The validity of using artificial seawater and seawater transported to the laboratory to predict the performance of stainless steel alloys in natural seawater service has been investigated. Crevice corrosion tests on a range of alloys showed damage to be dramatically less in artificial seawater than natural seawater. The incidence of corrosion in transported seawater approached that observed in the natural environment, although the electrochemical potentials measured were lower. Reasons for these findings, including new evidence of the involvement of marine organisms in the corrosion mechanism of stainless steels in seawater, are discussed.
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