MEE 098: Materials Science and Engineering for ME

Student Activity Sheet #5

Name: Class number:

Section: Schedule: Date:

Lesson Title: Corrosion Prevention and Control Materials:

Lesson Objectives: Module, Paper, Pen
At the end of this module you must be able to:
1. Explain the concept of corrosion References:
2. Determine the effects of corrosion on different materials Material Science and Engineering (8th
3. Identify ways to prevent or control corrosion edition) by William D. Callister Jr.

Productivity Tip:
”It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?”
(Henry David Thoreau)

A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW
1) Introduction (2 mins)
Deterioration of material in-use is unavoidable. This deterioration may cause the material to fail during
operation that is not good on engineering projects. Thus, prevention and control of this deterioration is essential
during the design process. In this module, we will be discussing about corrosion which is one of the causes of
material deterioration and on how to prevent and control it.

2) Activity 1: What I Know Chart, part 1 (3 mins)

Before we start the topic answer the questions in column 2. Write your answers in the column 1. Leave
the third column blank (will be answered during Activity 4).

What I Know Questions: What I Learned (Activity 4)

1. What do you know about
corrosion?

2. What will happen if a material

corrodes?

3. Enumerate ways to prevent and

control corrosion?

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B. MAIN LESSON
1) Activity 2: Content Notes (13 mins)
Corrosion is defined as „an irreversible interfacial reaction of a material (metal, ceramic, polymer) with its
environment which results in consumption of the material or in dissolution into the material of a component of the
environment. Corrosion is commonly associated with metallic materials but it also takes place in non-metallic
material.
Corrosion is a dangerous and extremely costly problem. Because of it, buildings and bridges can collapse,
oil pipelines break, chemical plants leak, and bathrooms flood. Corroded electrical contacts can cause fires and
other problems, corroded medical implants may lead to blood poisoning, and air pollution has caused corrosion
damage to works of art around the world. Corrosion threatens the safe disposal of radioactive waste that must be
stored in containers for tens of thousands of years.

For further demonstration refer to this link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKMgUCq3npg
What have you learned about corrosion after watching the video?

Energy, often large amounts, is poured into winning the desired metals from their natural ores;
manufacturing some metal products can be very costly. Corrosion causes deterioration of manufactured products,
damaging their structure and ultimately rendering the product useless. Allowing corrosion is not cost efficient and
can inhibit productivity; understanding and preventing corrosion is important for maintaining infrastructures and
machinery or any products that face corrosion. Corrosion is a commonplace occurrence, like the rusting and flaking
of an old iron yard piece. Here we will explore the process by which corrosion takes place and the different ways
unwanted corrosion can be controlled.

For further demonstration refer to this link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voKRXIZjzvQ
What have you learned about the factors affecting the corrosion of materials after watching the
video?

Can you identify situations where corrosion does exist in materials?

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Some common types of corrosion were listed below:

Uniform Corrosion
Uniform corrosion is considered an even attack across the surface of a material and is the most common type of
corrosion. It is also the most benign as the extent of the attack is relatively easily judged, and the resulting impact
on material performance is fairly easily evaluated due to ability to consistently reproduce and test the phenomenon.
This type of corrosion typically occurs over relatively large areas of a material‟s surface.

Figure 1: Uniform Attack Corrosion on Steel

Pitting Corrosion

Pitting is one of the most destructive types of corrosion, as it can be hard to predict, detect and characterize. Pitting
is a localized form of corrosion, in which either a local anodic point, or more commonly a cathodic point, forms a
small corrosion cell with the surrounding normal surface. Once a pit has initiated, it grows into a “hole”or “cavity”
that takes on one of a variety of different shapes. Pits typically penetrate from the surface downward in a vertical
direction. Pitting corrosion can be caused by a local break or damage to the protective oxide film or a protective
coating; it can also be caused by non-uniformities in the metal structure itself. Pitting is dangerous because it can
lead to failure of the structure with a relatively low overall loss of metal.

Figure 2: Pitting on Piping System

Crevice Corrosion

Crevice corrosion is also a localized form of corrosion and usually results from a stagnant microenvironment in
which there is a difference in the concentration of ions between two areas of a metal. Crevice corrosion occurs in
shielded areas such as those under washers, bolt heads, gaskets, etc. where oxygen is restricted. These smaller areas
allow for a corrosive agent to enter but do not allow enough circulation within, depleting the oxygen content, which
prevents re-passivation. As a stagnant solution builds, pH shifts away from neutral. This growing imbalance
between the crevice (microenvironment) and the external surface (bulk environment) contributes to higher rates of
corrosion. Crevice corrosion can often occur at lower temperatures than pitting. Proper joint design helps to

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minimize crevice corrosion.

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Figure 3: Crevice Corrosion between Steel Plates

Intergranular Corrosion

An examination of the microstructure of a metal reveals the grains that form during solidification of the alloy, as
well as the grain boundaries between them. Intergranular corrosion can be caused by impurities present at these
grain boundaries or by the depletion or enrichment of an alloying element at the grain boundaries. Intergranular
corrosion occurs along or adjacent to these grains, seriously affecting the mechanical properties of the metal while
the bulk of the metal remains intact.

Figure 4: Intergranular Corrosion on Steel Pipes

Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC)

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is a result of the combination of tensile stress and a corrosive environment, often
at elevated temperatures. Stress corrosion may result from external stress such as actual tensile loads on the metal
or expansion/contraction due to rapid temperature changes. It may also result from residual stress imparted during
the manufacturing process such as from cold forming, welding, machining, grinding, etc. In stress corrosion, the
majority of the surface usually remains intact; however, fine cracks appear in the microstructure, making the
corrosion hard to detect. The cracks typically have a brittle appearance and form and spread in a direction
perpendicular to the location of the stress. Selecting proper materials for a given environment (including
temperature and management of external loads) can mitigate the potential for catastrophic failure due to SCC.

Figure 5: Stress Corrosion Cracking

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Galvanic Corrosion

Galvanic corrosion is the degradation of one metal near a joint or juncture that occurs when two electrochemically
dissimilar metals are in electrical contact in an electrolytic environment; for example, when copper is in contact
with steel in a saltwater environment. However, even when these three conditions are satisfied, there are many other
factors that affect the potential for, and the amount of, corrosion, such as temperature and surface finish of the
metals. Large engineered systems employing many types of metal in their construction, including various fastener
types and materials, are susceptible to galvanic corrosion if care is not exercised during the design phase. Choosing
metals that are as close together as practicable on the galvanic series helps reduce the risk of galvanic corrosion.

Figure 6: Galvanic Corrosion on Flanged-Bolt Coupling

Can you name some types of corrosion that weren’t mention above?

The Electrochemical Nature of Aqueous Corrosion

Corrosion is the natural process of deterioration of metals and alloys in a corrosive environment. This is a
very broad definition, but corrosion occurs in a wide variety of forms, both in pure metals and in alloys. This
discussion considers primarily the two most frequently occurring forms of corrosion, general corrosion and pitting.
General corrosion is the wasting away of a metal or alloy in a corrosive environment, resulting in an actual decrease
in the thickness or size of the original metallic structure. This wasting away occurs relatively uniformly over the
surface exposed to the corrosive environment. Pitting is a form of localized corrosion in which a small portion of
the metallic structure is corroded at a rate much faster than the bulk of the structure.
Metals such as steel and copper and alloys such as brass and stainless steel appear to be fairly rugged and
able to withstand a great deal of physical abuse. This is not true when these metals are surrounded by a corrosive
environment. They can be quickly reduced to thin, rusty or oxide-encrusted specimens. To put it another way, these
metals always have a tendency to return to their naturally occurring forms.

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Metallic elements such as iron, copper, zinc and nickel occur naturally in the form of oxides, sulfides and
carbonates. In metal making, this natural process is reversed and the metallic element is separated from its oxide.
This requires a great deal of energy, as anyone who has seen a blast furnace can tell you. The resulting metal or
alloy is in a high-energy state and, under the right conditions; it will attempt to return to its more natural, lower-
energy, reacted state. A detailed corrosion study of a piece of metal is the study of how this happens, the rate at
which it happens and what causes it to happen. There are several conditions that must be met before these reactions
can occur.
1. The metal, in this case, iron, must be reactive. It must be inherently unstable in the metallic form,
thereby tending to corrode.
2. The metal must be in contact with an electrolyte. An electrolyte is a solution, usually aqueous, which
can conduct electric current and support ionized species.
3. The electrolyte must contain dissolved species. This can be either dissolved gases, such as oxygen or
chlorine, or dissolved ions, such as the hydrogen ion, which acts as an oxidizing agent.
4. The kinetics of the situation (the rate at which the corrosion reactions can occur) must be rapid
enough to be of practical significance.
The first requirement, that the metal must have sufficient reactivity, is exhibited by metals such as iron,
copper and steel. They readily corrode under the proper conditions. On the other hand, gold and platinum are more
noble metals and do not react readily with their environment. Without the presence of dissolved gases or minerals
in an electrolyte, such as water, even highly reactive metals do not corrode. Water contains many types of minerals.

For further demonstration refer to this link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HCsBMI7nSg
What have you learned about galvanic corrosion after watching the video?

Galvanic Series
The galvanic series (or electropotential series) determines the nobility of metals and semi-metals. When
two metals are submerged in an electrolyte, while also electrically connected by some external conductor, the less
noble (base) will experience galvanic corrosion. The rate of corrosion is determined by the electrolyte, the difference
in nobility, and the relative areas of the anode and cathode exposed to the electrolyte. The difference can be
measured as a difference in voltage potential: the less noble metal is the one with a lower (that is, more negative)
electrode potential than the nobler one, and will function as the anode (electron or anion attractor) within the
electrolyte device functioning as described above (a galvanic cell).
Galvanic series relationships are useful as a guide for selecting metals to be joined, will help the selection
of metals having minimal tendency to interact galvanically, or will indicate the need or degree of protection to be
applied to lessen the expected potential interactions. In general, the further apart the materials are in the galvanic
series, the higher the risk of galvanic corrosion, which should be prevented by design. Conversely, the farther one
metal is from another, the greater the corrosion will be.

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Figure 7: Galvanic Scale of Some Metals

For further demonstration refer to this link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqxIsiN8do0
What have you learned about the galvanic series after watching the video?

Corrosion Rate Determinates

These factors affect the corrosion rate but are not limited to:

Temperature
As a general rule, increasing temperature increases corrosion rates. This is due to a combination of factors-
first, the common effect of temperature on the reaction kinetics themselves and the higher diffusion rate of many
corrosive by-products at increased temperatures. This latter action delivers these by-products to the surface more
efficiently. Occasionally, the corrosion rates in a system will decrease with increasing temperature. This can occur
because of certain solubility considerations. Many gases have lower solubility in open systems at higher
temperatures. As temperatures increase, the resulting decrease in solubility of the gas causes corrosion rates to go
down.

pH
Corrosion rates almost always increase with decreasing pH (increasing acidity). This is a direct result of increasing
the concentration of an aggressive ion (H+) and increasing the solubility of most potentially corrosive products.

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Oxygen Concentration

Oxygen's role in corrosion is as an aggressive gas or oxidizing agent. As its concentration increases, corrosion rates
increase until the rates of diffusion to the surfaces reach a maximum. The same principles apply to most other
oxidizing agents, such as Cl2, H+, Br2.

Fluid Velocity
The dependence of corrosion rate on fluid velocity is complex. In general, the higher the velocity, the higher the
corrosion rate. At very low velocities, even zero, there are diffusion effects that can cause corrosion. As fluid
velocities increase from stagnant to moderate values, the corrosion rates increase. Then, as the limit of diffusion at
a particular temperature is reached, further increases in velocity have little effect on the corrosion rate. At some
point, however, the velocity reaches such high values that the surface film of the metal begins to be damaged. At
these velocities, the corrosion rates resume increasing with the higher velocities.

Suspended Solids
An increase in suspended solids levels will accelerate corrosion rates. These solids include any inorganic or organic
contaminants present in the water. Examples of these contaminants include clay, sand, silt or biomass.

Can you name some factors that affect the corrosion rate that weren’t mention above?

Galvanic and Concentration Cell Corrosion

There are two primary types of galvanic cells that cause corrosion: the bi-metallic couple and the
concentration cell.
A bi-metallic couple is like a battery, consisting of two dissimilar metals immersed in an electrolyte
solution. An electric current (flow of electrons) is generated when the two electrodes are connected by an external,
conductive path.

Figure 8: Bi-metallic Couple

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A concentration cell consists of an anode and cathode of the same metal or alloy and a return current path.
The electromotive force is provided by a difference in concentration of the surfaces through the external path.

Figure 9: Concentration Cell

There are four elements necessary for corrosion to occur in a galvanic cell:
1. Anode - The electrode where galvanic reaction(s) generate electrons - negative ions are discharged
and positive ions are formed. Corrosion occurs at the anode.
2. Cathode - The electrode that receives electrons - positive ions are discharged, negative ions are
formed. The cathode is protected from corrosion.
3. Electrolyte - The conductor through which current is carried. Electrolytes include aqueous solutions
or other liquids.
4. Return Current Path - The metallic pathway connecting the anode to the cathode. It is often the
underlying metal substrate.
All four elements (anode, cathode, electrolyte, and return current path) are necessary for corrosion to occur.
Removing any one of these elements will stop the current flow and galvanic corrosion will not occur. Substituting
a different metal for the anode or cathode may cause the direction of the current to reverse, resulting in a switch to
the electrode experiencing corrosion.

Can you differentiate the two types of galvanic cells?

Corrosion Prevention and Control

You can prevent corrosion by doing one of the following methods:

Metal Type
One simple way to prevent corrosion is to use a corrosion resistant metal such as aluminum or stainless
steel. Depending on the application, these metals can be used to reduce the need for additional corrosion protection.

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Protective Coatings

The application of a paint coating is a cost-effective way of preventing corrosion. Paint coatings act as a
barrier to prevent the transfer of electrochemical charge from the corrosive solution to the metal underneath.
Another possibility is applying a powder coating. In this process, a dry powder is applied to the clean metal
surface. The metal is then heated which fuses the powder into a smooth unbroken film. A number of different
powder compositions can be used, including acrylic, polyester, epoxy, nylon, and urethane.

Figure 10: Applying Paint on Metal Surfaces

Environmental Measures

Corrosion is caused by a chemical reaction between the metal and gases in the surrounding environment.
By taking measures to control the environment, these unwanted reactions can be minimized. This can be as simple
as reducing exposure to rain or seawater, or more complex measures, such as controlling the amounts of sulfur,
chlorine, or oxygen in the surrounding environment. An example of this would be treating the water in water boilers
with softeners to adjust hardness, alkalinity, or oxygen content.

Sacrificial Coatings
Sacrificial coating involves coating the metal with an additional metal type that is more likely to oxidize;
hence the term “sacrificial coating.”

Figure 11: Galvanization

There are two main techniques for achieving sacrificial coating: cathodic protection and anodic protection.
1. Cathodic Protection
The most common example of cathodic protection is the coating of iron alloy steel with zinc, a process
known as galvanizing. Zinc is a more active metal than steel, and when it starts to corrode it oxides which
inhibits the corrosion of the steel. This method is known as cathodic protection because it works by

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making the steel the cathode of an electrochemical cell. Cathodic protection is used for steel pipelines
carrying water or fuel, water heater tanks, ship hulls, and offshore oil platforms.
2. Anodic Protection
Anodic protection involves coating the iron alloy steel with a less active metal, such as tin. Tin will not
corrode, so the steel will be protected as long as the tin coating is in place. This method is known as anodic
protection because it makes the steel the anode of an electrochemical cell.
Anodic protection is often applied to carbon steel storage tanks used to store sulfuric acid and 50% caustic
soda. In these environments cathodic protection is not suitable due to extremely high current requirements.

Corrosion Inhibitors
Corrosion inhibitors are chemicals that react with the surface of the metal or the surrounding gases to
suppress the electrochemical reactions leading to corrosion. They work by being applied to the surface of a metal
where they form a protective film. Inhibitors can be applied as a solution or as a protective coating using dispersion
techniques. Corrosion inhibitors are commonly applied via a process known as passivation.
In passivation, a light coat of a protective material, such as metal oxide, creates a protective layer over the
metal which acts as a barrier against corrosion. The formation of this layer is affected by environmental pH,
temperature, and surrounding chemical composition. A notable example of passivation is the Statue of Liberty,
where a blue-green patina has formed which actually protects the copper underneath. Corrosion inhibitors are used
in petroleum refining, chemical production, and water treatment works.

Figure 12: Corrosion Inhibitor

Design Modification

Design modifications can help reduce corrosion and improve the durability of any existing protective anti-
corrosive coatings. Ideally, designs should avoid trapping dust and water, encourage movement of air, and avoid
open crevices. Ensuring the metal is accessible for regular maintenance will also increase longevity.

For further demonstration refer to this link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQoE_9x37mQ
What have you learned about corrosion prevention and control after watching the video?

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2) Activity 3: Skill-building Activities (with answer key) (18 mins + 2 mins checking)

LET'S DO THIS!!!
Answer the following activities. Write your answers on the space provided.
“For the following activities, check your answers against the Key to
Corrections found at the end of this module. Write your score on your paper.”

A5-1: Determine which of the two material will most likely to corrode when in contact to each other. Write your
answer before the number.
1) Aluminum Plates connected by Iron Screws
2) Copper Bolts and Brass Coupling
3) Gold Plates and Bronze Filling
4) Bronze Bar and Nickel Fasteners
5) Tin Plate and Zinc Coating

A5-2: Enumerate what is asked. Write your answer on the space provided.
1-6) Six Common Types of Corrosion

7-11) Five Factors that affects the Corrosion Rate

12-15) Four Elements Necessary for Corrosion to Occur in Galvanic Cell

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16-20) Five Ways to Prevent Corrosion

3) Activity 4: What I Know Chart, part 2 (2 mins)

After the lesson, answer the questions on column 2 based on your learning. Write your answers on the
third column.

What I Know Questions: What I Learned (Activity 4)

1. What do you know about
corrosion?

2. What will happen if a material

corrodes?

3. Enumerate ways to prevent and

control corrosion?

4) Activity 5: Check for Understanding (5 mins)

LET ME HEAR FROM YOU…

In your opinion, why is it important to study the deterioration of
material? Write your opinion on the space provided below.

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C. LESSON WRAP-UP
1) Activity 6: Thinking about Learning (5 mins)

How is your learning experience? Which part of the lessons do you find to be difficult?

FAQs
Does Aluminum Rust?
No, aluminium does not rust but it corrodes in the same way as other metals. Rust is a corrosion
product formed on ferrous (iron-based) metals such as steel. The corrosion product on aluminium does not
have the rusty appearance as observed on steel.

Why only a few metals and their alloys show active-passive transition in corrosive environment?
Usually, the metals are Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni; and their alloys do form protective films in moderate corrosive
environment, and their films dissolve away in very strong corrosive environment. This is due to close electron
affinity and potential value orderly arranged in electrochemical series.

Can corrosion occur in non-metal material?

Yes, though most non-metals are almost entirely immune to corrosion. The strong chemical bonds that
hold them together leave very little free chemical energy in the structure. When corrosion does occur, it is
almost always a simple dissolution of the material or chemical reaction, rather than an electrochemical process.
A common example of corrosion protection in ceramics is the lime added to soda-lime glass to reduce its
solubility in water; though it is not nearly as soluble as pure sodium silicate, normal glass does form sub-
microscopic flaws when exposed to moisture. Due to its brittleness, such flaws cause a dramatic reduction in
the strength of a glass object during its first few hours at room temperature.

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