Insights into the Response Differences of Ultrasonic Rolled A3 Carbon Steels and 316L Stainless Steels to Scale and Wax Precipitation Behavior

In this work, the antiscaling and antiwaxing properties are evaluated by surface roughness testing, water contact angle measurements, scale and wax deposition testing, and potentiodynamic polarization analysis, respectively. The morphologies and microstructures of the samples before and after ultrasonic surface rolling process (USRP) are analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy, respectively. The results show that for 316L stainless steel after USRP, its surface roughness and surface energy decrease by 97% and 27%, respectively, and the average scale amount is decreased by 73% and antiwaxing rate is up to 63%. In contrast, for the A3 steel after USRP, the average amount of scale and wax deposition increases due to the enhanced atomic activity of the surface layer and surface energy although its reduced surface roughness. It is found that the lower surface energy is the primary factor for improving the antiscaling and antiwaxing performance. A second factor may be related to the smooth surface and superior corrosion resistance.