Most of the work described in this article was carried out under a fundamental corrosion research project sponsored by the Office of Naval Research.** The general theme of the project concerns a study of surface films formed on metals at normal and elevated temperatures. The data reported have been obtained within the last year. The studies are by no means complete, and much work remains to be done. This article should be regarded as a progress report and the conclusions as tentative.
One of the problems under active study is the nature and mechanism of passivity of stainless steel, or why does stainless steel corrode or not corrode? The excellent corrosion resistance of the stainless steels is usually attributed to passivation of the surfaces of these materials. A passive surface is one that exhibits “noble” characteristics or practical immunity to attack by corrosive environments as compared to the substantial...
