ISS-SIMS Surface Characterization of Smut on Stainless Steel
Abstract
Chemical treatments such as acid pickling on stainless steels frequently leave behind more contamination than was originally present. This contamination can be deleterious to further processing or the use of stainless steels in such applications as adhesive bonding. This chemical residue that is left behind following treatments such as acid pickling is usually called smut. Smut is formed in this work on 304 stainless steel by treatment in sulfuric acid. The smut formed on the stainless steel is characterized by ion scattering spectrometry (ISS) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). It was found that the majority of the smut formed on 304 stainless steel was not carbon or graphite but rather silicon in an oxidized form. This silicon rich smut was effectively removed by a further chemical treatment with sulfuric acid and chromic acid, a similar mixture to that often used for cleaning glass. This cleaning procedure is shown by the surface chemical analysis methods to produce a clean surface comparable to that obtained by abrasion.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA078122
Entities
People
- W. L. Baun
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory