PAN AFRICAN UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE FOR BASIC SCIENCES,

TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

Master of Science in Civil Engineering

(Construction and management Option)

Construction Materials (PUC 3125)

ASSIGNMENT ON CORROSION CONDITIONS AND ITS

PREVENTING METHODS

Name: BAIMOURNE BOURNEBE

Reg. No: CE300-0016/2020
Date of Submission: 02 July, 2021

Submitted To: Dr. Thuo J. N.

INTRODUCTION
As sustainability and durability has become central interest nowadays as people try as much
as possible to optimize the use of materials, we need to know how the material will behave
like and what are the potential treats so for to prevent them and/or mitigate their actions. One
of the most common and dangerous threat for steels and its alloys is corrosion. The word
corrosion comes from the Latin word "corrodere" which means,” gnaw apart”. During
corrosion the steel changes back to the more orelike iron oxide. This condition is also more
thermodynamically stable. To obtain corrosion some parameters are essential. Presence of
oxygen, humidity (electrolyte) is the two most important ones. The environment in which the
material will be plays then a key role in this phenomenon. There are many types of corrosion:
general corrosion, galvanic corrosion, intergranular corrosion, pitting corrosion, crevice
corrosion, dewpoint corrosion, etc. However, the general corrosion will be our focus here. In
this essay, we will see how and why corrosion occurs and how to prevent it.
CAUSE AND CONDITIONS OF CORROSION
Corrosion is an electrochemical process that is recognized by an exchange of electrons. To
obtain electrical equilibrium free electrons cannot exist to any larger extent. Detachment of
electrons by oxidation needs a process consuming electron (reduction). For iron in water the
oxidation-reduction reaction is described in following Equations
Oxidation: Fe Fe2+ + 2e-
1
Reduction: O2 + H2O + 2e- 2OH-
2
1
Sum: Fe + 2 O2 + H2O + 2e- Fe2+ + 2e- + 2OH-

The motive power for corrosion is thermodynamically conditioned. The electrochemical

reaction occurs due to potential differences. Weak parts or defects in the microstructure of the
steel. Potential differences gives that an anode-/cathode reaction evolves. The anode- and
cathode area must also be in contact via an electrolyte (e.g., water) for an active reaction. The
potential or electrode potential can be explained as a value of how stabile or noble a material
is. A low electrode potential gives that the metal more easily turns to oxide than a metal with
high electrode potential.
Apart from electrode potential and pH the temperature and the red ox potential of the water
solution is of great importance. If iron is exposed in concrete with its relatively high pH (13-
14) corrosion can slowly occur. Creation of an iron oxide also retards the process.
Carbonation of the concrete lowers the pH (<9) and will result in a more active corrosion.
Addition of chlorides increases the potential and corrosion can occur at a higher value of pH.

PRVENTION
We have seen that three key elements are required for the anodic and cathodic steps of
corrosion to occur: an electrolyte, an exposed metal surface, and an electron acceptor. It
follows, then, that we can prevent corrosion by removing one of these essential conditions.
The simplest condition to remove is the exposed metal surface.
 ➢ Establishing a Physical Barrier
Coating a metal surface with paint or enamel provides a barrier between the metal and the
moisture in the environment, thus removing the opportunity for both oxygen and moisture to
come in contact with the metal.
➢ Sacrificial Coatings
The process of coating a metal surface with another metal that is more likely to be oxidized is
referred to as sacrificial coating. The corrosion-prone iron alloy steel is commonly coated
with zinc, a more active metal, in a process known as galvanizing. Corrosion of the sacrificial
zinc results in its oxidation; the iron is reduced, which renders it cathodic and inhibits its
corrosion.
As long as the tin coating remains intact, corrosion is not possible. If, however, the tin coating
becomes degraded, exposing the underlying metal, corrosion will occur. This is because the
exposed iron undergoes oxidation and is rendered anodic. The tin accepts electrons from the
oxidized iron, and the three criteria for corrosion are met.
➢ Cathodic Protection
Another way to protect against corrosion is to confer a continuous negative electrical charge
on a metal. This method is referred to as cathodic protection. Cathodic protection replicates
the effects of a sacrificial coating but with a more active metal. The source of negative charge
is usually an external direct-current power supply. Cathodic protection is used to protect
underground fuel tanks and pipelines, among other things.
➢ Passivation
Passivation is a process through which a thin film of corrosion products builds on a metal
surface to serve as a barrier against oxidation. The formation of a passivation layer is affected
by environmental pH, temperature, and chemical conditions. The Statue of Liberty, for
example, is coated with a blue-green patina caused by several chemical reactions, which
serves to protect the copper metal underneath.
➢ Anodization
Anodization is another surface treatment that protects against corrosion. The metal to be
protected is bathed in a specific substance, and electrochemical conditions are adjusted such
that uniform pores several nanometers wide appear in the metal’s oxide film. These pores
allow an oxide film, thicker than a passivation layer, to build up. The resultant protective
layer is very hard and very resilient.
➢ Sacrificial Anode Protection
Using the same principle as sacrificial film coating, a sacrificial anode, made of a metal more
active than the metal you want to protect, can be used to prevent corrosion on submerged or
buried metal structures. The sacrificial anode will corrode before the metal it is protecting
does. However, once the sacrificial anode corrodes, it must be replaced; otherwise, the metal
it is protecting will begin to corrode as well.
CURRENT CORROSION PREVENTION METHODS
Today, people work hard to protect materials efficiently and durably against corrosion.
Protection methods alone do not guarantee corrosion will not arise. Prevention is an extra
layer of protection against corrosion. As we know which conditions are required for corrosion
to occur, prevention against corrosion must start in design process. Engineers must think of
their projects, the how their materials will be used and make their design in such a way to try
as much as possible to avoid those parameters leading to corrosion to do not meet. Nowadays,
corrosion prevention methods are more reliable and include self-healing coatings; thin, high
density barrier films; conductive polymers; and fast new test methods.
Self-healing coatings are protective coatings are used to protect metal products against the
harmful action of the corrosion environment. Polymer layers, silica-organic layers, conversion
layers, metallic layers and ceramic layers, to mention but a few, are used as self-healing
coatings.
Thin barrier films are thin layers of materials with thickness usually ranging between some
nanometers (10-9 m) to several micrometers (10-6 m). Despite their very small thickness, they
are effectively used by the industry to protect metals from corrosion. This helps metal parts
and, finally, the products which are made with those parts to last longer when exposed to
adverse environmental conditions.
Conductive polymers is an innovative method that allows to prevent the corrosion of metal
product. The conducting polymer such as polyaniline, polypyrrole, and polythiophen works as
a strong oxidant to the steel, inducing the potential shift to the noble direction. The strongly
oxidative conducting polymer facilitates the steel to be passivated.
Regarding fast new test methods of corrosion, there are many corrosion prevention methods
today that are supplementing traditional non-destructive testing. We have three methods that
use advanced technology: real-time x-ray, ultrasonic testing, and computed radiography.
Plus, the soonest we will be able to detect corrosion, the more efficient the treatment will be.
That’s why some advanced technologies are being develop to survey constructions and find
out if corrosion is starting. Those techniques include real-time x-ray, ultrasonic testing, and
computed radiography.

REFERENCES
1. E. McCafferty, 2010: Introduction to corrosion science. Springer, New York.
2. N.J.M. Wilkins and P.F. Lawrence, in: Corrosion of Reinforcement in Concrete
Construction, A.P. Crane (ed.). Chichester, Ellis Horwood (1983).
3.Google search
- https://ltu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:991171/FULLTEXT01

- https://research.chalmers.se/publication/516925/file/516925
- Preventing Corrosion | Introduction to Chemistry (lumenlearning.com)
- https://www.shawcor.com/media-center/5732632867/future-of-corrosion-prevention