Chemical cleaning of 304 and 304-L stainless steel surfaces by the nitradd passivation process

A chemical cleaning process was established to prepare 304 and 304-L stainless steel surfaces for welding operations. This process was adapted from an existing production procedure. The results of the two processes were compared by means of auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The AES data showed that the former process and the new process produce comparable results. Consequently, the process is a viable one and is being used to prepare specimens for welding experiments.