Improved corrosion fatigue performance of 316L stainless steel by surface porosification

•The corrosion fatigue of 316L stainless steel was examined in a NaCl solution.•The corrosion fatigue lives of the specimens depended on the surface morphologies.•The dimple-arrayed specimen exhibited the longest fatigue life.•The corrosion fatigues were discussed from the deformation on the steel surface. The corrosion fatigue of 316L stainless steel with different surface morphologies was examined by cyclic deformation tests in a NaCl solution. Three different surface treatments were applied to the steel, i.e., mechanical polishing, electropolishing and anodization. The surface roughness depended on the treatments; the highest roughness was obtained for the anodized specimen owing to the formation of dimple structure. The formation of the dimple structure significantly increased the corrosion fatigue life compared to the other treatments. The improved corrosion fatigue performance was discussed in terms of the formation of slip steps on the steel surface.