Evaluation of the performance of a carbon steel used in drinking water pipes by means of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy.

The behavior of a carbon steel (AISI TP304) used in a drinking water piping system, which suffered failures that caused cracks in the pipes, is investigated in order to determine the causes that originated them, using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques to study the behavior of the steel in drinking water and the structure of the material before and after the electrochemical tests. The results obtained show that the aqueous medium is not the main cause of the cracks observed in the pipe material, but rather the presence of silicon inclusions that lead to the appearance of defects in the carbon steel.