Critical Wall Shear Stresses of CuNi Alloys Revisited

Using the electrochemical noise (ECN) controlled submerged jet flow the critical wall shear stresses of CuNi alloys have been investigated at room temperature in untreated and chlorinated artificial and natural seawater. The alloy composition, the nature of protective corrosion product layers formed in different surface treatment procedures and the presence and concentration of hypochlorite significantly influence the resistance to flow induced localized corrosion (FILC). The performance of CuNi alloys in artificial seawater was found to be quite similar to the behaviour in natural seawater. The resistance of CuNi alloys to FILC appears to be significantly higher than previously reported in the literature.