Experiment no -4

Mild Steel Corrosion in Soil

1.1 Objective
This experiment aims to investigate the corrosion behavior of mild steel when buried in soil for a
duration of one year, which has practical implications for understanding the long-term durability
of buried structures and pipelines.
1.2 Introduction
The impact of corrosion is pervasive in daily life, triggering accidents in industries, on highways,
and at homes. Financially, it incurs a hefty 4-5% loss of industrialized nations' GDP yearly.
Gaining insights from electrochemistry, materials science, and corrosion could potentially avert
25% of this expense, emphasizing its crucial relevance. Corrosion is a significant concern in
industries where metals are exposed to aggressive environments. Mild steel, commonly used for
its favorable mechanical properties, is susceptible to corrosion under certain conditions and cost.
Soil is a corrosive medium, but it is very difficult to study the nature of its corrosiveness because
of its heterogeneity. Corrosion is one of the most challenging problems in oil and gas industry as
well as in construction and infrastructure industries where metals are directly exposed to various
soil environments throughout their designed life. Several studies on corrosion in soil have
provided useful information on soil engineering properties and physicochemical properties such
as paramount of chloride ions, sulfate ions and organic matter, and conductivity, which influence
the corrosivity of the soil, making corrosion a dynamic process.
2.0 Theory
Anodes and Cathodes:
Anodic Reaction (Oxidation):
At the anode (where metal is corroding, typically the surface of the steel):
Fe(s) → Fe²⁺(aq) + 2e⁻
Cathodic Reaction (Reduction):
At the cathode (where reduction occurs, often involving oxygen and water):
O₂(g) + 4H⁺(aq) + 4e⁻ → 2H₂O(l)
Overall Corrosion Reaction for Mild Steel:
The anodic and cathodic reactions combine to give the overall corrosion reaction:
Fe(s) + O₂(g) + 4H⁺(aq) → Fe²⁺(aq) + 2H₂O(l)
Rust Formation for Mild Steel:
The Fe²⁺ ions produced at the anode can react further with water and oxygen to form hydrated
iron oxide, commonly known as rust:
4Fe²⁺(aq) + 4H₂O(l) + O₂(g) → 4Fe (OH)₃(s)
In soil environments, the presence of moisture and the ions present in the soil can accelerate the
corrosion process by providing the necessary electrolytes for the electrochemical reactions to
occur.
The corrosion rate is expressed as Mil’s penetration per year (mpy) and determined in the given
formula.
534 Δw
Therefore, the corrosion rate is:
DAT
where, ∆W = weight loss (gms)
D = density of the specimen, (g/cm3)
A = Surface area of specimen, (sq. in)
T = exposure time, (hr.).
The corrosion rates of resistant materials generally range between 1 and 200 mpy. The relative corrosion
resistance of a material can be evaluated using the following criteria:

2.1 Experimental Design:

The effect of the exposure time and depth may affect the corrosion rate. Therefore, to optimize
the minimum corrosion rate, design of experiment (DOE), modelling and simulations are
required. Therefore, in this investigation, Box-Behnken Design of response surface methodology
has been adopted. The steps to design the experiment is described below.
Step-1 Choose the factors (variables) that affect the process or output

Step-2 Select the levels for each factor based on experimentation.

Input Level used (-1, 0 and 1)

parameters
Low Middle High
Depth(cm) 10 53 90

Time(days) 20 53 100

Step-3 Design an experimental matrix using techniques Box-Behnken Design of response

surface methodology using MINITAB

Run Order TIME DEPTH

 1 53 53
2 106 53
3 53 106
4 53 53
5 15 15
6 53 53
7 90 15
8 53 53
9 90 90
10 -1 53
11 53 53
12 15 90
13 53 -1

2.2 Data Collection:

 Conduct experiments based on the experimental matrix described in step 2.
 Measure the response variable for each combination of factor levels.
2.3 Optimization:
 Define the objective of optimization, such as minimizing the response.
 Use optimization algorithms of genetic algorithms to find the optimal factor levels that
satisfy the objective.
 Validation of Optimal Conditions
 Conduct experiments at the optimized factor levels to validate the predicted response.
 Compare the actual response with the predicted response from the model

Experimental producer
3.1 Sample Preparation:
The mild steel specimens were prepared systematically for the experiment. We have taken
rectangular bar of thickness of 5 mm and width 25mm to make the samples. We have cut the
sample with respect to length as per ASTM G31 Standards.
 They were polished using different grades of emery paper to achieve a smooth surface which
is free from roughness and scale.
 After polishing, the specimens were rinsed with deionized water to remove loose particles
and contaminants. Subsequently, an ultrasonic bath was employed, immersing the specimens
in a cleaning solution to further eliminate any remaining impurities.
 The cleaned specimens were then dried in a hot air oven at temperatures between 80 and 100
degrees Celsius, ensuring uniform drying without contact between the specimens.
 After cooling to room temperature, the individual weights of the specimens were measured
accurately using a precision balance.
 Throughout the process, safety measures were followed. Thereafter, weight of each specimen
was measured prior to usage.
 Atmospheric corrosion test was conducted at the site of Maulana Azad National institute of
Technology (23.2164756,77.3916877) in India from July 2022 to July 2023. This region represents an
extreme weather condition according to Indian meteorological department. In summer (April May),
temperature goes up to 43 C maximum, and in winter, (December-February) temperature comes down
to 5 C.
 Annual rainfall during the exposure period was up to maximum 330 mm. During the sample exposing
period temperature and relative humidity varied from 5 to 48 C and 35 to 73%, respectively.


Fig.1 Schematic diagram of the sample

3.2 Experimental Setup:

Fig.1 Schematic diagram of experimental setup

4.Result and discussion
4.1 corrosion rate (CR)

Main Effects Plot for corrosion rate

Time Depth
7

6
Mean of corrosion rate

0 30 60 90 120 0 25 50 75 100

Figure 5. sample plot of main effect and surface plot

Explanation of the diagram:

4.2 Weight loss

Figure 5. sample plot of main effect plot

Explanation of the diagram:
 Surface Plot of weight loss vs Depth, Time

4.5

3.0
we ight loss
1.5
120
0.0 800
40 De pth
0
40 0
80
Time 120

Figure 5. sample plot of main effect and surface plot

Explanation of the diagram:

4.3 Analysis of variance and model fitting

 4.4 Model Prediction for minimum corrosion rate

Experimental validation

Optimum parameters Model predication Experimental Result %Eror

Corrosion rate
Weight loss

Conclusion: