Environmental Testing of Iron-Based Amorphous Alloys

Iron (Fe)-based amorphous alloys possess enhanced hardness and are highly resistant to corrosion, which make them desirable for wear applications in corrosive environments. It was of interest to examine the behavior of amorphous alloys during anodic polarization in concentrated salt solutions and in the salt-fog testing. Results from the testing of one amorphous material (SAM2X5) both in ribbon form and as an applied coating are reported here. Cyclic polarization tests were performed on SAM2X5 ribbon as well as on other nuclear engineering materials. SAM2X5 showed the highest resistance to localized corrosion in 5 M CaCl2 solution at 105 °C. Salt fog tests of 316L SS and alloy 22 coupons coated with amorphous SAM2X5 powder showed resistance to rusting. Partial devitrification may be responsible for isolated pinpoint rust spots in some coatings.