CORROSION AND CORROSION CONTROL

CORROSION
• Gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal)
• A natural process that converts metals into more chemically
stable compounds; like Oxide, hydroxide, or sulfide.
• Corrosion is caused because of chemical or electrochemical
reactions with some elements present in the environment.
• Examples: Rusting of iron and steel, silver tarnish, pitting of
turbine blades, and chalking of paint
• All materials used for building and construction (metals;
inorganics like glass, ceramics, or concrete; organics like rubber,
paints, and plastics) corrode.

• Corrosion does not always lead to corrosion damage.

• For Example: Railway rails corrode with hardly any damage.
They are all rusting without any appreciable damage.
 Mechanisms of Rust Formation
Rust: the Result of Corrosion of Metallic Iron
Iron in the presence of O2 and H2O forms red-
brown hydrated metal oxide:
4Fe + 3O2 + 2xH2O → 2Fe2O3 . xH2O (rust)
Reactions:
i. Cathodic reaction: oxygen dissolved in
water accepts electrons.
𝟐 𝟐

i. Anodic reaction: metal turns into metal

ion by releasing electrons.
𝟐
Factors affecting Corrosion
Major factors determining the type and extent of corrosion include:
• Temperature
• Medium which is in contact with the corroding material (For
example; air, gasoline, oil, water, engine coolant)
• Mechanical stresses (tension, compression, vibrations)
• Flow rates
• Electrical potential differences

Main forms of Corrosion

Two main forms of corrosion:
1. Generalized or Uniform Corrosion (loss of material per time
per surface area or loss of thickness per time).
2. Localized or Irregular Corrosion (uneven on the surface).
 TYPES OF CORROSION Rusting of a pair
of steel nuts

UNIFORM CORROSION
 It is the type of corrosion that proceeds at approximately the same
rate over the exposed metal surface.
 Cast irons and Steels corrode uniformly when exposed to open
atmospheres, soils, and natural waters, leading to a rusty
appearance.
 For Example;
• Uniform corrosion (rusting) of a pair of steel nuts. Steel coupon immersed in
• Corrosion of Aluminum in Seawater: Aerated vs. De-aerated water
EROSION CORROSION
• Erosion Corrosion results from a high velocity electrolyte flow
whose abrasive action accelerates the corrosion often in a non-
uniform, localized way.
• Abrasive particles, in a stream of gas or liquid, may mechanically
disrupt the protective surface film and thus expose fresh alloy to
corrode.
CAVITATION CORROSION
• Cavitation corrosion is a specific type of Erosion
which results from formation and collapse of tiny
gas bubbles in liquid stream imploding on metal surfaces.
• It may mechanically destroy any protective layer, causing localized
corrosion.
• Erosion and cavitation corrosion are controlled by proper design
and selection of materials.
GALVANIC CORROSION
 Galvanic corrosion occurs when two different metals are in contact
in the presence of a conductive solution.
 A potential difference may develop between areas on the metal
surface if foreign metals, for example, copper on iron, precipitate.
 The more active metal will oxidize more quickly in the galvanic
arrangement, while the inert or noble metal will essentially be
unaffected.
• The relative sizes of the anode (active metal) or cathode affect the
relationship between the active and inert metals significantly:
• A small anode in the presence of a large cathode will corrode more
quickly than the opposite.
• For Example; In Cast Iron, graphite is more inert than iron So,
cast-iron pipe fittings eventually lose their strength because the iron
is lost to solution, leaving the weaker graphite behind.
The Galvanic
Series:
The greater the potential difference or
distance in the galvanic series between
two metals, the greater the tendency for
galvanic corrosion to result.
 CONCEPTUAL PROBLEM:
How to avoid the galvanic action?
Keep dissimilar metals apart!
If it is unavoidable, then the metals that are
similar or close together in the galvanic series
should be utilized.
OR
Interrupt the current flow!
This may be done by providing an insulating
material between the two metals.
PITTING CORROSION
Pitting is an extremely localized attack that eventually results in holes in the
metal.
This is the result of galvanic action: The pit is the anode with the surrounding
surface as a cathode.
Pitting may occur because of:
1. Change in acidity of the pit area (pH):
pH of the immediate environment favors the dissolution of ions. In most
instances, the lower pH causes the surface to corrode more easily than a
neutral or alkaline pH.
2. Differential Aeration:
It occurs as most solutions are in contact with air. Where the metal
surface contacts the solution, the variation may cause the area with the
higher oxygen concentration to become a cathode while an area of
lower oxygen concentration becomes the anode, resulting in a localized
attack.
Differential Aeration Corrosion
 CREVICE CORROSION
• It usually occurs in the areas under deposits where free access to the
surrounding environment is restricted.
• Crevice corrosion is caused on contact of metals with metals or metals
with nonmetals, for example, gaskets, bolts, rivets, couplings, and
joints or scratches on the metal surface.
• Gasket material absorbs and draws solution toward the reactive area
and thus cause crevice corrosion.
• Improper geometric design and material selection are the common
factors resulting in damage from crevice corrosion.
MICROBIOLOGICAL CORROSION
 Bacteria and especially fungi may grow in certain areas on the walls of
water tanks, pipes, etc.
 A corrosion may develop which often is a combination of crevice
corrosion due to reduced availability of air and chemical action from the
metabolism products, which are mostly acids.

STRESS CRACKING CORROSION

• This type of corrosion is the result of stress to the metal due to
contraction after heating or during cold working, mechanical impacts,
de-alloying or environmental cracking
• It occurs in alloys under high tensile stress.
• The cracks start on the surface and go inward.
• Careful testing, therefore, is necessary during
the design and material selection process.
SELECTIVE LEACHING (Dealloying)
• It occurs when one of the components of a metal is more active than the
others. The result is the selective removal of a particular component.
• For Example: Selective removal of zinc from brass: Dezincification.
• This results in significant weakening of the metal.
• Dezincification turns the color of the brass from yellow to the pink-orange
of copper.
• Dezincification may occur in two ways;
1. The plug dezincification is a superficial patch on the surface which is
readily removed by abrasion.
2. The layer dezincification occurs over the whole surface and is
generalized.
One factor which affects the type of dezincification is pH:
 The layer type dominates in acid pH ranges.
 The plug form is prevalent in slightly acidic, neutral, or alkaline ranges.
 INTERGRANULAR
CORROSION
• Impurities or alloying elements in the metals may
segregate in grain boundaries.
• Heat treatment or localized heating by welding
may provoke changes in composition in or near
grain boundaries.
• These inhomogeneities may drive galvanic
corrosion along grain boundaries, loosening up
the metals.
For Example: Chromium carbides can form along
grain boundaries during the welding of stainless
steel, leading to subsequent poor corrosion resistance
along the weld.
 FRETTING CORROSION
• It occurs when two surfaces are in contact and undergo small, repetitive
movements. It can also be known as friction oxidation, wear oxidation, or
chafing.
Heavy
• It is usually a combination of corrosion and abrasive wear. Fretting
• The motion or rubbing between surfaces removes protective films, leading Corrosion
to accelerated attacks.
• Frequently encountered in bolted joints and flanges where there is not
enough bolt tension to eliminate movement in the joint.
• Thermal expansion, coupled with frequent cycling, can also induce fretting
attack.
• It can be eliminated by placing a very thin sheet of nylon
or Teflon between the surfaces.
Light
Fretting
Corrosion
COATING DETERIORATION:
• Coatings, such as paints, conversion coating, or metallic
coatings may lose the adhesion with their substrate.
• This may be due to diffusion through the actual coating or to
reaction starting from defects like pinholes or scratches.
• Residues of soluble salts, acids, or bases will attract water
through a paint film because of the osmotic effect, and blisters
filled with water will form.
• Filiform (Underfilm) corrosion is a wormlike
delamination of a paint film, driven by salt residues
and high humidity.
• Scab corrosion develops from paint defects.
Corrosion proceeds underneath the paint film; iron
oxides, by their volume, build up scabs.
 CORROSION OF POLYMERIC
MATERIALS
• Plastics corrode by reaction with their environment:
• Plastics may absorb solvents and thus change their properties.
• Plastics may lose additives through leaching or migration to the surface.
• Polymers are degraded by photochemical oxidation.
• Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, will cause embrittlement, fading, surface
cracking, and chalking of paint films.
 CORROSION CONTROL

MATERIAL CLEANING SPECIAL

DESIGN
SELECTION PRACTICES METHODS

NEW CATHODIC
INHIBITORS
SURFACES PROTECTION

Conversion
Coating Plating
Coatings
 CORROSION CONTROL
Material Selection
• Mechanical stability, chemical stability, operating temperature, formability and cost are of major
concern.
• Coating, cladding, and sometimes cathodic protection may be used to limit the damage.
• To select a material, consult the data sheet of the materials suppliers (MSDS) and their standards.
• To prevent corrosion damage from galvanic corrosion, great care must be exercised when joining two
different metals.

Design Design Favoring

Crevice
Design must be such that; Corrosion
• It should deal with incompatibilities between different materials.
• Maintenance and maintenance cleaning is feasible.
• It must prevent corrosion due to differential aeration, which will induce crevice corrosion.
A material that is perfectly stable when immersed in a solution still may experience severe crevice corrosion.
CLEANING PRACTICES
Maintenance cleaning is often done to remove corrosion products.
For Example: A scaled heat exchanger or a clogged nozzle
 Removal of dirt and scale is often done by using chemicals such as acids.
 After cleaning, rinsing off the cleaning chemicals is a good practice.
 After cleaning and descaling, some temporary protection may be needed.
 Normally, corrosion protective oils would be used on steel.
 SPECIAL METHODS

NEW SURFACES
1. Coating the surface of the construction material
changes the corrosion performance.
• For Example; Oils and greases, waxes, inorganic
conversion coatings, metallic layers produced by
electroplating, painting, lining with plastic or
rubber, or some combination.
2. Plating:
• It combines the properties of the base material,
often mechanical stability and low cost with
those of the coating metal, often corrosion
resistance or abrasion stability.
• Plating with zinc, chromium, or nickel is a
common method of corrosion control.
 NEW SURFACES
3. Conversion Coatings:
It is a type of coating used on metals in which the surface that is Chromate
covered is turned into a coating with electrochemical or chemical Conversion coating
processes.
Four types of conversion coatings:
• Iron Phosphate, Zinc or Manganese Phosphate and
Chromate.
• The first three are used primarily on steel while the last one is
for aluminum, aluminum alloys, magnesium and zinc.
• These coatings provide a good surface for paint adhesion
and the coating and paint combination provides corrosion Manganese Phosphate
resistance. Conversion coating
 SPECIAL METHODS

CATHODIC PROTECTION
• The effect of galvanic corrosion may be used with advantage by electrically connecting
a less noble, easily corroding metal with the substrate to be protected.
• Anodic dissolution will then proceed at the less noble metal; the other will only act as
cathode, hence the name “Cathodic Protection.”
• It is used to protect pipes, storage tanks and ship propellers by connecting them with a
sacrificial electrode made of zinc or magnesium alloys.
• Painting the metal to be protected usually increases the lifetime of the anodes.
• As they are consumed, they must be replaced as part of maintenance.
 SPECIAL METHODS

INHIBITORS
• Inhibitors are chemicals that are put into
contact with (but do not react with) either the
metal substrate or the solution that contacts
the metal surface.
• The type of inhibitor will vary depending on the
metal and the function of the solution or
environment that contacts it.

with Inhibitor without Inhibitor • Inhibitors may act by inhibiting the:

• Anodic reaction: metal dissolution
• Cathodic reaction: oxygen reduction
 CONCEPTUAL PROBLEMS:
• Do you expect a bent nail to corrode more or
less rapidly than a straight nail? Why?
• What does it mean when a metal is described
as coated with a sacrificial layer? Is this
different from galvanic protection?
• Why is it important for automobile
manufacturers to apply paint to the metal
surface of a car? Why is this process
particularly important for vehicles in northern
climates, where salt is used on icy roads?
CONCEPTUAL PROBLEM:
Suppose an old wooden sailboat, held
together with iron screws, has a bronze
propeller (recall that bronze is an alloy of
copper containing about 7%–10% tin).
a) If the boat is immersed in seawater, what
corrosion reaction will occur?
b) How could you prevent this corrosion
from occurring?