Crevice Corrosion on

Stainless Steel Propeller Shafts

What is it?
How to Prevent it.
How to Repair it.
A Quick Summary:

Stainless steel propeller shafts and running

gear are subject to pitting & crevice corrosion
It mainly occurs on vessels in warm, salt water
environments
It occurs when water remains stagnant for long
periods of time (months)
It mostly occurs in the stern tube, bearing or
seal area where it cannot be detected until the
vessel is hauled and shafts are removed
The stainless steel and salt water change
chemical properties and become corrosive
It can be avoided or minimized by
running engines weekly to flush stern
tubes and briefly turning shafts
It can be repaired, up to a point,
with shaft cladding or welding
More advanced damage requires
replacement of the shaft

www.HighSeasYachtService.com 954.975.8220
2001 SW 20th Street Bay 113, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315
 Crevice Corrosion
Chemistry 101

I thought Stainless Steel prevented corrosion? The corrosion resistance of stainless

steel is dependent on the presence of a protective oxide layer (metal bonded to Oxygen) on
its surface, which can break down in very strong acids. Stainless steel resists corrosion by
growing a hard shiny film of mostly chromium oxide to protect the base metal alloy from
corrosion. This very thin surface film is not static but rather continually grows to fill in gaps
and tiny scratches much like your skin continually grows and repairs itself. In the
underwater marine environment stainless steel needs to get some of the oxygen which is
dissolved in seawater to repair and grow this protective
oxide surface film.

If there is too little oxygen available from the seawater-

Pitting and Crevice Corrosion are usually the result.
These are the most common forms of “Oxygen Depletion”
corrosion which affect stainless steel running gear in the
marine environment.

Pitting Corrosion can form on the surface of the

stainless steel in salt water dependent upon the
environmental conditions, surface finish, contamination
and the composition of the steel itself. This pitting occurs under special conditions,
involving sodium chloride (salt) in sea water and greatly exacerbated by the elevated
temperatures found in tropical ocean environments. Once started these small pits can
continue to grow and grow in a self sustaining cycle. Hydrochloric acid is produced by the
corrosion which also attacks stainless steel, making a deeper crevice, which produces more
acid, which produces a deeper pit, ad infinitum. Hence the honeycomb effect of the
corrosion damage. The acid is heavier than water and as seen on stainless steel trim tabs
and shafts with pits on the upper edge. Left undisturbed, they can propagate to amazing
depth over a few months time.

Crevice Corrosion is a type of Pitting Corrosion, and

a very special case where the initial "pit" is provided by
an external feature such as rubber & plastic seals,
gaskets and cutlass bearings or structural anomalies
such a porous welds, surface contamination or
overlapped mechanical joints. These potential “Crevice
Formers” are present to some extent in almost all
marine propeller & shaft assemblies. In this photo you
can see how the flats of a rubber cutlass bearing
initiated the crevice corrosion and left a imprint of the
bearing shape.

www.HighSeasYachtService.com 954.975.8220
2001 SW 20th Street Bay 113, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315
 How Crevice Corrosion Forms on Stainless Steel Shafts -
Six Chemical Stages
1. Crevice Formation - “Crevice Formers” must be present; examples of these
features are sharp corners, overlapping metal surfaces, non-metallic gaskets or
incomplete weld penetration. These can all form tiny crevices which can promote
corrosion. To function as a corrosion site a crevice has to be of sufficient width to
permit entry of the seawater, but sufficiently narrow to ensure that the seawater
remains stagnant. Accordingly crevice corrosion usually starts in gaps a few
micrometres wide, (less than 1/10,000 of an inch) and is not found in grooves
or slots in which circulation of the sea water is possible.
2. Oxygen Depletion - Stainless steel depends on a thin oxide (metal bonded to
Oxygen) film on the surface of the metal to resist corrosion. This film is not
stagnant but “grows” using the oxygen from the surrounding sea water to rebuild
and repair this protective oxide film wherever gaps or scratches occur.
Within a tiny stagnant crevice the naturally occurring oxygen is gradually used up
by the growth of the protective oxide film. The imbalance in oxygen
concentration between the shielded crevice area where the oxygen has been used
up to repair the oxide film and outside seawater sets up an oxygen concentration
cell or “chemical pump” which drives much of mischief to follow.
3. Acidification (The lower the PH the stronger the Acid) The metal ions present or
entering the moist environment of the tiny crevice hydrolyze, eliminating the
hydroxyl (OH-) ions thus dropping the PH so that the crevice becomes very acidic
as well as positively charged
4. Chlorine Migration Chlorine ions from the bulk sea water outside the crevice
migrate inside to balance the charge resulting from the depletion of the hydroxyl
ions during step 3 (Opposite Charges + & - attract)
5. Initiation Once the PH is low enough (very Acidic) and the Chlorine ion
concentration is high enough (very Salty) the chemical breakdown of the
protective film covering the stainless steel will begin. For stainless steels this
critical point will vary by the composition of the metal for example type 304 will
breakdown at a PH drop to 2.1 or less with a Chlorine concentration of 1.8 times
normal sea water while type 316L remains resistant until the ph drops down
further below 1.65 and the Chlorine concentration in the crevice rises to about
7.5 times normal sea water concentrations.
6. Propagation After the initiation process has passed the critical point for the
particular stainless steel in use the shielded crevice becomes anodic (acts like a
tiny anode) with the remaining bulk of the stainless steel acting as the cathode
and traditional galvanic corrosion is underway. In saline sea water environments
galvanic effects favor deep penetration once the initiation phase has started in
each individual crevice corrosion site.

www.HighSeasYachtService.com 954.975.8220
2001 SW 20th Street Bay 113, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315
 What Affects the Saltwater Crevice Corrosion in Stainless Steels?

In stainless steel alloys commonly used for marine propeller shaft applications, the
proportion of Chromium, Molybdenum, and Nitrogen have been shown to have a
dramatic effect on the susceptibility to crevice corrosion and pitting. The effects are
summarized in the Pitting Resistance Equivalent Number (PRE) calculated as:

PRE = % Cr + 3.3 x %Mo + 16 x %N

(Higher PRE = More Resistance to Crevice Corrosion)

For reference 316L stainless steel exhibits a PRE of 22-28 while some specialty stainless
steel alloys (ex AL-6XN) have PRE values of up to 45

COMPOSITION AQUAMET 17 AQUAMET 19 AQUAMET 22

Chromium % 14.50 - 16.50 18.00 - 20.00 20.50 - 23.50

Molybdenum % - - 1.50 - 3.00

Nitrogen % - 0.20 - 0.30 0.20 - 0.40

P.E.R. 14.5 - 16.5 21.2 - 24.8 24.3 – 38.9

How Can I Prevent it?

Seven Simple Steps to Protect your Vessel from Stainless Steel Shaft
Pitting and Crevice Corrosion

1. Consider the Environment - Low salt content and low water temperatures reduce
or eliminate crevice corrosion problems. Tropical salt water environments greatly
exacerbate this challenge.
2. Avoid Surface Contamination – Free Iron residue from the use of mild steel tools
or wire brushes leave thousands of tiny particles of iron embedded in the surface of
the stainless steel. Once in service each free iron particle can initiate a corrosion site.
Never Use a mild Steel Wire Brush on Stainless Steel Shafts.
Remove all contaminants, especially free-iron, by acid- passivation per the
steel manufacture’s specifications.

www.HighSeasYachtService.com 954.975.8220
2001 SW 20th Street Bay 113, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315
 3. Surface Preparation - Prepare exposed stainless steel surfaces to best possible
finish. Mirror-finish resists pitting best. Once properly cleaned consider use of an
anti-fouling running gears coating such as “Prop Speed” on the exposed stainless
steel underwater surfaces
4. Enhanced Design & Repair Techniques - In warm climates and ocean operation
selection of more resistant materials (High PRE value) such as AQUAMET 22 should
be considered for both new-build and replacement applications.
Be sure to properly lap both the propeller and coupler taper joints each time the
shafts are removed for service to reduce crevice formation in these necessarily
overlapped joints.
Design and fabricate to avoid crevices or trapped and pooled liquids Weld with
correct consumables and practices and inspect to check for inadvertent crevices.
Pickle with appropriate acid bath, paste or gel and rinse to remove all weld scale.
5. Regular Operation The initial phases of Oxygen Depletion, Acidification and
Chlorine migration take significant time (weeks) to occur, regular operation of the
equipment tends to interrupt this cycle before severe damage has been incurred
particularly in sites formed by seals, gaskets and cut-less bearings.
6. Eliminate Bio-Fouling Barnacles and other forms of marine growth are very
effective at generating “Crevice Sites”. Regular cleaning and removal of marine
growth from the running gear and hull can reduce Pitting & Crevice Corrosion on the
exposed portions of the shafts.
7. Cathodic Protection Consider the use of cathodic protection, while there is little
indication that this retards the critical first steps prior to the “Initiation Phase” of the
crevice corrosion process in stainless steels, some experts suggest that cathodic
protection may slow the propagation phase and it is often very helpful against other
forms of marine corrosion

OK. I Have Crevice Corrosion –

How Can I Repair It?
Crevice Corrosion on a stainless steel shaft can be repaired. The region on the shaft that
usually requires repair are in a lip seal or packing area and around cutlass bearings. The
area on the shaft around the lip seal or packing must be repaired in order to prevent sea
water intrusion and premature wear of the lip seal or packing. Similarly, a repair in the
cutlass bearing is required when the corrosion forms a sharp edge that will cut or wear a
new cutlass bearing. Pitting in open areas on a shaft, such as in the stern tube, typically do
not require any repair.

Before starting the repair there should be an overall assessment of the shaft. Sometimes it
is better and more economical to purchase a new shaft when weighting the cost to repair
large areas, along with the shaft straightening costs.

www.HighSeasYachtService.com 954.975.8220
2001 SW 20th Street Bay 113, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315
The process of repairing is called Cladding or a weld-over.
The process is not simple and should only be done by a
highly skilled and experienced machinist.

It starts with machining in an engine lathe an area the

length of the desired repair, the depth of the corrosion
(usually no more than 0.125”) and fully around the shaft.
This cleans and preps the area to be built up with new
welding material

The area is then filled

with a continuous weld
using filler wire that is
matched to the
metallurgy of the shaft
material.

After the new welded

material has cooled it is
rough cut in the lathe
for handling. Next the
shaft must be check in the shaft straightener. When applying the high heat of welding to
the ends of the shaft a small bend usually occurs. A shaft that was perfectly straight (within
0.001” run-out from end to end) could have a 0.020” bend at the taper after welding.

The shaft must be straightened before proceeding.

A shaft should be straight in order to prevent
vibration and improve longevity of the bearings,
seals and transmissions. It also must be straight for
the final machining and polishing in the lathe. It is
impossible to machine the welded area to blend with
the original shaft if the shaft is not running true in
the lathe.

In Summary:
To Avoid Shaft Crevice Corrosion Run the Engines and
Turn the Shafts Every Two Weeks.
If you get Corrosion it can be Repaired with Cladding –
Give us a Call

www.HighSeasYachtService.com 954.975.8220
2001 SW 20th Street Bay 113, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315