FRETTING CORROSION

What is fretting corrosion?  

Fretting corrosion refers to the deterioration at

the interface between contacting surfaces as
the result of corrosion and slight oscillatory slip
 between the two surfaces.
  Fretting corrosion on the inner raceway of a 
Fretting corrosion are expected in many tight- ball bearing

fitting parts that are designed not to slip against

each other, but in the presence of vibration and
pressure fluctuation, these parts do slip against
each other such as bolted or riveted parts that
vibrate.
What causes fretting corrosion?

Fretting corrosion is a severe corrosive wear that occurs to heavily

loaded surfaces that move only slightly but repeatedly against each
other. Fretting corrosion is different from ordinary wear in that it
occurs rapidly with little movement.

How to prevent fretting corrosion? 

Fretting Corrosion can be prevented through:

• Lubricate the surfaces
• Regularly inspect and maintain the lubrication
What is Cavitation? 
Cavitation refers to the formation and rapid collapse of cavities or bubbles of vapor or gas
within a liquid resulting from mechanical or hydrodynamic forces.

What is Cavitation Corrosion? 

Cavitation Corrosion refers to the conjoint action of cavitation and corrosion.
What is Cavitation Damage?
Cavitation Damage refers to the degradation of a solid body resulting from its
exposure to cavitation (This may include loss of material, surface
deformation, or changes in properties or appearance).

From the standard definitions above, Cavitation Damage includes both

Cavitation Corrosion and Cavitation Erosion.
 
Cavitation damage occurs in hydraulic turbines, ship propellers, pump
impellers, and other surfaces where high-velocity liquid flow and pressure
changes are encountered.

The appearance of cavitation damage is somewhat similar to pitting, except

that the pitted areas are closely spaced and the surface is usually
considerably roughened.
Mechanisms of Cavitation Damage

What causes Cavitation Corrosion, Cavitation Damage, and Cavitation Erosion?

Cavitation damage has been attributed to both corrosion and mechanical effects. In the
former case, it is assumed that the collapsing vapor bubbles destroy protective surface
films and thus increase corrosion. Calculations have shown that rapidly collapsing vapor
bubbles produce shock waves with pressures as high as 60,000 psi. Forces this high can
produce plastic deformation in many metals.

The presence of solid or abrasive particles is not required for cavitation damage but will
accelerate the damage.
How to prevent Cavitation Damage?

• In general, cavitation damage can be prevented by the techniques used

in preventing erosion corrosion.
• Cavitation damage can be reduced by changing design to minimize
hydrodynamic pressure differences in process flow streams.
What is Erosion Corrosion?

Erosion Corrosion refers to the combined action involving erosion

 and corrosion in the presence of a moving corrosive fluid or a
metal component moving through the fluid, leading to accelerated
loss of metal.
What causes Erosion Corrosion?
The mechanical effect of flow or velocity of a fluid combined with the corrosive action of
the fluid causes accelerated loss of metal. The initial stage involves the mechanical
removal of a metal's protective film and then corrosion of bare metal by a flowing
corrosive occurs. The process is cyclic until perforation of the component occurs.

Erosion-corrosion is usually found at high flow rates around tube blockages, tube inlet

ends, or in pump impellers. The photo shows erosion corrosion of a cast aluminum pump
casing due to excessively high flow rate of the coolant.

What is the difference between Erosion Corrosion and Cavitation?

Cavitation-corrosion is a special form of erosion-corrosion. It is caused by water bubbles

produced by a high-speed impeller, which then collapse and cause pits on the metal
surface.
How to prevent Erosion Corrosion? 

Erosion corrosion can be prevented through:

•streamline the piping to reduce turbulence
•control fluid velocity
•using more resistant materials
•using corrosion inhibitors or cathodic protection to minimize erosion corrosion
Corrosion Fatigue

What is Corrosion Fatigue? 

Corrosion Fatigue refers to the process in which a metal fractures prematurely under

conditions of simultaneous corrosion and repeated cyclic loading at lower stress levels
or fewer cycles than would be required to cause fatigue of that metal in the absence of
the corrosive environment.
What causes Corrosion Fatigue?

Corrosion Fatigue is caused by crack development under the

simultaneous action of corrosion and cyclic stress. The usual case
involves rapidly fluctuating stresses that may be well below the
tensile strength. As stress is increased, the number of cycles
required to cause fracture decreases.
 
As in the case of stress corrosion cracking, corrosion fatigue is
dependent on the interactions among loading, environmental,
and metallurgical factors.
How to prevent Corrosion Fatigue? 

Corrosion Fatigue can be prevented through:

• reducing the fatigue by minimizing vibration and pressure

fluctuation.
• reducing the corrosion by using high-performance alloys resistant to
corrosion fatigue
• reducing the corrosion by using coatings and inhibitors to delay the
initiation of corrosion fatigue cracks