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In this study, the electrochemical polarization tests were performed on tensioned and non-tensioned CUSTOM 450 specimens in a 3.5 wt% NaCl solution to investigate pitting potential and stable pit initiation time. A potentiodynamic test was conducted to determine the exact amount of pitting potentials. According to the potentiostatic tests, a relation between applied potential and the stable pit initiation time was obtained. Concerning this relation, stable pitting time can be predicted without experimental works. Optical microscopy was used to evaluate the shape of the pits. Tensile stress led the pit to experience the "pit to crack" step. The corrosion rate of samples was studied by the determination of mass loss. Mass loss measurements and current density-time curve in potentiostatic tests demonstrated the rate of pitting corrosion decreased as time passed. Finally, the depth of the pits was measured by the eddy current technique. The results showed that tensile stress facilitated deeper pit development.

There is an increasing interest in non-destructive and real-time high-resolution approaches for corrosion studies in metals. In this paper, we propose the dynamic speckle pattern method as a low-cost, easy-to-implement, and quasi in-situ optical technique for the quantitative evaluation of pitting corrosion. This type of corrosion occurs in a specific area of a metallic structure and causes holes formation leading to structural failure. A Custom 450 stainless steel sample, placed in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution and applied to a $$350 \,\hbox {mV}_{SCE}$$ 350 mV SCE potential to initiate the corrosion, is used as the sample. The speckle patterns formed by the scattering of a He-Ne laser light is changed over time due to any corrosion in the sample. The analysis of the time-integrate speckle pattern suggests that the growth rate of pitting decreases with time.

A key application of CUSTOM 450 alloy is in the construction of gas turbine compressor blades. The study of pitting corrosion can prevent the failure of many gas turbine compressor blades. In this study, a reflective digital holography microscopy method was employed to investigate the growth of pitting corrosion in depth. To this end, a constant potential of 350 mVSCE in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution was applied to the specimen. The generated pits were simulated in three dimensions, and it was indicated that pitting corrosion rate was decreased as time passed. Comparing the obtained experimental data with the data gathered from the real industrial environment surrounding a compressor installation, an accelerated test was proposed. By the proposed accelerated test, it is possible to produce a pit similar to the one that will be initiated and propagated at any time in the future in real conditions.

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