Comparison research on corrosion behavior of E36 and E690 steel in simulated seawater

Corrosion behavior of E36 and E690 steel in simulated seawater was comparatively studied by means of mass loss method, electrochemical measurements, morphology observation and analysis of corrosion products. The results showed that the two steels exhibited similar electrochemical behavior with characteristics of activation dissolution and very low corrosion current density; the two steels presented a homogeneous corrosion morphology with a low corrosion rate, which declined with time; during the first week immersion the two steels exhibited nearly the same corrosion rate and while the average corrosion rate of E690 gradually fell behind that of E36 after four weeks.