FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL & METALLURGICAL

ENGINEERING

STUDENT LABORATORY GUIDE

Practical 1
NAME OF COURSE
CRS 301T

(Corrosion III)

QUALIFICATION & SAQA ID

Diploma in Engineering Metallurgy

COURSE CODE

CRS301A

COMPILED BY Dr DJ Delport
(2013)

Page 1 of 16

COPYRIGHT : Tshwane University of Technology

Private Bag X680
PRETORIA
0001
All rights reserved. Apart from any reasonable quotations for the purposes
of research criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part
of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopy and recording, without
permission in writing from the publisher.

Page 2 of 16

ORGANISATIONAL COMPONENT CONTENTS:

1.

Welcome................................................................................................................................................................ 4

2.

LABORATORY Staff............................................................................................................................................... 4

3.

2.1

Contact Details.............................................................................................................................................. 4

2.2

Staff availability.............................................................................................................................................. 4

Requirements, resources and recommended material..........................................................................................5

3.1

3.1.2
4.

5.

Requirements for the course......................................................................................................................... 5

Recommended resources...................................................................................................5

Code of conduct..................................................................................................................................................... 6
4.1

Attendance..................................................................................................................................................... 6

4.2

Laboratory, Hearlth & Safety Rules And Regulations....................................................................................6

4.3

Responsibilities of students........................................................................................................................... 7

Assessment........................................................................................................................................................... 8
5.1

Assessment methods and criteria..................................................................................................................8

5.2

Assessment rules.......................................................................................................................................... 8

5.3

Marking system.............................................................................................................................................. 9

5.4

predicate/Year mark..................................................................................................................................... 10

5.5

Moderation.............................................................................................................................................. 10

5.6

Promotion requirements.............................................................................................................................. 10

PRACTICAL................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Keywords.................................................................................................................................................................. 11

Introduction............................................................................................................................................11
Terms, Concepts and Questions needed to know before starting.........................................................11
Purpose of the experiment....................................................................................................................................... 12
Outcomes................................................................................................................................................................. 12
Student Preparation.................................................................................................................................................. 12
Safety aspects.......................................................................................................................................................... 12
Experimental Procedure........................................................................................................................................... 13

Experimental setup.................................................................................................................................13
Variations (Differences from each Group).............................................................................................14
During exposure....................................................................................................................................................... 14
Cleaning after completion......................................................................................................................................... 14
Data interpretation.................................................................................................................................................... 14

Expected outcomes.......................................................................................................... .....................14

References............................................................................................................................................................... 14
Report....................................................................................................................................................................... 15

Page 3 of 16

SECTION

ORGANISATIONAL

COMPONENT

1. WELCOME
Welcome to laboratory session of Corrosion III. This part of the course provides continuity to represent
advanced knowledge in the field of Corrosion Engineering and is offered via experimental work, problembased work or project-based work over ten weeks. The course is structured in such a way as to master
theoretical concepts and principles and various practical skills to complement the major courses in the
qualification. We trust you will enjoy the course, and find it interesting and informative.

2. LABORATORY STAFF
2.1

CONTACT DETAILS

ROOM

TEL NO

CONSULTAT

ACADEMIC

NO

E-MAIL

ION TIMES

FUNCTION

Main

B3-731

delportd@tut.ac.za

8:30 to 12:00

Section Head

Main

B2-152

KgomariLC@tut.ac.za

8:30 to 16:00

NAME

CAMPUS

Dr. Dawid Delport

Lerato Tshabalala

2.2

Lab
Technologist

STAFF AVAILABILITY

If, after attending class and making every effort from your side to master content, you still have problems
with understanding key concepts or principles or their application, lecturers are available for consultation.
The general rules regarding consultation and/or mentorship. No unauthorized entry into the lab will be
allowed outside practical times and consultation times. Please adhere to consultation times for each
lecturer, technologist or mentor involved with the course.

3. REQUIREMENTS, RESOURCES AND RECOMMENDED MATERIAL.

Page 4 of 16

3.1

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE

3.1.1

PRESCRIBED RESOURCES

The following tables indicate what literature and other resources are essential for successful completion
of this course. You are strongly advised to acquire all the prescribed resources. Please note that access

to computers operating Excel is imperative.

CATEGORY
CALCULATOR

PRESCRIBED RESOURCES
DESCRIPTION
WHERE TO FIND

COMPUTER
SOFTWARE

3.1.2

COST

LEVY

Library ERC
MS Excel
MS Word

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

The following recommend resources will enhance your understanding and knowledge in this course, and
you are encouraged to use the following additional resources.

CATEGORY
BOOK
BOOK

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
NAME
PUBLISHER
Corrosion
Engineering,
McGraw Hill,
G.

AUTHOR

Mars

Fonatana

3rd Edition

Denny

Principals

Jones

ISBN NO

Singapore
and

Prevention of Corrosion,

Pearson
Education,

nd

2 Edition
Prentice Hall
RECOMMENDED ELECTRONIC MATERIAL & WEBSITES
WEBSITES www.sciencedirect.com

4. CODE OF CONDUCT

Page 5 of 16

Please take note of the following regulations. These regulations are in addition to the standard rules and
regulations as determined by the TUT. Please familiarise yourself with the TUT rules and regulations as
set out in the student diaries received on registration.

4.1 ATTENDANCE
Attendance of all practical sessions is of primary importance. It is the learners responsibility to sign the
register each week. A minimum attendance of 80% is mandatory for the practical. If the group attendance
is below that of the required 80% no marks can be allocated to the total practical mark. Marks will be
deducted from group evaluations when group members are not present.

4.2 LABORATORY, HEARLTH & SAFETY RULES AND REGULATIONS

Laboratory work can be extremely dangerous. All though every effort has been made to eliminate the use
of explosive, highly toxic, and carcinogenic substances from the experiments you will perform, there is a
certain unavoidable hazard associated with the use of a variety of chemicals and glassware. You are
expected to learn and adhere to the following general safety guidelines to ensure a safe laboratory
environment for yourself and your fellow students.

Students will not be allowed to do practicals if they arent wearing protective overcoats and any
other relevant safety equipment. Basic laboratory safety rules will be adhered to at all times while
in the laboratory.

It is the responsibility of all persons using the laboratory to report immediately any unsafe act or
condition by any person to the Lecturer or Technician.

A safety kit is available from the laboratory technician in the case of an emergency. In the event of
a hazardous incident or accident in the laboratory, report the incident to the lecturer and the
laboratory technician in charge.

After the incident or accident, the group involved will compile a formal report to explain the
situation and suggest prevention measure for the incident or accident. This will be handed over to
the laboratory technician within 24 hour of the incident or accident.

If a piece of equipment is defective, it must be reported immediately to the lecture or technician in

charge or any staff member present in the laboratory.

4.3 RESPONSIBILITIES OF STUDENTS

Registration: All students should ensure that they are allocated to groups for the practical lessons. A
registration list from the registrar is used to compile the last at the end of registration period.
Page 6 of 16

Preparation: Students are expected to come to all practicals prepared thus it is essential that students
research certain aspects before entering the laboratory. Before any experiment is carried out, students
are expected to participate in risk assessment drill to establish the safe working procedures to control the
hazards, and the risks which could arise from the planned practical work. The risk assessment document
attached in the appendices identifies a set of hazard categories which are relevant to the practicals.
Please make a declaration on completion of the risk assessment and ensure that the mentor or
supervisor involved signs the assessments. Records would be kept by the Technician.

Page 7 of 16

SECTION

LEARNING COMPONENT

5.1 ASSESSMENT
ASSESSMENT METHODS AND CRITERIA
Assessment of this laboratory course will include experimental work, problem-based work, Project-based
works and quizzes, as indicated in the schedule under paragraph 2. The purpose of assessment is to
determine whether you have achieved the learning outcomes. The various assessment methods therefore
will focus on criteria that will enable the lecturer(s) to determine whether you have achieved the learning
outcomes and mastered the required skills. The assessment criteria relevant to each learning outcome
are detailed in paragraph 2.

5.2 ASSESSMENT RULES

The general rules of TUT regarding assessment apply. You are advised to familiarise yourself with these
rules, as they are applied stringently. All reports shall be submitted typed in Times New Roman, 12pt, 1.5
line-spacing and justified and all headings in the same font and bold. No hand written reports will be
marked. Reports shall be submitted after seven days. Reports submitted after 12:00 on the seventh day
will be allocated as late arrival and a minimum of 5% will be lost from the final mark. Reports later than a
day will lose 10% of the final mark, 2 days late will lose 20% of the final mark and reports submitted later
than 3 days will not be accepted.
Assessment is based on:

Probe construction

Attendance

Report Context

Report Layout

Calculations

How to Write a
report

5.3 MARKING SYSTEM

Page 8 of 16

The marks will be allocated, particularly with respect to experimental work, problem-based work, projectbased work and assignments. Laboratory experiments marks from each experiment will be credited
according the marking scale shown in the table below.

GUIDELINES
ATTENDANCE
Attendance: - 10% for group member not existing
Experimental setup
General Presentation
Correct Material Used
Functionality
REPORT
General Impression: Neatness and Correct format
Abstract: Briefly description of the work
Introduction: Places the work in context
Literature Survey: Used sufficient relevant sources
and acknowledges.
Experimental Procedure
Results & Discussions: Precision, accuracy and use
of statistical methods. Logical Outlay with problems

Mark %
-10
40
20
10
10
50
5
4
5
15
6
10

stated and solved clearly

Conclusions & References: Scientific & Justifiable
Format and a minimum of five references should be
used
Total (%)

5
100

Probe design and attendance are regarded as group effort and thus the group will obtain the same mark,
reports will be individual work.

5.4 EXPERIMENTAL MARK

The experiment mark will be calculated as part of the final mark as indicated in the subject matrix. This
contributes 30 percent to the final mark. If you have queries about your mark, you must immediately
consult your course lecturer (contact details are given above), before final day of continues
evaluation marks report. After the cutoff date, no marks can be changed.

5.5

MODERATION
Page 9 of 16

Moderation of the practicals will be conducted by the preselected moderator of the subject.

5.6 PROMOTION REQUIREMENTS

The pass mark required a 50%.

Page 10 of 16

SECTION

PRACTICAL GUIDELINES
PRACTICAL

THE CORROSIVE EFFECTS OF AN EXPOSED METAL

OBJECT TO SALT AQUEOUS SOLUTION

KEYWORDS
Corrosion, Copper, Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, Rate of corrosion

INTRODUCTION
Corrosion is what happens to metals when they are exposed to water and oxygen in the environment.
When iron or steel corrodes, the iron forms reddish brown colored oxides and hydroxides: what we
commonly refer to as "rust."
Rusting of iron is an electrochemical process. The iron atoms lose electrons (the chemical process of
oxidation), which break down water into oxygen and hydroxide ions (the chemical process of reduction).
The hydroxide ions react with the oxidized iron and the dissolved oxygen in the water to form iron oxide.
Iron oxide is permeable to water and oxygen, so the chemical reaction can continue beneath the surface
layer. For other metals, such as copper and aluminum, an oxidized layer on the surface actually protects
the metal underneath from further corrosion.
In this project, you will measure the corrosion rate of different metals when exposed to salt water.

TERMS, CONCEPTS AND QUESTIONS NEEDED TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING

To do this project, you should do background information study up that will enables you to understand the
following terms and concepts: electrochemistry, oxidation, reduction rust, corrosion, copper, iron, steel,
aluminum, zinc, brass and bronze.

PURPOSE OF THE EXPERIMENT

Page 11 of 16

The aim of this experiment is to introduce the students to the topic of corrosion in general, specifically
helping them to understand:
1. Which metal would be the most corrosion-resistant at its environment?
2. Group the metals from the least corrosive to the most corrosive.
3. Determine/calculate the corrosion rate of each of the metals at the experimental environment?
Also

At what conditions corrosion will occur

How corrosion happens

The chemistry behind corrosion

The rate of corrosion of different metals at the selected environment

OUTCOMES
By the end of this experiment the student will be well enough equipped with the practical knowledge of the
basic principles of corrosion as well as a better understanding into the:

elements of a corrosion experiment

application of the rate of corrosion of different metals and alloys

usage of the Eh/pH diagrams

STUDENT PREPARATION
Students are required to:

Understand the basic principles of corrosion

Do preliminary theoretical background studies in the aim of guiding them to make certain
observations and deduce conclusions

Setup of their own experimental apparatus which will be used during the experiment and verify
that the correct criteria has been met.

SAFETY ASPECTS
Upon entering the lab the following safety precautions must be in place.
Regarding PPE:

wear a laboratory coat

wear closed shoes

If Sulphuric or other acids is used. Sulphuric acid is corrosive and irritant to the skin, if working
with sulphuric acid please ensure that latex gloves and safety glasses are worn
Page 12 of 16

Always abide by the basic rules of the laboratory, and posses a safety orientated attitude. Be on the
lookout for safety hazards and always report unsafe conditions and incidents. Every student is
responsible for his own safety and that of the other people in the lab.

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

MATERIAL AND EQUIPMENT

To do this experiment you will need the following materials and equipment:
1. Four flat round samples consisting out of the following metals, (brass, bronze, mild steel and
aluminum).
2. 1 Beaker (500ml).
3. 1 Pen
4. Salt (NaCl)
5. Water
6. Fish line
7. Grad wrap (plastic wrap)
8. Camera (optional).

EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
Do background research so that you are knowledgeable about the terms, concepts, and questions.

Fill the beaker with de-ionised water.

Dissolve the predetermined salt (NaCl) in the water.

Fasten each metal sample with fish line through the small hole on the metal sample to the pen.

Hang the pen on the over the edges of the beaker so that the metal samples is immersed in the
water but does not touching each other and does not lie down on the bottom also.

Observe/ analyse (take data) of the samples at least once a day for 2 months.

Take photos at the start and at the end of the experiment.

VARIATIONS (DIFFERENCES FROM EACH GROUP)

Page 13 of 16

Different concentrations of salt water. Does more salt in the water speed up the oxidation
reaction? Why or why not?

What happens if there is very little oxygen in the water? Use boiled water (to remove oxygen),
and fill the jar all the way to the top with water (pour carefully so that you don't re-oxygenate the
water). Attach the wires to the bottom of the jar lid (e.g., with hot glue), and close the jar lid tightly.

What happens if the pH of the water is changed? You could make the water acidic by adding
vinegar or basic by adding baking soda.

Have you seen pictures of the Titanic or other underwater shipwrecks? What happens to artifacts
like iron cannonballs when they are brought to the surface from a shipwreck? Design an
experiment to see what happens to metal wires immersed in fresh or salt water and then exposed
to air.

DURING EXPOSURE
Students are required to check in regularly the mass changes and log the values for use to determine the
corrosion rates. Also observe the changes inside their beakers and to make notice of them.
CLEANING AFTER COMPLETION
All equipment used for this practical must be cleaned after completion of experiment. Students must also
report to the Laboratory Technologist for inspection of workplace.
DATA INTERPRETATION
Students should be able to determine the rate of corrosion using standard formulas as well as to express
the rate of corrosion in terms of mass loss and gain against time. Students should consult handbooks for
the usage of correct formulas in order to calculate the rate of corrosion for the metals given.
QUESTIONS

1. Why are roofing nails zinc-coated?

2. What chemical reaction occurs when iron rusts?
REFERENCES

Mars G Fontana,1987, Corrosion Engineering,3rd Edition, McGraw Hill, Singapore

Denny A Jones, 1996, Principals and Prevention of Corrosion, 2 nd Edition, Pearson Education,
Prentice Hall
Page 14 of 16

REPORT
The basic structure of a technical report applies:

Title Page
Abstract One short paragraph (approx 150 words) which gives the aim of the experiment, how the
experiment was carried out, what was the most important findings and conclusions

Introduction A broader statement regarding the aim of the experiment, the way in which it will be
carried out, what the limitations of the experiment are (i.e. until where will we go about the
experiment), what is expected to occur. This section should not be more than one page.

Background Preferably done before commencement of the practical, the background gives
relevant information about previous work done and what the findings and pitfalls, the applicability in
industry, the basic knowledge towards the practical for the common man to understand. Limited to
three pages.

Experimental setup Explains the equipment, the setup and the manner of the proceedings as
accurately as possible as has been done so that the experiment can be repeated in future, to obtain
the same results

Results and Discussion The information retrieved from the raw data captured example graphs
and figures only. Discussion is focused on what was observed, what can be seen in graphs and
figures, and how it relates towards the theory as discussed previously.

Conclusions and Recommendations Here the findings are summarized and upon the
summarized findings given, recommendations are drawn up. Limited to one page

References Please follow the Harvard technique with inline referencing in the context of the
background and full referencing in the References section after the report, if unclear visit published
reports

from

the

ERC

using

the

science

direct

web

site.

Or

follow

this

link:

http://www.lib.uct.ac.za/infolit/bibharvard.htm

Appendix Used to show calculations and all raw data in the form of tables
Additional remarks.

Please attach a feedback form with your report for continual improvement of the practical (provided)
Arial 12pt with 1.5 line spacing and 0pt spacing before and after paragraph for the context
Arial 14pt with 1.5 line spacing and 0pt spacing before and after paragraph, and UPPERCASE, Bold
and Underline for Main Headings (Ex.

1. HEADING 1

Arial 12 with 1.5 line spacing and 0pt spacing before and after paragraph and Bold for subheadings
(ex. 1.1 Heading 1.1)

Arial 12 pt with 1.5 line spacing and 0pt spacing before and after paragraph for further headings
Indent subsections to line up with their relevant headings, form a ladder effect
Page 15 of 16

Use justify for context

Graphs and tables are centered and placed in line with text, Tables named at the top, graphs and
figures at the bottom; refer to the graph/figure ore table numbers during discussions.

Be careful when using color to compare two situations in graphs, rather change the format to dotted
and stippled lines.

Title page shall be provided.

Page 16 of 16