Corrosion and Degradation of Materials

What is the.

Cost of

Corrosion?

The Cost of Corrosion

Significance of Corrosion on Infrastructure

Engineer finds corrosion in collapsed bridge at North Carolina speedway (2000)

Corrosion & Catastrophic Failure.

A Concrete bridge failure

Fundamental Components
Corrosion can be defined as the deterioration of material by reaction to its environment. Corrosion occurs because of the natural tendency for most metals to return to their natural state; e.g., iron in the presence of moist air will revert to its natural state, iron oxide. 4 required components in an electrochemical corrosion cell: 1) An anode; 2) A cathode; 3) A conducting environment for ionic movement (electrolyte); 4) An electrical connection between the anode and cathode for the flow of electron current. If any of the above components is missing or disabled, the electrochemical corrosion process will be stopped.

Electrochemical Corrosion
Corrosion of zinc in an acid solution Two reactions are necessary: Zn Zn 2 -- oxidation reaction:
-- reduction reaction:
flow of ein the metal

2H

2e

2e H2 (gas)

H+ Oxidation reaction Zn Zn2+ H+ H+ + H H+ H2(gas) H+ reduction reaction H+

Zinc

2e-

Acid solution

Other reduction reactions in solutions with dissolved oxygen:

-- acidic solution -- neutral or basic solution

O2 4H

4e

2H2O

O2 2H2O 4e

4(OH)
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Types of Corrosion
Uniform Attack General Corrosion Galvanic Corrosion Crevice Corrosion Pitting Intergranular Corrosion Selective Leaching Erosion Corrosion Stress Corrosion

Uniform Corrosion

Formerly a ship

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Galvanic Corrosion
Dissimilar metals are physically joined in the presence of an electrolyte. The more anodic metal corrodes.

Bilge pump Magnesium shell cast around a steel core.

Aluminum Alloys

Traditionally, structural aluminum alloys in aircraft have been 2024-T3 in damage critical areas and 7075-T6 in strength critical areas. As aircraft structures became more complex, skin materials became an integral part of the structure and SCC became more prevalent. The high performance aircraft designed since 1945 have made extensive use of skin structures machined from thick plates and extrusions. The residual stresses induced by heat treatment in conjunction with those from machining made these materials sensitive to SCC.

Stress Corrosion Cracking, SCC

A structure that has SCC sensitivity, if subjected to stresses and then exposed to a corrosive environment, may initiate cracks and crack growth well below the yield strength of the metal. Consequently, no corrosion products are visible, making it difficult to detect or prevent; fine cracks can penetrate deeply into the part.

Crevice Corrosion

Narrow and confined spaces.

Pitting
Pitting is a localized form of corrosive attack. Pitting corrosion is typified by the formation of holes or pits on the metal surface. Pitting can cause failure, yet the total corrosion, as measured by weight loss, may be minimal.

304 stainless steel / acid chloride solution

5th Century sword

Boiler tube

Intergranular
Corrosion along grain boundaries,
often where precipitate particles form.

Erosion-corrosion
Combined chemical attack and
mechanical wear (e.g., pipe elbows).

Brass water pump

Selective Leaching
Preferred corrosion of one element/constituent [e.g., Zn from brass (Cu-Zn)]. Dezincification.

Sacrificial Anodes

This field is located in Viosca Knoll, block 786, southeast of New Orleans. It lies in water depths of approximately 1754 feet (535 meters). Petronius is the largest free-standing structure in the world. Texaco's choice was Galvotec-CW-III Aluminum Sacrificial Anodes for their Petronius cathodic protection system. http://www.galvotec.com/img/texaco.jpg

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Summary
Metallic corrosion involves electrochemical reactions -- electrons are given up by metals in an oxidation reaction -- these electrons are consumed in a reduction reaction Metals and alloys are ranked according to their corrosiveness in standard emf and galvanic series. Temperature and solution composition affect corrosion rates. Increasing T, speeds up oxidation/reduction reactions. Forms of corrosion are classified according to mechanism Corrosion may be prevented or controlled by:

-- materials selection -- reducing the temperature -- applying physical barriers -- adding inhibitors -- cathodic protection using metals that form a protective oxide layer Painting/coating
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