Effect of different heat treatments on the corrosion performance of the Inconel 718 alloy

The research analyses the influence of different heat treatments on the corrosion resistance of the Inconel 718 superalloy. The alloy is famous for its high temperature performance and corrosion resistance, for this reason it is widely used mostly in the context of the turbine blades and the rocket combustion chambers for what concerns the aerospace field. The corrosion resistance enables the application also in the saline environments such as the sea nearby during the takeoff, landing and parking phases where the air is contaminated by NaCl, which is a known corrosion initiator. The study compares the corrosion performance of differently heat treated samples through electrochemical analysis (PS,PD,MS). At the same time optical and SEM microscopy is used to characterize firstly the microstructure evolution caused by the heat treatment and then the corrosion action due to the electrochemical tests.