ROCKENG09: Proceedings of the 3rd CANUS Rock Mechanics Symposium, Toronto, May 2009 (Ed: M.Diederichs and G.

Grasselli)

Quantifying the rate of corrosion in selected underground mines

J.F. Dorion, J. Hadjigeorgiou & E. Ghali

Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada

ABSTRACT: This paper presents the results of on-going investigations on the performance of
support systems in Québec underground mines. The focus of these investigations is on site ob-
servations complemented by laboratory investigations. Of particular interest is deducing the cor-
rosion rate, at selected mine sites, as determined by the installation of monitoring coupons.

1 INTRODUCTION

Corrosion of support systems can be a major safety and economic concern in underground hard
rock mines. An improved insight on the factors that contribute to the corrosion of support sys-
tems can aid in the selection of appropriate support strategies and a reliable assessment of the
predicted useful life of a support system.

There are several ways to respond to corrosion issues of support systems. Quite often a corro-
sion investigation is part of a failure analysis of support systems. In this context a support sys-
tem is considered failed when it no longer provides the support it was designed for. Support sys-
tems are susceptible to different types of corrosion processes as illustrated in Figure 1, after
Hadjigeorgiou et al (2002).

(a) Uniform corrosion (b) Semi-uniform corrosion (c) Localized corrosion

base noble
metal metal

(d) Bimetallic corrosion (e) Pitting (f) Crevice corrosion

Figure 1. Types of corrosion that may attack rock bolts, modified from Dillon after Hadjigeorgiou et al
(2002).

PAPER 4031 1
ROCKENG09: Proceedings of the 3rd CANUS Rock Mechanics Symposium, Toronto, May 2009 (Ed: M.Diederichs and G. Grasselli)

Fundamental investigations aim to help us understand the corrosion phenomena and can lead
to protective coatings to increase the resistance to corrosion of support systems. Of particular in-
terest would be the development of a classification system that would identify areas more sus-
ceptible to corrosion. This information can eventually be used that would result in corrosion re-
sistant support systems.

This paper presents the preliminary results of on-going investigations in selected Québec
underground hard rock mines. These involve the use of a corrosion classification system based
on visual observations. This was complemented by a comprehensive testing program where
aqueous and atmospheric corrosion were monitored at selected mine sites. This involved direct
measurements using corrosion coupons, as well as electrical and analytical methods.

2 GROUNDWATER AND AQUEOUS CORROSION

Investigations on the influence of aqueous corrosion on support systems focused on collecting

water samples from reference sites at six mines. This has been on-going since 2007. The
employed methodology is described by Dorion & Hadjigeorgiou (2008) and Hadjigeorgiou et al
(2008). The in-situ analysis determined the following critical parameters:

 Conductivity. This is a measure of the ability of a solution to transport current. As the

conductivity of a solution increases, in most cases, so does the corrosion of immersed
metals. It is recorded in Siemens per meter (S/m) in S.I. units or as microohm per cm
(μΩ/cm) in the United States. As a reference, drinking water has a conductivity of
0.005 – 0.05 S/m.
 Acidity or alkalinity. This is measured by a pH value defined as –log(H+). Alkaline
environments are characterized by high pH values with acidic solutions having low pH
values. Acidic solutions are more corrosive and attack metals.
 Solubility. This is a measure of the quantity of an ion or gas in a solution. A high
oxygen concentration in water results in a high rate of corrosion of iron. The corrosion
rate of iron increases in the presence of higher dissolved oxygen. Salinity is reported as
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and quantified as parts per thousand or parts per million.
In general saline waters have a higher conductivity. The dissolved oxygen readings
were calibrated to take into account the atmospheric pressure and water salinity and are
reported in parts per million (ppm).
 Water sample temperature recorded in 0C. Typically corrosion rates increase as tempera-
tures increase.

Subsequent chemical analysis of collected water samples provided comprehensive informa-

tion on the presence of selected ions. This information is summarized in Table 1. A correct in-
terpretation of these data is only possible, however, with reference to the specificity of each
mine. For example, Mine #4 operates at greater depth and as a result of the geothermal gradient
the ground water at two sampling sites is almost 200C higher. The increased temperature is a
factor that accentuates the susceptibility of the support to corrosion. It is of note that only mines
#4 and #5 were recorded as acidic environments the rest of the mines characterized as weak al-
kaline or normal environments. The pH values of the water samples varied from 3.4 to 8.0.
Oxygen solubility ranged from 5.9 to 15.6 ppm.

The undertaken chemical analysis revealed a high concentration of aggressive ions such as
Cl- and SO4-. Samples from Mine #1 were characterized by high Cl- concentrations ranging
from 1938 to 5701 ppm. The higher SO42- concentrations were recorded in samples from Mine
#6 (2737-18053 ppm) and Mine #4 (19029-45757 ppm). Aggressive ions in a solution attack the
thin protective film that forms on the surface of metals, making them more vulnerable to corro-
sion. In practical terms the impact of selected ions on the corrosivity of an environment has to
be interpreted with reference to the presence or absence of inhibitors such as HCO3- and Ca+.

PAPER 4031 2
ROCKENG09: Proceedings of the 3rd CANUS Rock Mechanics Symposium, Toronto, May 2009 (Ed: M.Diederichs and G. Grasselli)

Table 1. Analysis of water samples collected at Quebec underground mines.

Mine #1 Mine #2 Mine #3
Parameter Units Site #1 Site #2 Site #3 Site #4 Site #5 Site #1 Site #2 Site #3 Site #1 Site #2
HCO3 mg/L 170 100 NA NA NA 230 130 NA 270 250
Ca mg/L 145 245 296 151 470 218 65 1370 62 61
Cu mg/L - - - - - - - - - -
Fe mg/L - - - - - - - - 1 -
K mg/L 23 30 49 29 52 5 2 3 3 4
Mg mg/L 56 104 97 49 149 19 7 1 21 22
Na mg/L 851 910 2020 1010 3070 65 4 425 13 12
Zn mg/L - - - - - - - - - -
Cl mg/L 1933 2230 4432 1938 5701 20 7 3128 6 7
NO3 mg/L NA NA 348 21 - 14 ? - NA NA
SO42- mg/L NA NA 78 182 247 452 32 733 NA 113

pH 7,3 7,1 7,8 8,0 7,7 7,0 7,1 6,9 7,3 7,5
Conductivity µS 1968 4510 9150 6530 13630 439 282 6540 328 352
Salinity ppt 1,3 3,2 6,7 - 10,1 0,3 0,2 4,9 0,2 0,2
Dissolved
ppm 9,0 12,7 7,4 8,8 8,7 7,3 11,1 5,9 13,0 15,6
oxygen
Temperature °C 13,5 13,3 13,5 15,0 14,2 8,5 10,3 11,6 7,4 10,0

Mine #4 Mine #5 Mine #6

Parameter Units Site #1 Site #2 Site #3 Site #4 Site #1 Site #2 Site #3 Site #4 Site #1 Site #2
HCO3 mg/L 44 150 NA NA 120 - NA NA NA NA
Ca mg/L 278 295 404 449 585 336 424 381 290 182
Cu mg/L - - 154 0 - - 14 - - -
Fe mg/L 90 57 589 33 106 675 334 2170 1 0
K mg/L 6 5 17 117 8 4 7 14 12 5
Mg mg/L 56 55 591 187 154 106 380 446 46 29
Na mg/L 57 43 821 859 113 9 132 63 416 136
Zn mg/L 33 8 14000 13000 3 2 10 4 7 2
Cl mg/L 78 80 368 789 10 19 50 140 1450 49
NO3 mg/L NA NA - 1696 6 519 93 - - -
SO4 mg/L NA NA 45757 19029 88 NA 5128 18053 67 84

pH 5,7 6,4 3,4 4,4 5,9 3,3 2,9 4,0 7,2 7,1
Conductivity µS 1614 1400 30800 9650 2894 3106 5240 11250 2743 1301
Salinity ppt 1,2 1,0 17,9 5,0 2,0 2,1 3,5 8,2 2,2 1,0
Dissolved
ppm 12,8 12,3 6,5 7,4 11,8 12,9 8,0 8,8 11,2 9,3
oxygen
Temperature °C 10,5 9,8 27 28,4 13,4 13,6 15,7 14,6 8,0 7,9
- : Undetected; NA : Not analyzed

An operating mine is a dynamic environment where conditions and access are subject to pro-
duction constraints. This can make long time observations difficult. The same precise location
investigated in preliminary corrosion studies in 2007 at Mine #2 was also accessible in 2008. Of
interest was the absence of significant variations in the water analysis for this time period, Table
2. Further site visits are scheduled for 2009. Should the site conditions remain constant over
time it may be possible to develop reliable corrosion rate predictions for the installed support
systems.

PAPER 4031 3
ROCKENG09: Proceedings of the 3rd CANUS Rock Mechanics Symposium, Toronto, May 2009 (Ed: M.Diederichs and G. Grasselli)

Table 2. Analysis of water for Mine #2 at site #2

Dissolved
Ca K Mg Mn Na Si Cl SO4 pH Conductivity Salinity Temp.
Year Oxygen
mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L mg/L µS ppt ppm °C
2008 65,0 2,0 6,9 0,3 5,0 6,0 5,4 7,9 7,1 282 0,2 13,9 10,9
2007 66,6 2,3 7,6 0,3 3,1 6,4 9,0 56,0 7,6 282 0,2 8,2 9,7

3 ATMOSPHERIC CORROSION

Atmospheric corrosion is the natural degradation of material exposed to air and its pollutants.
The rate of atmospheric corrosion is influenced by the relative humidity (the ratio of the quan-
tity of water vapor present in the atmosphere to the saturation quantity at a given temperature).
Corrosion rate increases beyond a critical humidity of over 60%. Atmospheric corrosion is fur-
ther accentuated by the presence of pollutants such gas and particles. All these conditions are of-
ten present in underground mines. Furthermore, the ambient heat in deep mines also has a direct
impact on the corrosion resistance of support systems. It is generally accepted that corrosion ac-
tivity will double for each 10°C raise in temperature. A summary of corroding-steel susceptibili-
ties to the presence of atmospheric corrodants is summarized in Table 3.

Table 3. Steel sensitivities to atmospheric corrodants (Leygraf & Graedel, 2000).

Corrodant Steel Sensitivity

CO2/CO32- Moderate
NH3/NH4+ Low
NO2/NO3- Moderate
H 2S Low
SO2/SO42- High
HCl/Cl- High
RCOOH/COOH- Moderate
O3 Moderate

Table 4 provides a summary of atmospheric observations recorded during the mine visits. Most
sites were characterized by high relative humidity that contributes to corrosion. This informa-
tion is still analyzed and will be cross referenced with the coupon monitoring results presented
in the subsequent section.

Table 4. Average atmospheric data at selected sites between July 2008 and January 2009.
Mine #1 Mine #2 Mine #3
Parameter
Site #3 Site #4 Site #5 Site #1 Site #2 Site #3 Site #1 Site #2 Site #3
Temperature (°C) 15,4 14,5 16,7 12,3 12,2 12,5 15,1 11,5 11,7
Relative
68 58 73 >85 85 >80 68 69 76,0
humidity (%)
Condensation Weak Weak Dry Wet Weak Wet Splashing Dry Dry
Dust Weak No Strong No No No Yes No Yes
Gas No No Yes No No Weak Yes No Yes
Air flow (cfm) 45000 132500 47000 0 42000 0 88000 52000 262000
70% recy-
Air quality Fresh Fresh Operation Stagnant Fresh Stagnant Fresh Exhaust
cled

PAPER 4031 4
ROCKENG09: Proceedings of the 3rd CANUS Rock Mechanics Symposium, Toronto, May 2009 (Ed: M.Diederichs and G. Grasselli)

Mine #4 Mine #5
Parameters
Site #1 Site #2 Site #3 Site #1 Site #2 Site #3
Temperature (°C) 13,3 14,1 29,3 13,0 13,6 16,9
Relative
96 96 79 90 90 81
humidity (%)
Condensation Wet Wet Dry Wet Wet Weak
Dust No No Yes No No No
Gas Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Air flow (cfm) 120950 80400 34000 330000 33000 0
Air quality Exhaust Exhaust Exhaust Exhaust Exhaust Stagnant

4 DETERMINATION OF CORROSION RATES BY TESTING OF COUPONS

4.1 Coupon testing

A corrosion coupon testing program was designed to evaluate the type and rate of corrosion
in diverse underground mining environments. Coupon testing is a simple method of corrosion
monitoring that provides the opportunity to test different environments over a certain period of
time. It can be used to establish the average corrosion rate over a known exposure period by
weight loss or gain. Coupons were used by Villaescusa et al (2008) to measure corrosion rates
in several Australian underground mines. A sufficient number of coupons were prepared to be
installed at five mine sites.

4.2 Preparation and identification of corrosion coupons

Each rectangular specimen was 100 x 15 x1.5 mm. Three small holes were drilled in each
coupon so that they could be attached in situ and with an identification tag, Figure 2. In all, 60
coupons were installed at every mine, with 12 coupons at each location. At predetermined time
intervals ( 3, 6 and 12 months) 4 coupons are recovered, three made of steel and one galva-
nized. The coupons are made of hot rolled steel, ASTM A1011 Type B.

100 mm (4 in)

< 5 mm
150 mm (6 in)

Corrosion
Coupon de
coupon
corrosion

« Tie-Rap »

Identification

Figure 2. a) Configuration of the corrosion coupons with identification tag and b) corrosion coupon

PAPER 4031 5
ROCKENG09: Proceedings of the 3rd CANUS Rock Mechanics Symposium, Toronto, May 2009 (Ed: M.Diederichs and G. Grasselli)

The coupons were prepared and cleaned following the ASTM Standard G4. After been sand-
blasted, each coupon was cleaned using distilled water and acetone and dried on paper towels
under hot air. Following the cleaning process, the coupons were measured and weighed. A plas-
ticized identification tag was attached to each coupon with a tie-rap. The corrosion coupons
were then placed in an airtight plastic bag to prevent any contact with ambient environment be-
fore their installation underground. Figure 3 illustrates installed coupons at two sites: a) in rela-
tively dry conditions and b) in an area under direct water flow.

Figure 3. a) Corrosion coupons attached from the mine screen at the back of a drift; b) Coupons installed
in flowing water along a drift wall

4.3 Assessment of Corrosion Damage

Once the coupons were recovered, after the pre-defined exposure (around 3 and 6 months), they
were treated to remove corrosion products following the ASTM Standard G1. The first cleaning
step of the coupon required the removal of corrosion products and crust using a smooth brush.
Then they were placed in an acidic solution containing antimony trioxide and stannous chloride
to remove any corrosion products. For the galvanized coupons, the cleaning product is reagent
water containing ammonium persulfate.

The initial total surface area and the mass lost during the test are determined. The average
corrosion rate (mm/year) was obtained by the following equation:

 KxW 
Corrosion Rate =   (1)
AxT x D

where: K = 8.76 X 104 (for units in mm/y); T = time of exposure in hours; A = area in cm2; W =
mass loss of coupon in grams, and D = density of coupon in g/cm3

The in situ characteristics of each site have already been presented in Tables 1 and 3. The result-
ing corrosion rate, calculated by the coupons, is summarized in Table 5. Based on the 2,5 month
and 5,5 month readings the corrosion rate of steel is higher for aqueous corrosion as compared
to atmospheric corrosion. As expected corrosion rates are lower for galvanized steel. The im-
pact of humidity and condensation has not yet been completed. Some areas in the mines having
high relative humidity exhibited low corrosion rate while other places with high humidity are
corrosive. There are insufficient data to determine with confidence the impact of blasting gas
and exhaust air in mine using diesel equipment. It should also be noted that typically corrosion

PAPER 4031 6
ROCKENG09: Proceedings of the 3rd CANUS Rock Mechanics Symposium, Toronto, May 2009 (Ed: M.Diederichs and G. Grasselli)

rates decrease with time. This is the case since steel products corrode more rapidly at the begin-
ning of exposure. The subsequent deposition of a corrosion crust results in a reduction in the
corrosion rate. This observation has been reported by several authors including Hassell (2007),
however, this may change the type or form of corrosion from uniform to non-uniform or local-
ized corrosion.

Table 5. Corrosion at investigated sites (not all data are available at this time)

Corrosion rate
(mm/year)
After 2,5 After 5,5
Mine Location Environment Coupon
months months
Steel 0,32 0,18
Site #1 Aqueous
Galvanized 0,05 -
Steel 0,29 0,18
Site #2 Aqueous
Galvanized 0,09 -
Steel 0,04 0,06
Site #3 Atmospheric
Galvanized 0,03 0,01
Steel 0,12 0,05
Site #4 Atmospheric
Galvanized 0,03 0,01
Mine #1

Steel 0,15 0,11

Site #5 Atmospheric
Galvanized 0,05 0,03
Steel 0,18 0,14
Site #1 Atmospheric (condensation)
Galvanized - 0,02
Site #1 Aqueous Steel 0,27 -
Steel 0,11 0,03
Site #2 Atmospheric (condensation)
Galvanized - 0,02
Site #2 Aqueous Steel 0,16 -
Mine #2

Steel 0,03 0,04

Site #3 Atmospheric (condensation)
Galvanized - 0,02
Steel 0,10 0,05
Site #1 Atmospheric
Galvanized - 0,01
Site #1 Aqueous Steel 0,04 -
Steel 0,05 0,06
Site #2 Atmospheric
Galvanized - 0,01
Site #2 Aqueous Steel 0,05 -
Mine #3

Steel 0,04 0,04

Site #3 Atmospheric
Galvanized - 0,01
Steel 0,09 -
Site #1 Atmospheric (condensation)
Galvanized 0,03 -
Steel 0,10 -
Site #1 Aqueous
Galvanized 0,13 -
Steel 0,01 -
Site #2 Atmospheric (condensation)
Galvanized 0,03 -
Steel 0,18 0,14
Site #2 Aqueous
Galvanized 0,16 -
Mine #4

Steel 0,08 -
Site #5 Atmospheric
Galvanized 0,03 -
Site #1 Atmospheric (condensation) Steel 0,08 -
Site #1 Aqueous Steel 0,39 -
Steel 0,34 0,27
Site #2 Atmospheric (splashing)
Galvanized 0,06
Site #2 Aqueous Steel 0,37 -
Mine #5

Steel 0,11 0,05

Site #3 Atmospheric (condensation)
Galvanized 0,02

PAPER 4031 7
ROCKENG09: Proceedings of the 3rd CANUS Rock Mechanics Symposium, Toronto, May 2009 (Ed: M.Diederichs and G. Grasselli)

5 TENSILE STRENGTH OF COUPONS

It is recognized that corrosion can have a detrimental impact on the capacity of a support sys-
tem. This investigation is exploring the correlation between the loss of strength of steel and the
rate of corrosion. The designed testing program calls for a series of tests of recovered coupons.
The corrosion coupons are tested in tension accordingly to ASTM E8 standards. These will be
compared to the reference (non-corroded) samples. As more data become available it should be
possible to establish useful correlations between corrosion coupon rates and material resistance.

Figure 4. a) Tensile sample from a coupon and b) sample after testing

The average tensile strength of the coupons is 358 MPa. Tests on corroded coupons exposed
to water at Mine #4, site #2 characterised by a corrosion rate of 0.14 mm/y resulted in average
tensile strength of 302 MPa. The recovered coupon was in flowing water at a temperature of
9.80C. The results of the chemical analysis, at this site, is presented in table 1. The test coupon
was affected by pitting, Figure 5. A tested sample from this coupon is shown in Figure 6.

Figure 5. Coupon from Mine #4 site #2 showing pitting.

PAPER 4031 8
ROCKENG09: Proceedings of the 3rd CANUS Rock Mechanics Symposium, Toronto, May 2009 (Ed: M.Diederichs and G. Grasselli)

Figure 6. Coupon from Mine #4 site #2 after testing.

6 CONCLUSIONS

A comprehensive research program on support system performance in corrosive environments

has been undertaken with the collaboration of 6 mines. This investigation aims to characterize
and monitor the performance of support systems over time several environments. Preliminary
results suggest that it is possible to quantify the performance of support systems under corro-
sion. This paper reports work in progress. As more data become available these relationships
can lead to useful information on the choice of support systems and reliable estimates of their
longevity.

7 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to acknowledge the management and on site personnel of the following
mine sites: Laronde, Mouska, Doyon, Niobec, Persévérance and Géant-Dormant.

REFERENCES

ASTM Standard, Designation: G 1 – 03, Standard Practice for Preparing, Cleaning, and Evaluating Cor-
rosion Test Specimens, ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Consho-
hocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
ASTM Standard, Designation: G 4 – 01, Standard Guide for Conducting Corrosion Tests in Field Appli-
cations, ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-
2959, United States.
Dillon C.P. 1982. Forms of Corrosion: Recognition and Prevention. National Association of Corrosion
Engineers. International Publication (Ed. C.P. Dillon).
Dorion, J.F. & Hadjigeorgiou, J. 2008. Caractérisation des environnements miniers menant à la corrosion
des systèmes de soutènement. Maintenance Engineering Underground Mine Operators Conference,
CIM, Val D’Or, Cd-rom.
Hadjigeorgiou J., J.F. Dorion and E. Ghali 2008. Support System Performance Under Different Corro-
sion Conditions. The Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Vol. 108
June 2008 pp. 359-365.
Hadjigeorgiou, J., Ghali, E., Charette, F. & Krishnadev, M.R., 2002. Fracture Analysis of friction rock
bolts, Proceedings of the 5th North American Rock Mechanics Symposium and the 17th Tunneling
Association of Canada, Conference : NARMS-TAC 2002, pp. 881-887,
Hassell, R., Villaescusa, E., Thompson, A.G., & Kinsella, B., 2004. Corrosion assessment of ground sup-
port systems, Ground Support in Mining and Underground Construction, Villaescusa & Potvin (eds.),
Taylor and Francis Group, London, ISBN 90 5809 640 8 , pp. 529 à 542.
Hassell, R.C., 2007. Corrosion of Rock Reinforcement in Underground Excavations, Volume 1, Western
Australian School of Mines, department of Mining Engineering and Surveying, Thesis presented for
the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy.
Leygraf, C. & Graedel, T.E. 2000. Atmospheric Corrosion, Electrochemical Society Series, Wiley Inter-
Science, John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Villaescusa E., R. C. Hassell & A.G. Thompson 2008. Development of a corrosivity classification for
cement grouted cable strand in underground hard rock mining excavations. 5th International Confer-
ence and Exhibition on Mass Mining, Luleå Sweden 9-11 June 2008. (Eds. Håkan Schunnesson & Er-
ling Nordlund) pp. 1103-1116.

PAPER 4031 9