Technical Note: Effect of Cold Work on Anodic Polarization of Iron in Sulfuric Acid

Effect of cold work on potentiostatic, anodic polarization behavior of commercial purity iron in hydrogen saturated, 1N sulfuric acid at 22 C (71.6 F) was determined. Cold work had no significant effect on the corrosion potential, Tafel constant for anodic dissolution in the active region, critical current density, potential associated with the initiation of the active-to-passive transition region, potential associated with the initiation of the transpassive region, or Tafel constant for visible oxygen evolution in the transpassive region. Potential associated with normal passive behavior was shifted in the noble direction by increasing amounts of cold work; major effect of cold work was to reduce the passive potential region.