Wet chemical etching of stainless steel foil by aqueous ferric chloride solution was investigated in this study. Effects of various process parameters (e.g. etchant agitation rate, etchant temperature, Fe3+ ion concentration, free HCl concentration, s...
Wet chemical etching of stainless steel foil by aqueous ferric chloride solution was investigated in this study. Effects of various process parameters (e.g. etchant agitation rate, etchant temperature, Fe3+ ion concentration, free HCl concentration, specific gravity, etc.) on the etch rate was first studied, and it was found that the etch rate of AK (aluminum- killed) steel, chromium metal and stainless steel (STS430J1L alloy) follows the pseudo-first order reaction equation. When the fatigue ratio of etchant was kept under 16%, sludge was not formed in the solution, and the etched surface showed smooth roughness. The etch rate decreases as Baume of etchant increases, but the effect of free HCl concentration on the etch rate turned out to be minimal. Experimental data were compared with the calculated results from modeled equation, showing very good agreement.