Effect of Fiber Laser Surface Modification on the Corrosion Behavior of 316L Stainless Steel

This paper investigates the effect of fiber laser surface modification of AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel on corrosion behavior. In the experiments, the fiber laser with center wavelength of 1062 nm was employed with various laser parameters of beam velocity and laser frequency. The laser-treated has performed on the specimen surface in order to form the melted layer with an argon gas shielding. The electrochemical tested results showed that the laser-treated increases 40% pitting potential. Moreover, the results also exhibited corrosion potential shift to more positive potential. On the basis of the findings on the corrosion improvement, it can be concluded that the pitting potential of the material can be improved by a corrosion protective layer from the new laser-treated surface.