Frequently asked questions
What is ablation pickling?
Under influence of chlorides, lye solutions and hydrogen sulphides at high temperatures very thin surface areas with tensile and internal stress, such as micro-cracks that are caused during processing, are at risk of showing stress corrosion cracking.
To reduce this risk 3-5 µm of the surface are removed through a pickling process.
How much material removal for stainless steel must be calculated for pickling baths and how high is the iron accumulation in the bath?
With the most common stainless steels (1.4301, 1.4571 or similar.) the average material removal will be 0,5 - 2 µm. The material removal is directly affected by the duration of the bath, the temperature of the bath and of the object that is being pickled as well as the movement of the bath. With regard to the unit of area the material removal is approximately 4 - 16 g/m².
In our experience though only 30 – 50 percent of the dissolved iron remains in the bath, the rest is removed with the pickled object and rinsed off.
As a rule of thumb for an estimated check: per m² pickled surface the bath accumulates 2 - 4 g iron.
