Comparison of Medium Manganese Steel and Q345 Steel on Corrosion Behavior in a 3.5 wt % NaCl Solution

A cyclic wet/dry accelerated corrosion test was used to compare the corrosion behavior of medium-Mn steel and Q345 steel. In terms of scanning electron microscope (SEM), using X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and analysis of the corrosion process, the results showed that the medium-Mn steel did not exhibit higher corrosion resistance than Q345 steel due to the greater content of Mn-rich compounds in the rust layer. Moreover, the effect of a small amount of anti-corrosion elements in medium-manganese steel can regulate the corrosion rate. The conceptual model of the corrosion process of the medium-Mn steel in a 3.5 wt % NaCl solution is proposed.