Presented by WestChem Technologies

TableofContents:
1. Stainlesssteelissues 2. Contamination 3. Introductiontothepassivelayer 4. Introductiontotheprocess 5. Cleaning 6. Pickling 7. Passivating 8. StainlessSteelTestingMethodsandProcedures 9. StainlessSteelASTMStandards 10. AvailableProcessOptionsFromWestChem

ContaminationRustStaining

ContaminationRustStaining
Ruststainingfromsurfacecontactwithordinarycarbonsteelpartsis oftenassumedtobecorrosionofthestainlesssteelsurface. IronContaminationcanbeeasilyavoidedwithcarefulhandling,proper fabricationandcontrols,andcanberemovedwithpropertreatments StainingcanappearasaslightbrownBloomorrustyscourmarksto pittingonitemssuchashandrails. Commonsourcesofcontaminationinclude:
Useofcarbonsteeltooling,processingandhandlingequipment(chains,bars,lifting supports)withoutadequatecleandown. Metalcuttingandfabricationinmixedmetalshopswithoutappropriatesegregation orcleaningprecautions (SeeFollowingSlides)

Mixedmetalshopsarelikelytohavesomeformofironcontamination presentunlesstheytakeproperprecautionsandchemicalprocedures.

WeldingHeatTint
Theresultofthethickeningofthenaturallyoccurringoxidelayeronthe surfaceofthesteel. Colorsfrompalestrawtodarkblueandpurplehues. Asheattintsareformed,chromiumisdrawntothesurfaceofthe stainlesssteel.Aschromiumoxidizesmorereadilythantheironinthe steel,theresultisalayeratandbelowthesurfacewithalowerchromium levelthaninthebulkofthesteel.Thesurfaceoftheheattintedareais nowlesscorrosionresistantthentherestofthepart.. Itisgoodpracticetoremoveallweldheattintforthereasonabove. Removingtheheattintnotonlylooksbetteraestheticallybutalso restoresthecorrosionresistancepropertiesofthestainlesssteel.

RemovingWeldHeatTint
Canbedoneby:
1. Brushonpicklinggels 2. Spraypickling 3. ImmersionPickling

PicklingmustbedoneAFTERtheareahasbeencleanedanddegreased (SeeProcessoptionsinslidesbelow) Contacttimesvarydependingontemperatureandseverityoftheheat tint.

PreventingContamination
Mixedmetalshopsshouldsegregatestainless steelfromtheirregularsteel. Mixedshopsshouldallocate specificstainless steelwirebrushes(orgrinding pads)foruseonlyonstainless steel.Neveruseonewhichhasbeenusedon regularsteelasitwillcontaminate thesurfaceofthestainless steel. Allsawsandotherfabrication equipmentshouldbecleaned beforerunning stainless steel.Sawbladesshouldbemarkedandidentifiedforuseononly stainless steel. Failuretofollowtheprecautionarystepsabovewillresultisthetransferand contamination ofironparticles tothesurfaceofthestainless steel. Ironremoval withanacidsolution ispreferredoverasinglestageabrasive methodsuchaswirebrushingornylonpadcleaning asitwillenterallthe tightareaswhereabrasivemethodscannot. Steelshotorgritifdoinganabrasiveblast.Alsoavoidusingthesame blastingmediaasusedonanyothermaterialthroughouttheshop

Introduction:ThePassiveLayer
Thecorrosionresistanceofstainlesssteelisduetoapassivechromium richoxidefilmthatformsnaturallyformsonthesurfaceofthesteel. Stainlesssteelswillnaturallyselfpassivate whenever acleansurfaceis exposedtoanenvironmentthatcanprovideenoughoxygentoforma chromiumrichoxidelayer. Oxidelayerwillthickenovertime Smallareasdeprivedofoxygencanactivatethesteel.I.e mechanical joints,tightcorners,incompleteorpoorwelds. Canresultinlocalizedpittingandreducedcorrosionresistance.

ThePassiveLayer

IntroductionToTheProcess
Thefullprocessis:
1. Clean Removesoils,greaseandcontaminates. 2. Rinse Removescleaningchemicalsandcontaminates. 3. Pickle Removessmallportionofsurfacemetalandpassivelayer. 4. Rinse Rinsesoffpicklingagentandthepassivelayerstartsformingupondrying. 5. Passivate Removesanyremainingfreeironandacceleratestheformationofthepassive layer 6. Rinse Rinsesoffpassivatorandanyleftovercontaminates.

*Note:Itisencouraged thatthefinalrinseofanyprocessbeROorDistilledWater*

Step#1:Cleaning
Picklingalonecannotbereliedontoremoveheavieroils,grease,orother inorganiccontaminantsthatcanalsostopthepassivationlayerfrom formingproperly. Ifpartsarecontaminatedwithoilsorgrease,thencleaningpriorto picklingshouldbecarriedout. BothAcidandAlkalinecleanersareacceptablefordegreasing.Your WestChemRepresentativecanrecommendtherightoneforyourspecific application Ifpartsaretobepickledaftercleaning,thenitispreferredthatthe surfaceis100%waterbreakfree(SeeNextSlide) Havingawaterbreakfree surfaceassuresthatthepicklingacidreacts evenlywiththesubstrate,creatingauniformreactionandappearance.

WaterBreakFreeSurfaces

Ensuringa100%WaterBreakFreesurfaceallowsforanevenand consistentpicklingaction.(SeeNextSlide)

CleaningContinued
Patchy,uneven pickledsurfacescanresultifsurfacesarenotcleanbefore pickling(AcidTreatment).

Step#2:Rinsing
Removingcleanerfromstep#1. Preventscrosscontaminationofchemicals Preparesthesubstrateforoptimalreactionofthenextchemical step(pickling). Highpressureimpingementremoveslooseoils,soils,dirtand dust.

Ifpoorwaterconditionsexist,ROorDIWaterisrecommended.

PicklingMethods
Types:
1. 2. 3. Immersiontank SprayPickling Thickpaste/gel appliedwithacidresistantbrushonallweldsandothercriticalareas

Immersion isbestasitpicklesallsurfacesandgets100%coverage ofthe parts. Pickling timesvarywithtemperature ofthesubstrate.Ifsubstrate isbeing broughtinfromacoldtemperature, itisrecommended towarmthe substrate toroomtemperature orrinsethepartwithvery hotwater. Mustbecarefulwhenhandlingthesechemicals astheyarestrong.Take properprecautions anduseproperPPE Itisveryimportant thatallpicklingresiduesarerinsedawaycompletelyto achieveafullycorrosion resistant andstainfreesurface. *NOTE:CitricbasedpicklingmethodsVS.Nitric/Sulphuric basedmethods: Nitric picklingisamorewidely acceptedmethod,butCitric ismore environmental/user friendly andmayormaynotgiveasgoodofpickling results asNitric.

Step#3:Pickling
Inmostcases,itisadvisabletouseapicklingpaste/gelonallweldsas theyarepotentialcorrosionsites.Thisisrequiredwhennotusingagel picklingacidontheentirepart. Theremovalofathinlayerofmetalfromthesurfaceofthestainless steel. TheuseofNitricandHydrofluoricacidiscommonwhenpickling. Removesweldsmokeandheattintonweldedareas Removesfree ironandpassivationlayer.Afterthepicklingproductis rinsedoff,thechromiumatthesurfacewilloxidizewiththeairandstart developinganewpassivelayeronthestainlesssteel. Thispassivationlayerrestoresthecorrosionresistantpropertiesofthe stainlesssteel. Althoughpassivationisautomatic,itcanbeassistedandacceleratedwith otherchemicaltreatments(comingupinpassivationsection).

Step#4:Rinsing
Removingpicklingchemistryfromstep#3. Preventscrosscontaminationofchemicals Preparesthesubstrateforoptimalreactionofthenextchemical step(passivating). Highpressureimpingementremoveslooseoils,soils,dirtand dust.

Ifpoorwaterconditionsexist,ROorDIWaterisrecommended.

Step#5:Passivation
Afterpickling,flashcloudsorbrownstainingmaybeevident.Thisstep helpsremovethem,alongwithfreeironandwaterstaining. Processoccursnaturallyonthesurface ofstainlesssteel,butsometimes itisnecessarytoassisttheprocesswithanoxidizingacidtreatment SteelfromareputablemillwillcomePassive.Whenyoustart fabricating(welding,grinding,machining)youwillhavetopassivate the surface toensureitiscorrosionresistant. Qualityandthicknessofthepassivationlayerisquicklydevelopedduring thistreatment Passivationoccurswhenthechromiumoxidizeswithexposuretooxygen intheairtoformthecorrosionresistantpassivationlayer,thisprocessis acceleratedwithapassivationagent.

Step#6:Rinsing
Removingpassivationchemistryfromstep#5. Thisisthefinalthingthatmakescontactwithyourpartbeforeit becomesafinalproduct. Highpressureimpingementremoveslooseoils,soils,dirtand dust.

ROorDIWaterisrecommended forthefinalrinse.

StainlessSteelTestingMethodsand Procedures
Most commonmethodtotest thatthestainless steel has beenpassivated istheCopper Sulphate test.Othercommonmethodsfortesting aresalt spray, humidityandwater immersion. CopperSulphateTestProcedure 1. 2. 3. Mix4GramsCopperSulphate Pentahydrate into250mls ofwaterthatcontains 1mlof sulphuric acid. ApplyCopperSulphate solutionviaspraytoaspecific areathat istobetested.Smaller partscanalsobeimmersedinaCopperSulphate. LetCopperSulphate dwellonthepartsfor6minutes

4. Rinsewithwater 5. Ifanyareas wheretheCopperSulphate wasapplied turnpink,thetest isafail.This indicates thereisfreeironleftonthesurface andcanleadtocorrosioninthefield.

SaltSpray, HumidityTesting andWater Immersion 1. 2. 3. Minimumof2hoursaltspray withNOrusting/stainingisapass. Minimumof24hourhumiditytesting withNOrusting/staining isapass. ImmersedinDistilled waterfor1hourandairdriedfor1hour.Repeat 12times. NO rusting/staining isapass.

StainlessSteelASTMStandards
TherearetwocommonASTMStandards forthetreatmentandpassivationof stainlesssteel.Theyareasfollows:

ASTMA380Spec Cleaning,DescalingandPassivationofStainlessSteel Parts,EquipmentandSystems

ASTMA967ChemicalPassivationTreatmentsforStainlessSteelParts

WestChem TechnologieshasthemostcurrentoftheseASTMspecsonfile. Theycanbeemailedifrequested.

StainlessSteelProductsOfferedFrom WestChemTechnologies
Depending onyourapplication,fabrication process,andcustomerspecifications, WestChemcantailoraprocessthatsuitsyourneeds. HighPerformanceProcess: WestKleenSS200orWestKleenSS240>Rinse>WestGel SS500>Rinse> WestInhib26>Rinse(RO) Itmaybebeneficial, depending onweldquality,toprebrushweldswithWestGel SS 500.

Enviro PerformanceProcess: WestKleenSS200orWestKleenSS240>Rinse>WestKleenSS232orCorrosol 52959+WestGel SS500onwelds>Rinse>WestInhib26>Rinse (RO)

MidPerformanceProcess: WestKleenSS200orWestKleenSS240>Rinse>WestKleenSS232orCorrosol 52959+WestGel SS500onallwelds> Rinse (RO)

StainlessSteelProductsOfferedFrom WestChemTechnologies
MinimumPerformanceProcess: WestKleenSS232orWestGel SS500>Rinse>WestInhib26>Rinse (preferablyROWater) *Ifyourmaterialcontainsoilsandgrease,thisprocessmaynotprovide propercleaningandconsistentpicklingandpassivating.* **Onestepprocessmaynotremoveallfreeironcontamination.**

WestChemcarriesacombinationofreadytouseproductsaswellas mixedoptionsdependingonapplication,equipment,andplant requirements. Itisalwaysadvisedtoprovidesamplesofthestainlesssteelto WestChemTechnologiesformatrixtestingwhichincludespanel preparation,saltspray,andcoppersulphatetesting.