesand slurry, respectively. The corrosionerosion wear
mass-loss was measured to evaluate the inuence of medium and materials. The worn surface and
corrosionerosion wear mechanism were analyzed using a scanning electron microscopy and a noncontact optical prolometer. Results show that the corrosionerosion wear mass-loss of
13Cr24Mn0.44N is lower than that of 316L in both the slurries. The relative wear resistance increases
with the increasing of the impingement velocity and arrives at maximum of 1.6. The dominant wear
mechanism of 13Cr24Mn0.44N is abrasive wear in the watersand slurry, whereas it becomes abrasive
wear associated with little corrosive pitting in the salinesand slurry. As the impingement velocity
increased all the synergism ratios exhibit a tendency of increase, among which the synergism ratio of
13Cr24Mn0.44N is always lower than that of 316L at any given velocity. The results indicate that
13Cr24Mn0.44N possesses a predominant anti-corrosionerosion wear property.
& 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords:
Stainless steel
Corrosionerosion wear
Wear mechanism
Synergism

1. Introduction
Austenitic stainless steels are widely used in many components where corrosion resistance is crucial, such as slurry
handling in food and chemical industries [1,2]. When used in
such elds, they often undergo tribocorrosion or mechanical
action of hard particles. Generally, the total metal removal is not
simply the sum of the corrosion and the wear measured in
separate experiments. The interaction of erosion with corrosion
could signicantly affect entire mass-loss due to the synergism
between mechanical and electrochemical effect. For example, if a
corrosive solution carries the particles, the surface damage due to
corrosion increases as a consequence of synergistic mechanisms
between corrosion and erosion [37]. The synergistic effect
between erosion and corrosion has been receiving more and
more attention in recent years. Many studies have showed that
corrosion is accelerated by wear and the wear may be also
accelerated by corrosion [812].
Recently high nitrogen stainless steels have been paid a special
attention due to its good combination of strength, ductility,
toughness, weldability, localized corrosion resistance and tribological properties [1316]. Particularly, it has been shown that
nitrogen additions improve the resistance to pitting and crevice
corrosion of stainless steels in solutions containing chloride ions

 Corresponding author. Tel.: + 86 517 83559196; fax: + 86 517 83559041.

E-mail address: dhy@hyit.edu.cn (H. Ding).

0301-679X/$ - see front matter & 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.triboint.2009.12.021

(Cl  ) [17]. In addition, high manganese stainless steels have

excellent work hardening effect [1821]. Mills study has shown
that CrMnN steel possesses superior wear corrosion resistance
and good cavitation erosion resistance compared with the 304
stainless steel [18].
In our earlier work, a new type austenitic stainless steel with
high manganese and moderate nitrogen, 13Cr24Mn0.44N, has
been developed [22]. The aim of this work is to study the
corrosionerosion wear behaviors of 13Cr24Mn0.44N submitted
to liquid impingement accompanied by corrosionerosion condition. Reference experiment has also been conducted with commercially used 316L stainless steel under same conditions.

2. Experimental procedures
2.1. Materials and mediums
The 13Cr24Mn0.44N stainless steel used here was developed
by Shanghai Research Institute of Materials. The steel ingot was
rstly austenized at 1050 1C for 1 h, and then oil-quenched, and
lastly annealed at 850 1C for 1 h to relieve internal stresses. The
hardness of 13Cr24Mn0.44N, after annealing treatment, is about
197 HV. The rectangular specimens (20 mm  10 mm  2 mm)
were cut-out using electrical discharge method. It was ground
to an average surface roughness Ra of 1.6 mm. Reference experiment was also conducted with commercially used 316L stainless

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G. Zhou / Tribology International 43 (2010) 891896

Table 1
Chemical compositions of the experimental materials (wt%).
Experimental
material

Mn

Si

Ni

Cr

Mo

Ti

13Cr24Mn0.44N
316L

0.05 24.62 0.57

0.1 13.18 0.44

0.035 1.32 0.055 10.40 16.60

2.20 0.08 0.02

steel. The chemical compositions of the experimental materials

are listed in Table 1. A strongly salinesand slurry was used as the
corrosive medium consisting of 5 wt% NaCl solution, 10 wt% river
sand (SiO2 particles, 250325 mm, 22002300 HV) and distilled
water. Comparison test was also performed in the slurry only
consisting of 10 wt% riversand and distilled water, namely
watersand slurry. All tests were performed at room temperature and with the medium exposed to air.
2.2. Erosioncorrosion wear test
The wear experiments were performed in a modied solid
particle slurry corrosionerosion wear apparatus. The impingement velocity can be well controlled by a motor. The specimens
were mounted in holders at the edge of the impeller, in which the
impingement angle can be adjusted. The impeller was connected
to a rotating spindle by a bar. It is schematically shown in Fig. 1.
For each test, the slurry pot was lled with 1200 ml aqueous
solution, either watersand slurry or salinesand slurry.
All the experimental materials were rstly ground by SiC paper
in 240 grit and degreased in acetone. Specimens were then
cleaned by ethanol and air-dried after abraded by SiC paper from
600 to 1000 grit step by step. The experiments were conducted at
three velocities of 100, 500 and 1000 r/min for 2 h at room
temperature. After completion of tests, the specimens were
ultrasonically cleaned in acetone. Later, their surface characteristics and mechanical properties were investigated. Note that
three replicate tests were conducted for each specimen.

versus that of 316L, which can be calculated as:

e Ws =Wc

The microstructure of the 13Cr24Mn0.44N was observed by

optical microscope (OM, Zeiss Axio, Germany) and was determined by using X-ray diffraction (XRD, D8-Advance Bruker,
Germany). The hardness was measured at 0.98 N for 10 s by a
digital microhardness meter (HXD-1000TMC, China); the measurement was repeated for 5 times and the hardness value in this
paper was the average. The corrosionerosion wear surface and
its 3D-morphology were observed and analyzed using scanning
electron microscopy (SEM, Hitachi 3000N, Japan) and non-contact
optical prolometer (Micro-XAM ADE, USA). Wear weight-loss
was measured by an electronic balance with sensitivity of 0.1 mg.
The corrosionerosion wear resistance was evaluated by wear
mass-loss ratio (DM0 ), which was calculated from the following
equation:

Where, Ws is the mass-loss of 316L; Wc is that of 13Cr24Mn0.44N

under the corresponding condition.
To investigate the synergism ratio (Z) between corrosion
erosion and wear, the amount of synergy DMc  w can be calculated according to a typical corrosion wear model as following
equation [23]:

DMc-w Mcorr Mwater

Where, Mcorr is the entire mass-loss after corrosionerosion in the

salinesand slurry; Mwater stands for the mass-loss after abraded
in the watersand slurry. Therefore, the synergism ratio Z, i.e.,
contribution of DMc  w to Mcorr can be calculated as the following
equation:

2.3. Characterization

M0 M
M0

Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of the modied solid particle slurry erosioncorrosion

apparatus.

DMc-w
Mcorr

Mcorr Mwater
Mcorr

3. Results and discussion

3.1. Microstructure of the 13Cr24Mn0.44N stainless steel
The microstructure of 13Cr24Mn0.44N austenitic stainless
steels is shown in Fig. 2. It presents a typical austenite
microstructure, which is conrmed further by XRD (Fig. 3). The
peak of the spectrum pattern shows that the structure of
13Cr24Mn0.44N is single austenite phase. In addition, some
twin-crystal structure was also presented in Fig. 2. Previous study
[24] has proved that element Mn in stainless steels is helpful for
the formation of twin-crystal structure.

3.2. Wear resistance of 316L and 13Cr24Mn0.44N in aqueous slurry

Where, M0 is the weight of materials before corrosionerosion

wear and M stands for the weight of specimen after corrosion
erosion wear.
Besides, the relative wear resistance (e) was employed to
evaluate the corrosionerosion wear-ability of 13Cr24Mn0.44N

The mass-loss ratios of both the austenitic stainless steels,

316L and 13Cr24Mn0.44N, are shown in Fig. 4. It is clear that the
mass-loss ratio of 316L is always larger than that of
13Cr24Mn0.44N whether after corrosionerosion in salinesand
slurry or in watersand slurry.

DM0

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It is of interest that, the more increase of the impingement

velocity, the more is the difference in mass-loss ratio. To
quantitative analyze the difference wear-loss in two slurries
clearly, the relative wear resistance values e are used and
summarized in Table 2. The value of e increased with the
increasing of the impingement velocity; meanwhile, the e was
always higher in salinesand slurry than that in watersand
slurry at same impingement velocity. The biggest e was 1.6 at
1000 r/min in salinesand slurry; therefore, we believed that
13Cr24Mn0.44N stainless steels can be applied in strongly saline
sand slurry at higher impingement velocity, compared with 316L.

893

The result can be interpreted owing to the different chemical

compositions of the two stainless steels. Firstly, it has been
proved that nitrogen element added into austenitic steels can
simultaneously improve fatigue life, strength, wear and localized
corrosion resistance, attributed to the strong hardening effect of
nitrogen in solid solution [18]. In addition, Ref. [25] pointed out
that higher content of manganese in austenite microstructure
would cause rapid work hardening, attribute to the reorientation
of carbon members of CMn couples in the cores of dislocations.
The hardness results after erosion wear are listed in Table 3. It
can be found that the increment of the impingement velocity can lead
to a higher hardness, indicating a work-hardening effect occurrence.
Compared with 316L, however, the hardness of 13Cr24Mn0.44N
induced by impingement increased by more than 15% attributed to
the strong hardening effect as discussed above. This result agrees with
previous studies [25,26] satisfactorily.

3.3. Synergism ratios between wear and corrosion of 316L and

13Cr24Mn0.44N
From Fig. 4 one can also see that the mass-loss ratio, whether
for 316L or 13Cr24Mn0.44N, is larger in salinesand slurry than
that in watersand slurry. This means the corrosive slurry with

Table 2
Relative wear resistance of 13Cr24Mn0.44N versus 316L in different slurries at
various velocities.
Slurry

100 (r/min)

500(r/min)

1000 (r/min)

Watersand
Salinesand

1.29
1.42

1.39
1.56

1.5
1.6

Fig. 2. Microstructure of 13Cr24Mn0.44N.

600

cps

(111)
400
(200)
(220)

200

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

2/deg
Fig. 3. XRD spectrum pattern of 13Cr24Mn0.44N.

Fig. 4. Mass-loss ratios of 316L and 13Cr24Mn0.44N at various velocities: (a) in watersand slurry, (b) in salinesand slurry.

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hard particles accelerates the wear process, which presents a

positive synergism between wear and corrosion. The synergism
ratios calculated from the mass-loss between the two slurries are
summarized in Table 4.
It can be seen that all the synergism ratios exhibit a tendency
of increase as the velocity increased. However, an exciting result
is that the synergism ratios of 13Cr24Mn0.44N are always lower
than those of 316L at any velocity. This indicates that
13Cr24Mn0.44N has a good anti-corrosionerosion wear ability
compared with 316L.
3.4. Corrosionerosion wear mechanism of 316L and
13Cr24Mn0.44N in two slurries

all the cases due to the sharp SiO2 particles. The micro-cut slots of
13Cr24Mn0.44N were relatively narrower and smoother in the
watersand slurry as shown in Fig. 5(a); in contrast, additional
corrosive pitting and a little of wide deep ditches exhibited in
salinesand slurry probably caused by impacting hard particles,
as shown in Fig. 5(b). Therefore, the dominant wear mechanism of
13Cr24Mn0.44N is abrasive wear in the watersand slurry,
whereas it becomes abrasive wear associated with little
corrosive pitting in the salinesand slurry.
As for 316L, the dominant wear mechanism is also abrasive
wear in the watersand slurry. This can be veried by the SEM
photograph as shown in Fig. 5(c), from which many micro-cut
slots, as well as some impingement pits, were presented. By

Fig. 5 depicts the SEM images of the worn surface after erosion
wear in both the slurries at the velocity of 1000 r/min. Many
scratch lines along the direction of impingement were observed in

Table 3
Hardness (HV) after erosion wear in watersand slurry at various velocities.
Materials

100 (r/min)

500 (r/min)

1000 (r/min)

316L
13Cr24Mn0.44N

378.8
442.8

410.8
468.7

452.6
592.5

Table 4
Synergism ratio (Z) between corrosion and wear of experimental materials at
various velocities.
Materials

100 (r/min)

500 (r/min)

1000 (r/min)

316L
13Cr24Mn0.44N

0.21
0.15

0.29
0.20

0.34
0.28

Fig. 6. SEM image of the pitting hole of 316L after erosion in salinesand slurries
at 1000 r/min.

Fig. 5. SEM image of the surface after erosion in two slurries at high velocity: (a) 13Cr24Mn0.44N, in watersand slurry, (b) 13Cr24Mn0.44N, in salinesand slurry,
(c) 316L, in watersand slurry, (d) 316L, in salinesand slurry.

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Fig. 7. 3D-morphology of the wear scar: (a) plan form, (b) side elevation.

contrast, the remarkable pitting corrosion and brittle delamination took place on the surface when corrosionerosion wear
conducted in salinesand slurry, evidenced in Fig. 5(d). Fig. 6
illustrates the higher magnication SEM photograph of the pitting
hole after corrosionerosion in salinesand slurry. The presence of
plate-like hole in 316L indicated that the corrosive slurry was able
to pass though the surface and locally attack the substrate,
promoting formation of pits and reducing mechanical supporting
ability. The local weak corrosion surface can be continuously
removed by the action of the ow and the presence of solids;
therefore, the brittle delamination may ake from the surface of
the samples.
It is further evidenced by Fig. 7, which shows the 3Dmorphology of the cleaned surface of 316L stainless steel after
corrosion erosion in salinesand slurry. Obviously the 3Dmorphology (Fig. 7(a), observed from top) was similar to the
SEM image. However, some deep corrosion pittings presented in
another 3D-morphology (Fig. 7(b), observed from side). This
morphology can also demonstrate that 316L processes a poor
erosion wear resistance in salinesand slurry, compared with
13Cr24Mn0.44N.

4. Conclusions
The results of the present study on the corrosionerosion wear
behavior of a new stainless steel 13Cr24Mn0.44N, compared with
the commonly used 316L, in salinesand slurry and watersand
slurry, provides a new insight into the synergism between wear
and corrosion. The mass-loss ratio of 316L is always larger than
that of 13Cr24Mn0.44N whether in salinesand slurry or in
watersand slurry. The relative wear resistance increases with the
increasing of the impingement velocity and arrives at maximum
of 1.6. Both the stainless steels present a positive synergism
between wear and corrosion. As the impingement velocity
increased all the synergism ratios exhibit a tendency of increase,
among which the synergism ratio of 13Cr24Mn0.44N is always
lower than that of 316L at any given velocity. All above indicates a
predominant anti-corrosionerosion wear property of high-Mn
austenitic stainless steel. The dominant wear mechanism of
13Cr24Mn0.44N is abrasive wear in the watersand slurry,
whereas it becomes abrasive wear associated with little corrosive
pitting in the salinesand slurry. As for 316L, the dominant wear
mechanism is also abrasive wear in the watersand slurry,
whereas it becomes abrasive wear associated with corrosive
delamination fatigue in the salinesand slurry.

Acknowledgment
The author would like to acknowledge professor Q.X. Dai for
his help on the preparation of the experimental material.
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