Has anyone come across any literature which quantifies the level of corrosion for stainless steel in the marine splash zone.
Typically pitting and crevice corrosion seems to be the issue. Considering depth of pitting, and density.
For grade 316.
There probably are sources out there but I would be wary of extrapolating to a particular situation. Both pitting and crevice corrosion are dependent on the specific exposure conditions. Crevice corrosion in particular can be dependent on the geometry of the crevice. Also there could be an incubation period as the true crevice condition develops with only minor loss, but once things get going rates rise quickly. Generally, if one is concerned about these effects on integrity it is best to use a more resistant alloy.
The long term problem is with fouling, both biological and mineral causing crevice corrosion.
In cold climates 316L has worked, but it still has risks and 2205 would be a better option. In more temperate zones it wont work. In the tropics you see people using CuNi or Monel 400 for splash zone sheathing.
My preference is to use mild steel with coating.
This was a query specifically for stainless steel though.
EdStainless: I've never had the chance to call up the duplex or Monel grades owing to cost, but would like to consider at some stage.
I know Monel is used to protect steel piles for corrosion in the splash zone. The only pro-active approach I've been involved with was to use a high grade of polyethylene wrapping.