Corrosion and

Degradation of
Materials
 What is 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.

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 Electrochemical Corrosion
Corrosion of zinc in an acid solution
• Two reactions are necessary:
-- oxidation reaction: Zn  Zn2  2e
-- reduction reaction: 2H  2e  H2 (gas)
H+
Oxidation reaction
flow of e  Zn
-
Zn2+ H+
in the metal
Zinc 2e - H+ H+ Acid
solution
H +
H+
H2(gas)
H+
reduction reaction

• 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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 Driving force
 A driving force is necessary for electrons to flow
between the anodes and the cathodes.
 The driving force is the difference in potential
between the anodic and cathodic sites.
 This difference exists because each oxidation or
reduction reaction has associated with it a potential
determined by the tendency for the reaction to take
place spontaneously. The potential is a measure of
this tendency.

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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
 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 304 stainless
steel / acid
minimal. 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.
Concrete Exterior & Interior
Concrete Interior (untreated)
 Metal oxide
Corrosion Prevention Metal (examples: Al,
stainless steel)

 Use metals that passivate, form a thin, adhering oxide layer that slows corrosion.
 Use metals that are relatively unreactive in the corrosion environment.

 Use inhibitors (substances added to solution that decrease reactivity); slow

oxidation/reduction reactions by removing reactants like O2 gas by reacting it
w/an inhibitor.
 Slow oxidation reaction by attaching species to the surface. Apply physical
barriers: films and coatings, paint
 Reduce T (slows kinetics of oxidation and reduction)

 Cathodic (or sacrificial) protection; attach a more anodic material to the one to
be protected.

Galvanized Steel
Zn 2+
zinc zinc
2e - 2e -
steel
e.g., zinc-coated nail 24
 Passivation Process
 Stainless steel was “discovered” around 1900–1915. A result of multiple
scientific efforts in England, France and Germany on alloys with
compositions that would later be known as the 410, 420, 430, 442, 446 and
440C grades.
 Stainless steels must have a very low level of carbon; difficult to obtain (low
carbon) for many years, which explains the late arrival of good ferritic grades
in the 1980s.
 Chromium (Cr) is by far the most important alloying element in the
production of stainless steel. It forms the “passive” surface film (chromium
oxide) that makes stainless steel corrosion resistant and increases scaling
resistance, wear resistance and tensile strength.

A minimum of 10.5% chromium content (by weight) is

required for the protective, self-repairing surface layer of
chromium oxide to form reliably. The higher the
chromium content, the stronger the passive layer.
If the stainless steel surface is machined or accidentally
damaged, the passive layer quickly re-forms, in the
presence of air or water.
 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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 "Salt water isn't good for anything."

A man blamed a low-flying pelican and a dropped cell phone for veering his million-dollar (French-
built Bugatti Veyron) sports car off a road and into a salt marsh near Galveston. The car was half-
submerged in the brine about 20 feet from the road when police arrived (Nov 11, 2009).

WORLD'S FASTEST: Bugatti Veyron Busts Out With 1,000-hp and $1.3 Million Price Tag
The Veyron's 16-cylinder engine develops a shade over 1,000 horsepower, giving it a 0-60 time of
fewer than 3 seconds and a 252-mph top speed. Those staggering stats make the Veyron the world's
fastest production car. It's also the most expensive (2005 stats).

$1.95 Million (2009)

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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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 "Rust's A Must"
Mighty ships upon the ocean
Suffer from severe corrosion,
Even those that stay at dockside
Are rapidly becoming oxide.
Alas, that piling in the sea
Is mostly Fe2O3.
And where the ocean meets the shore, The origin of this epic
You'll find there's Fe3O4. poem is a bit fuzzy. We
'Cause when the wind is salt and gusty, have seen a reference to
Things are getting awful rusty. the late Mr. T. R. B
Watson of Corrosion
Services Co., Ltd. in
We can measure, we can test it,
Toronto and we believe
We can halt it or arrest it. that he is the author.
We can gather it and weigh it,
We can coat it, we can spray it.
We examine and dissect it,
We cathodically protect it
We can pick it up and drop it.
But heaven knows we'll never stop it!
So here's to rust, no doubt about it,
Most of us would starve without it.

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