Wettability and corrosion behavior of micropatterned SS304 steel

Abstract

Corrosion is an inescapable natural phenomenon in a vast majorityof the engineering structures. Stainless steel SS304 is one of theoverwhelming materials used in engineering structures due to its quality,flexibility, malleability and ease of machining. There are a few regularmethods of coating, plating, etc., known to handle corrosion. However, theywill not withstand the corrosion environment in the presence of stress.Modifying the surface by prompting micropatterned structures will minimizecorrosion even within the presence of stress and increases the life cycle of thestructures.Micropatterns as ridges and columns were formed on the surfaceusing chemical etching process and Wire cut Electrical Discharge Machiningprocess (WEDM) for various geometries. The geometrical measurements ofmicropatterns were estimated using 3D optical profilometer joined withVeeco software and counterchecked with the image taken using ScanningElectron Microscope (SEM). Wettability examination was conducted on flatand micropatterned in the presence and absence of stress by means ofinducing uniaxial compressive stress on the substrate. The image of the waterbead was captured using high speed camera and characterized using ImageJsoftware newline