INTRODUCTION The technology and theory for predicting corrosion are powerful tools which seem

to be on the brink of producing dramatic breakthroughs. But accurate predictions have sometimes
been inhibited by an inadequate understanding of corrosion processes as well as an inability to
deal mathematically with the many factors which impact the outcome of a glass-solvent reaction.
None the less, predicting the corrosion behavior of materials has always been an important
component of technology. It has been a vital, yet often unrecognized, contributor to product
development as well as LO basic science. When corrosion theory fails to predict the behavior of
glass, it is usually not the theories that are at fault. Rather, it is a blind reliance on these theories,
coupled with a lack of appreciation for those facLOrs that are either poorlycontrolled or ignored.
So the primary purpose of this chapter is to suggest a pathway for arriving at an optimum
prediction process. Very often the question thal the corrosion engineer must answer is simply,
"How will product A be corroded by target environmenl X ?" The answer may nol always be easy lo
obtain. Testing procedures can be difficull lO control. Target environments can be difficult to
define. The principles of glass corrosion don't always seem to fit. The lilerature oflen refers lo
"modeling" of corrosion, but the term connoleS more than il can always deliver. Figure 2-1 shows
that reality may sometimes present an obscure piclure that may not fit a preconceived model (1).
In this instance, the reactions have not been confined to the interface between the glass and the
solvent; instead the growth of rod-like crystalline structures have created tubules which penetrate
the parent glass. The fact is that there is no one single unifying concept that applies in all cases.

The answers become more difficult when the questions become more complex. E.g. "What
composition will perform to a given standard of expectation in target environment A?" The glass
composition factor complicates efforts to obtain an answer. The model which fits one glass
composition may not fit another. Figure 2-2 shows that there can be a dramatically different
response to corrosion as a function of pH. The relationship between glass composition and
corrosion behavior must be recognized and accommodated.

The list of complicalions sometimes seenlS to be unending. Prediction is never an exact process.
The most important question is therefore, "How good is the prediction?"

It is a given that corrosion results will often be relatively imprecise, and perhaps inaccurate, with
respect to the target environment. Figure 2-3 shows that some results can exhibit a considerable
"range of uncertainty", in this case about two orders of magnitude (2). These results are not
atypical of those which are often the best that can be obtained under very closely controlled
conditions. Accuracy and precision must never be overlooked. They are the essence of prediction.

This chapter is intended to be a guide to defining a process for predicting corrosion. The first
section following the Introduction discusses some Prerequisite areas of information that are
required as a knowledge base to begin the process. Following that is a section discussing various
approaches, or Methods, for predicting corrosion. The section on Applications is intended to
provide a sample of the many ways in which corrosion prediction has been used. Finally there is a
Summary.