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Journal of Chinese Society for Corrosion and protection  2026, Vol. 46 Issue (1): 193-199    DOI: 10.11902/1005.4537.2025.300
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Effect of δ-ferrite on Corrosion Behavior of Additively Manufactured 304L Stainless Steel in Liquid Lead-bismuth
PANG Yueyi1, ZHANG Libo1, NING Fangqiang1(), ZHAO Zhipo2(), YAN Hong1, LIU Jia1
1.Shandong Key Laboratory of Special Metallic Materials for Nuclear Equipment, School of Materials Science Engineering Shandong, University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266590, China
2.Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Cite this article: 

PANG Yueyi, ZHANG Libo, NING Fangqiang, ZHAO Zhipo, YAN Hong, LIU Jia. Effect of δ-ferrite on Corrosion Behavior of Additively Manufactured 304L Stainless Steel in Liquid Lead-bismuth. Journal of Chinese Society for Corrosion and protection, 2026, 46(1): 193-199.

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Abstract  

Lead-cooled fast reactors (LFRs) characterized by their high safety, high economic efficiency, and the ability to transmute radioactive nuclides, represent one of the most promising Generation IV reactor designs for practical implementation. Liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) is the preferred coolant for LFRs. However, LBE with high temperature, high density, and high flow rate will cause intensive corrosion towards the reactor structural materials, which poses a threat to the operational safety of reactors. 304L stainless steel is a candidate structural material for this reactor, and arc additive manufacturing is a novel way to alternate the microstructure of this steel. Therefore, this paper focuses in the influence of δ-ferrite generated in the wire arc additive manufactured (WAAM) 304L stainless steel on its corrosion behavior in saturated oxygen/poor oxygen liquid LBE at 550 oC. The results reveal that the corrosion resistance of δ-ferrite is superior to that of austenite. A spinel Fe-Cr protective oxide scale may form on the peripheries of δ-ferrites, which hinder the inward growth of the oxide scale. Consequently, a pincer-like morphology of oxide scale developed within the internal oxidation zone. In poor-oxygen LBE, WAAM 304L stainless steel mainly undergoes dissolution corrosion. Despite a Cr-rich protective scale cannot be formed on its surface due to oxygen content limitations, thereby failing to effectively inhibit dissolution corrosion, even so δ-ferrite still exhibits great resistance to dissolution corrosion. This is mainly attributed to the low Ni content in δ-ferrite, whereas dissolution corrosion is primarily controlled by the dissolution of Ni element.

Key words:  additively manufactured 304L stainless steel      liquid lead-bismuth eutectic alloy      δ-ferrite      dissolved oxygen concentration      high-temperature corrosion     
Received:  19 September 2025      32134.14.1005.4537.2025.300
ZTFLH:  TL34  
Fund: Young Talent of Lifting Engineering for Science and Technology in Shandong(SDAST2025 QTA034)

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https://www.jcscp.org/EN/10.11902/1005.4537.2025.300     OR     https://www.jcscp.org/EN/Y2026/V46/I1/193

Fig.1  Schematic diagram of WAAM 304L stainless steel sample
Fig.2  Microstructure of BOT surface of WAAM 304L stainless steel: (a) metallographic structure, (b, c) IPF, (d) phase diagram, (e) SEM morphology of δ-ferrite, (f) EDS line scan corresponding to (e)
Fig.3  XRD patterns of as-received WAAM 304L stainless steel sample and samples after 1000 h exposed in liquid LBE under saturated/poor-oxygen and conditions at 550 oC
Fig.4  SEM morphologies of the cross-section of oxide film of WAAM 304L stainless steel after 1000 h exposed in liquid LBE under saturated-oxygen condition at 550 oC: (a) before etching, (b) after etching, and (c) EDS line scan corresponding to (b)
Fig.5  SEM morphology and EDS result of δ-ferrite of WAAM 304L stainless steel after 1000 h exposed in liquid LBE under saturated-oxygen condition at 550 oC: (a) SEM morphology of δ-ferritic area, (b) EDS line scan corresponding to (a)
Fig.6  SEM morphology of the cross-section of WAAM 304L stainless steel after 1000 h exposed in liquid LBE under poor-oxygen condition at 550 ℃: (a) SEM morphology of the sample, (b) EDS surface scan corresponding to (a)
Fig.7  SEM morphologies of δ-ferrite of WAAM 304L stainless steel after 1000 h exposed in liquid LBE under poor-oxygen condition at 550 oC: (a) low morphology, (b-d) high morphology
Fig.8  Schematic diagram of the corrosion mechanism of δ-ferrite of WAAM 304L stainless steel in liquid LBE under saturated-oxygen condition at 550 oC: (a) before δ-ferrite is corroded, (b) after δ-ferrite is corroded
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