NDE EVALUATION OF THE INTERGRANULAR CORROSION SUSCEPTIBILITY OF A 2205 DUPLEX STAINLESS STEEL USING THERMOELECTRIC POWER AND DOUBLE LOOP ELECTROCHEMICAL POTENTIOKINETIC REACTIVATION METHODS

There is a need for a nondestructive technique to assess rapidly and with confidence the degree of sensitization (DOS) in duplex stainless steel (DSS). In this investigation, we present the use of thermoelectric power (TEP) measurements as nondestructive method for the determination of DOS in isothermally aged 2205 DSS at 700 degrees C for different aging times. The DOS of the aged samples was first established by performing the double loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (DL-EPR) test. The microstructural evolution was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Experimental results indicate that TEP coefficient is sensitive to gradual microstructural changes produced by thermal aging and can be used to monitor IGC sensitization of 2205 duplex stainless steel.