Localized Corrosion Resistance of Automotive Exhaust Alloys

Abstract Corrosion in automotive exhaust systems can be broadly classified as (a) cold end corrosion and (b) hot end corrosion. For the cold end, the requirements include inside-out perforation corrosion resistance and cosmetic corrosion resistance. Perforation corrosion causes noticeable degradation in noise quality and may even affect the back pressure. For the hot end, the key concern has been perforation corrosion resistance. With the use of oxygen sensors in catalytic converters, the failure criteria will become more stringent. Numerous accelerated corrosion tests have been used to rank materials for the Hot End and the Cold End. These include (a) Continuous Test, (b) Cyclic Tests - Hot End, (c) Cyclic Tests - Cold End, (d) Electrochemical Ranking. In this paper we evaluate some of the commonly used exhaust materials in these accelerated tests. These accelerated tests are easy to use, inexpensive to run as compared to proving ground testing or trailer testing and can provide information in a relatively short time. Here we report lab work to date on some of the accelerated corrosion testing for perforation corrosion resistance. Note that these tests are useful for ranking materials only. Life expectancy of the material can be given only after a correlation is established between the accelerated tests and field performance. The electrochemical tests were designed to gain insight into pit growth kinetics in the accelerated tests.