Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.64486/m.65.4.13

Corrosion resistance of W600 hot work tool steel in artifi-cial rainwater and 3.5 % NaCl solution

Sandra Brajčinović orcid.org/0000-0003-2633-1492 ; Faculty of Metallurgy, University of Zagreb, Aleja Narodnih Heroja 3, 44000 Sisak, Croatia
Anita Begić Hadžipašić orcid.org/0009-0009-0471-1030 ; Faculty of Metallurgy, University of Zagreb, Aleja Narodnih Heroja 3, 44000 Sisak, Croatia *
Jožef Medved orcid.org/0009-0007-6931-5595 ; Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva Cesta 12, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Franjo Kozina ; Faculty of Metallurgy, University of Zagreb, Aleja Narodnih Heroja 3, 44000 Sisak, Croatia

* Corresponding author.

Abstract

This paper studied the corrosion resistance of W600 tool steel in artificial rainwa-ter and 3.5 % NaCl solution. The equilibrium phase diagram was determined from the material’s chemical composition, with calculations and thermodynamic simulations carried out using Thermo-Calc software, enabling accurate prediction of stable phases as a function of temperature and composition. According to the obtained projections, the solidification and precipitation of individual phases at characteristic temperatures was read. Following the completion of the electro-chemical measurements, insight into the corrosion behavior of the tested sample was provided. Electrochemical tests showed a decrease in charge transfer re-sistance and an increased corrosion rate in the 3.5 % NaCl solution, indicating inadequate resistance in a chloride-containing solution, attributed to the for-mation of a thin oxide layer caused by the attack of chloride ions from the solu-tion. Metallographic analysis confirmed the occurrence of slowly progressing pit-ting corrosion in chloride solution, while no significant changes were observed after testing in artificial rainwater. The lower rate of pitting corrosion was at-tributed to the martensitic microstructure with fine needle-like morphology with uniformly distributed carbides in the W600 tool steel. Such investigations are es-sential for understanding material behavior in aggressive environments and for reliably predicting its durability in real applications.

Keywords

hot work tool steel; corrosion resistance; corrosion parameters; impedance; micro-structure

Hrčak ID:

347943

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/347943

Publication date:

1.10.2026.

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