Department of Chemistry

Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering

MODULE 1
Corrosion and Electrode system
Corrosion Chemistry: Introduction
The destruction/deterioration of metals/alloys by the surrounding environment through
chemical/electrochemical changes is known as corrosion.
• The process of corrosion is the transformation of pure metal into its undesired metallic ore state.
• Corrosion depends on the many factors such as Temperature, pH, concentration of the medium,
electrode potential of the metal and exposure area of the anode and cathode.

Examples
1. Rusting of iron-Reddish brown color: Fe2O3.3H2O
2. Green color scale on copper: CuCO3+Cu(OH)2

Types of corrosion
1. Dry or direct chemical corrosion: Corrosion is due to direct chemical reaction between metal and
gases such as HCl, H2S, SO2, Cl2, F2, NH3 etc. present in environment in the absence of moisture or
conducting medium.
2. Wet or electrochemical theory of corrosion: Metal undergoes corrosion in the presence of
moisture or conducting medium.

Electrochemical Theory of Corrosion

Metal undergo corrosion in the presence of moisture/conducting medium. It is known as
wet/electrochemical corrosion. “Corrosion of metals takes place due to formation of anodic and cathodic
regions on the same metal surface/when two different metals are in contact with each other in the
presence of conducting medium”. Corrosion current-flow of electron from anode to cathode Corrosion
product deposit between anode and cathode

 Anodic region-Oxidation
 Cathodic region- Reduction

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Corrosion reactions
a) Anodic reaction- At the anodic area, oxidation take place, resulting in the corrosion of iron
1. Anode - M → Mn+ + ne-

Example: Fe → Fe2+ +2e-

2. At cathode- It’s depends on corrosion environment
Types of cathodic reactions
a. Liberation of hydrogen
(i) In Acidic medium- 2H+ +2e- → H2
(ii) In neutral/alkaline medium- 2H2O +2e-→ 2OH- + H2
b. Absorption of oxygen
(i) In Acidic medium- 2H+ + ½ O2 +2e- → H2O
(ii)In neutral/alkaline medium - H2O + ½ O2 +2e- →2OH-

Rust Formation
(i) In the presence of excess oxygen
Fe2+ + 2OH- → Fe(OH)2
2Fe(OH)2 + ½O2 + H2O →Fe2O3.3H2O (Reddish brown)
(ii) In the presence of limited oxygen
3Fe(OH)2 + ½O2 →Fe3O4.3H2O (Black colour)

Types of corrosion
According to electrochemical theory, corrosion occurs due to the formation of large number of galvanic
cells on thesurface of the metal. A galvanic cell is formed, when there is a difference in potential between
the regions across the metal surface. It can happen in different ways.

1. Differential metal corrosion

When two dissimilar metals are in contact with each other in a corrosive conducting medium. The
two metals differ in their tendencies to undergo oxidation; the one with lower electrode potential or the
more active metal acts as anode and the one with higher electrode potential or the less active metal act
as cathode the potential difference between the two metals isthe cause corrosion. The anodic metal under
goes corrosion and the cathodic metal are protected from corrosion.

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When two metals Fe and Cu are in contact: Since iron has lower reduction potential compared to Cu,
iron undergoes corrosion and Cu is protected.

Anodic reaction Cathodic reaction

Fe Fe 2+ + 2e- O2 + 2H2O + 4e- 4OH-

When two metals Zn and Fe are in contact: Since Zinc has lower reduction potential compared to Fe, Zn
undergoes corrosion and Fe is protected.

Anodic reaction Cathodic reaction

Zn Zn 2+ + 2e- O2 + 2H2O + 4e- 4OH-

Examples: 1. Steel pipe connected to copper.

2. Zinc coating on mild steel.
3. Tin coating on copper vessels.

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2. Differential aeration Corrosion

Corrosion of a metal due to difference in air or oxygen concentration on its surface is called
differential aeration corrosion. When a metal is exposed to different oxygen concentration. The part of
the metal exposed to higher oxygen concentration acts as cathodic region and the part of the metal
exposed to lower oxygen concentration acts as an anodic region. Consequently, the poor
oxygenated region undergoes corrosion. The reactions may be represented as follows:

More Aerated

Less Aerated

Reactions

At anode : Fe → Fe2+ + 2e- (oxidation)

At cathode : 1/2 O2 + H2O + 2 e- →2OH- ( Reduction)

Fe2+ + 2 OH- → Fe(OH)2

2Fe (OH)2 + 1/2 O2 + H2O → Fe2O3+ 3H2O→ Fe2O3.3H2O(rust)

Example
1. Windows rods inside the frame suffer corrosion but not the exposed region.
2. Paper pins inside the paper get corroded, and the exposed part is free from corrosion.

2a. Water-line corrosion

It is the differential aeration corrosion observed in iron or steel partially in contact with water. Usually
observed in water storage tanks, ship water lifting pipes etc. The portion under water will be exposed to
less concentration of oxygen and will act as the anode and undergo corrosion while the portion above
water acts as cathode and will remain unaffected. The extent of corrosion will be maximum just below
the waterline and hence is called waterline corrosion. For example in water storage tank the metal tank
part inside water level exposed only to dissolved oxygen get corroded (anode) while the part above
water line is exposed to higher oxygen concentration is protected (cathode).

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Water line corrosion

2b. Pitting corrosion
It occurs when small particles of dust, water drop on metal surface or breakdown of protective film. A
typical pitting corrosion is illustrated as shown in figure. The metal portion covered by dust act as
anode due to less oxygenated and undergoes corrosion beneath the dust forming a pit. The metal part
free from dust exposed to higher oxygen concentration become cathode and protected from corrosion.
The corrosion rate is higher in this case due to small anode area and large cathode area. All the
electrons liberated at anode (pit) are absorbed by large cathode area for reduction reaction.

Pitting Corrosion
Factors affecting rate of corrosion
The rate of corrosion depends on the following factors.

a) Nature of Metal:
1. In general the metals with lower electrode potential values are more reactive than the metal
with higher electrode potential values,
2. The more reactive metals are more susceptible for corrosion, thus the tendency of metal to
undergo corrosion decreases with increase in electrode potential. For example,
3. The active metals like k, Na, Mg, Zn etc, with low electrode potential values are highly
susceptible for corrosion.
4. The noble metal such as silver, gold, platinum etc, with higher electrode potential values is less
susceptible for corrosion. However, there are few exceptions for this general trend as some
metal show the property of passivity.

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b) Nature of Corrosion Product- The rate of corrosion depends on the nature of corrosion product
which is formed during corrosion. In the case of metal like iron, zinc and magnesium, the oxides
which are formed during corrosion are, highly porous, non-stoichiometric, highly soluble and good
ionic conductivities, As a result, corrosion is continued till the metal is completely destroyed. On
the other hand, in the case of metal like aluminium, titanium, chromium etc, the oxides formed are
non-porous, stoichiometric, and highly insoluble with low ionic and electronic conductivities. As a
result, the corrosion is stopped as soon as oxide film is formed.
c) Relative size of the anodic and cathodic areas: Smaller the anodic area and larger the cathodic
area, then more intense and faster will be the corrosion at anodic area. When cathodic area is large,
demand for electrons for reduction reaction is high. To meet this demand, oxidation reaction occurs
more intensely at anodic area.
Ex: In case of coating tin on iron, if some area is not covered, a small anodic area and large cathodic
area are formed. In this case rate of corrosion of iron becomes higher than that under normal
conditions.

On the other hand, if anodic area is large and cathodic area is small, then the rate of corrosion at anodic
area will be very low. In case of coating zinc on iron, if some areas are not covered, a small cathodic
and large anodic area is formed. In this case rate of corrosion of iron metal becomes lower.

d) pH of the medium: In general, lower the pH of corrosion medium, higher is the corrosion rate.
(Exception: Metals like Al, Zn etc. undergo fast corrosion in media with high pH).Iron does not
undergo corrosion at pH greater than 10. This is due to the formation of protective coating of hydrous
oxides of iron. Between pH 10 and 3, the presence of oxygen is essential for corrosion. If the pH is
less than 3, severe corrosion occurs even in the absence of oxygen due to continuous evolution of
hydrogen gas.
e) Temperature: In general increase in temperature increase in corrosion rate. For many metals
the corrosion rate almost exponentially rises with increase in temperature. This is attributed to

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1. Increase in conductance of the medium- ions migrate fast at higher temperature.
2. Increase in the rate of chemical reaction
3. Increase in solubility of the corrosion products in the medium
4. Decrease in the polarization effects at the anode and cathode sites. However, if corrosion is due
to dissolved gases like O2, CO2 etc. The rate of corrosion decreases with an increase in
temperature as the solubility of these gases in the medium decreases.

Corrosion control
According to electrochemical theory, corrosion occurs due to the oxidation and reductions reactions at
the anodic and cathodic areas. These reactions occur simultaneously and are interdependent. So by
decreasing the rate of any of these reactions or by preventing any one reaction, the rate of corrosion can
be decreased. The methods used to control corrosion are:
1. Metal Coating
a) Anodic Metal Coating: Galvanisation
b) Cathodic Metal Coating: Tinning
2. Cathodic protection- Sacrificial Anode Method
3. Anodization
4. Corrosion inhibitors

1. Metal Coating
a) Anodic Metal Coating: Galvanisation: Anodic metal coatings are coatings which are anodic to
base metals. Example is Al, Zn etc. These metals are above the Fe in the galvanic series and undergo
corrosion thereby protecting Fe. A characteristics feature of anodic coating is that the base metal on
which the coating is done will not get corroded even if the coating peels off. This is due to formation of
large anodic area and small cathodic areas.
Example: Galvanisation: It is a process of coating Zn over the surface of iron. The method is
carried out by hot dipping process. It involves the following steps:
1. The iron sheet is washed with solvent to remove greasy & oily materials.
2. The iron sheet is washed with dil.H2SO4 to remove oxide film.
3. The sheet is then treated with a mixture of aqueous solution of zinc chloride and ammonium
chloride & dried
4. The dried sheet is dipped in molten zinc at 430 – 450 oC.
5. Excess Zn is removed by rolling, wiping or air blast.

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Galvanization process

Applications
1) Galvanized iron pipes are exclusively used for domestic purpose all over the world
2) Galvanized iron drum are used to preserve variety of chemicals, drugs & organic solvents.
3) Used in Roof sheets, fencing wires, barbed wire, buckets, pipes, etc.

2. Cathodic protection- Sacrificial Anode Method

Cathodic protection is a technique of offering protection to a specimen against corrosion by providing
electrons from an external source.

Sacrificial anode method:

Corrosion of metal occurs at anodic area, where metals are oxidized to metal ions. In cathodic
protection, electrons are supplied from an external source to reverse and prevent oxidation of metal at
anodic area. Thus anodic are will be converted to cathodic. The process of protecting a metal against
corrosion by making the entire metal cathodic by providing electrons from an external source is called
cathodic protection.
Examples:
1. Mg block connected to ships floating on water surface.
2. Mg block connected to underground buried pipe.

In this the metal structure to be protected is connected to a more anodic metal like Mg, Zn and Al
which acts as anodic. In practice active metal Mg or Zn is connected to metal structure to be protected.
The more active metal Mg or Zn becomes anodic and corrodes but the metal structure becomes
cathodic is protected. Since the anode metal sacrifices to protect the metal structure the method is
known as sacrificial anode method.

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Fig: Sacrificial Protection

The metallic structure to be protected is connected to a more anodic metal using a metallic wire. The
more active metal gets corroded, while the parent structure is protected from the corrosion. The more
active metal so employed is called sacrificial anode. As the anodic metal sacrifices its life to protect
the base metal from corrosion is called sacrificial anodic protection. The commonly used sacrificial
anodes are Mg, Zn, Al etc this method is generally used for the protection of buried pipe lines ship
hulls, water tanks.
Impressed voltage method: In this method, current is applied from opposite direction to nullify the
corrosion current and convert the corroding metal from anode to cathode, usually; the impressed
current is derived from a direct current source with an insoluble anode (like graphite or platinum

Usually, a sufficient DC current is applied to an insoluble anode and buried pipe in the soil and
connected to the metallic structure to be protected (see the fig) to increase the electrical contact
between the anode and the soil, the anode is buried in a back fill such as gypsum under the earth. Thus
electrons are supplied from an external cell so that the object itself becomes cathodic and is not
oxidized. This type of cathodic protection has been applied to open water box cooler, water tanks,
ships etc.

Corrosion penetration rate (CPR)

Corrosion Penetration Rate (CPR) is defined as the speed at which any metal in a specific environment
deteriorates due to a chemical reaction in the metal when it is exposed to a corrosive environment. The
method used to measure the corrosion rate was Weight Loss Method. This method was used as a
measurement of the Corrosion Penetration Rate (CPR) which is expressed in mile per year (mpy) or
millimetre per year (mm /yr). Where the material density (ρ), testing time (t) and weight (W) are a
parameter which to is known during the testing process, the CPR can be calculated by the equation:
Corrosion penetration rate (CPR) = kW/ ρAt
Where,

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k = constant depends on unit used, when K = 534 the mpy will be used. When K = 87.6, mm/yr
will be used.
W = Weight loss during testing
ρ = density of metal
A= area exposed for corrosion
t = duration of corrosion

Electrode system
Electrochemistry: It is a branch of chemistry which deals with the study of transformation of
chemicalenergy into electrical energy and vice versa”
Electrochemical cells: An electrochemical cell is a device which converts chemical energy into
electricalenergy or electrical energy into chemical energy”
Gibbs Free Energy (G): Gibbs energy is defined as maximum available energy in a system that can
beconverted into useful work.
G =H -TS
The thermodynamic free energy is the amount of work that a thermodynamic system can perform. The
free energy is the internal energy of a system minus the amount of energy that cannot be used to
perform work.
EMF of a cell Or Cell Potential : “Emf is the potential difference between the two electrodes of
a galvanic cell, which causes the flow of current from one electrode to other. It is also called as
cell potential or cell voltage. It is expressed in volts.
Mathematically,Ecell = Ecathode – Eanode
Ecell = Eright electrode – Eleft electrode

Single electrode potential or half cell potential [E]:

The potential that is developed due to the tendency of an element (metal or non-metal) to lose or gain
electrons, when it is in contact with the solution containing its own ions is known as single electrode
potential.

Standard electrode potential [Eo]:

The potential that is develop when an element is in equilibrium with the solution containing its own
ions of unit concentration (1 M) at 298 K is known as standard electrode potential.

Types electrodes:
In Electrochemical work various type of electrodes are employed depending upon the purpose for
which they are used. Some of them are
1. Metal-Metal ion electrode: An electrode of this type consists of a metal dipped in a solution
containing its ions. Ex- Zn/Zn2+, Cu/Cu2+ etc.
The electrode rxn is, in general
Mn+ +ne- M
2. Metal-Metal insoluble salt electrode: These electrodes consist of a metal in contact with a

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sparingly soluble salt of the same metal dipped in a solution containing anion of the salt.
Example-Calomel (Hg|Hg2Cl2|Cl-), Silver- Silver salt electrode (Ag| AgCl |Cl-).
3. Gas electrode: Gas electrode consists of a gas bubbling about an inert metal wire, immersed in
solution containing ions to which the gas is reversible. The metal provides electrical contact
and facilitates the establishment of equilibrium between the gas and its ions.
Example-Hydrogen electrode (Pt|H2|H+), Chlorine electrode (Pt|Cl2|Cl-).
4. Oxidation-Reduction electrode: An oxidation-reduction electrode is a one in which the
electrode potential arises from the presence of oxidized and reduced forms of the same
substance in solution. The potential arises from the tendency of one form changes into the other
more stable form. The potential developed is picked up by an inert electrode like platinum.
Example-Pt|Fe2+, Fe3+, Pt|Ce3+, Ce4+
5. Amalgam electrode: It is an electrode which consists of a metal-amalgam dipped in a solution
containing its own metal ions. It is similar to Metal-Metal ion electrode.
Example-Pb-Hg|Pb2+, Zn-Hg|Zn2+
6. Ion selective electrode: it is an electrode, which consists of a membrane and in contact with a
solution, with which it can exchange ions.
Example- Glass electrode.

ION SELECTIVE ELECTRODES

Ion selective electrode possesses the ability to respond only to specific ions, there by developing a
potential w.r.t that species in a mixture and ignoring the other ions totally.
For example: Glass electrode
Construction: The glass electrode consists of a glass bulb made up of special type of glass which has
low melting point and relatively high electrical conductivity. The glass bulb is filled with a solution of
constant pH (0.1MHCl) and insert with an Ag-AgCl electrode, which is the internal reference electrode
and also serves for the external electrical contact. The electrode is represented as, Glass|0.1M HCl|Ag,
AgCl.
The potential of glass electrode when dipped in a solution containing H+ ions, is given by
EG= E0G + 0.0591 log [H+] (Since n = 1)

Figure: Glass Electrode.

Principle: When a thin glass membrane is placed between two solutions of different pH values, a
potential difference arises across the membrane. The potential difference varies as the pH of these
solutions varies. In practice, pH of one of these solutions is kept constant and therefore the electrode
potential depends on pH of the other solution in the experimental solution.

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Working:
The half-cell reaction of the glass electrode is represented as,

The glass electrode is constructed from a special soft glass of high electrical conductance. It consists of
a bulb that contains a solution of constant hydrogen ion concentration.

 Usually, the solution contains 0.1 N hydrochloric acid (HCl) in which a silver/silver
chloride electrode is dipped. The blub is then placed in a solution of unknown pH.
The potential of the electrode is similar to that of a standard hydrogen electrode,

Eglass = E0glass + 0.059 x log [H+] at 25 °C

or,
Eglass = E0glass + 0.059 x log pH

Here E0glass is called asymmetric potential and the value is small. This type of potential is developed
across the membrane due to internal strain. It is the characteristic constant for each glass electrode.

H+ (unknown) | glass membrane | 0.1 N HCl | AgCl(s) – Ag

DETERMINATION OF pH USING GLASS ELECTRODE

Figure: Determination of pH using glass electrode.

To determine the pH of the given solution the glass electrode is dipped into the solution. It is combined
with a reference electrode such as a calomel electrode through a salt bridge. The cell assembly is
represented as,
Pt, Hg|Hg2Cl2|Cl-||Solution of unknown pH|glass|0.1M HCl| Ag, AgCl
The emf of this cell is determined using potentiometer. The emf of the cell is given by.
Ecell = Ecathode - Eanode
Ecell = Eglass - ESCE
Ecell = Eo+0.0591 log [H+] - ESCE (since EG = EGo + 0.0591 log [H+] and n=1)

By Rearranging the above equation we obtain,

-0.0591 log [H+] = Eo - Ecell – ESCE
- log [H+] = Eo - Ecell – ESCE
0.0591
pH = Eo - Ecell – 0.2422 (Since, - log [H+] = pH)
0.0591

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Applications
pH measurement by glass electrodes is used in many chemical and industrial analyses. The main
applications are
1. Control of industrial processes;
2. Analysis of foods and cosmetics;
3. Clinical analysis;
4. Environmental analysis;
5. Microelectrode measurements;
6. Measurement of soil pH level by glass electrode is an important process to observe soil acidity.

Reference electrode
“Reference electrode is an electrode whose potential is known and with reference to that, the electrode
potential of any electrode can be measured”. There are two types of reference electrodes. They are
primary and secondary reference electrodes. Primary Reference Electrode: It is an electrode, whose
potential is arbitrarily taken as zero at all temperatures. Eg- Standard Hydrogen Electrode (SHE)

Calomel electrode: It is a secondary reference electrode.

Figure: Calomel Electrode

Construction:
It consists of glass tube having a side tube at each end. A small amount of pure mercury is
placed at the bottom of the glass tube and covered by a calomel paste obtained by grinding
together Hg, Hg2Cl2 and either 0.1N KCl or 1NKCl or saturated KCl. The remaining portion is
filled with either 0.1N KCl or 1NKCl or saturated KCl solution. Platinum wire is dipped into the
mercury layer and is used for making electrical contact. The side tube is used for making
electrical contact with a salt bridge.
Calomel electrode can be represented as, Hg(s)/Hg2Cl2(liq)|Cl-.
Working:
Reactions: The electrode behaves either as anode or as cathode
When it behaves as anode, the electrode reaction is:
2Hg (l) + 2Cl- → Hg2Cl2(s) + 2e
When it behaves as cathode, the electrode reaction is:
Hg2Cl2(s) + 2e→2Hg (l) + 2Cl-
Net half-cell reaction is represented as Hg2Cl2 + 2e 2Hg + 2Cl-

Nernst equation for calomel electrode: Ecal = E0cal – 0.0591 log [Cl-] at 298 K

Hence, the electrode potential of Calomel electrode dependent on the concentration of chloride ions

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Concentration of KCl 0.1N 1.0N Saturated

Potential of Calomel Electrode 0.338 V 0.281 V 0.244 V
Advantages:
 It is very simple construction.
 It can be used for long time without much attention.
 Its electrode potential will not vary with temperature.
 It is used as reference electrode.

Concentration cells
The cells in which the EMF produced is due to the difference in the concentrations of the electrodes or
electrolytes.
There are two types of concentration cells.
i) Electrode concentration cells: A cell is formed by combination of same electrodes of different
concentrations dipped in same electrolyte solutions is called electrode concentration cell.
For example: Pt, H2 (1atm) ǀ H+(1M)ǀǀ H+(1M)ǀ H2(2 atm),Pt
ii) Electrolyte concentration cells: A cell is formed by combination of same electrodes dipped in
same electrolyte solutions of different concentration is called electrolyte concentration cell.
For example: Cu(s) / Cu2+ (C1) // Cu2+ (C2) / Cu(s) Where C2 > C1
EMF of a concentration cell: Consider a concentration cell
M / Mn+ (C1) // Mn+ (C2) / M Where C2 > C1
Anode Cathode
E cell = E Cathode – E anode

Figure: Concentration Cells.

Applying Nernst equation for single electrode potential, we get

log C2  E Mn log C1
0.0591 0.0591
/ M  / M 
0 0
Ecell = E Mn
n n
log C2  log C1
0.0591 0.0591
Ecell =
n n

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0.0591 [C 2]
Ecell = log
n C1
This is the expression of Nernst equation for concentration cell at 25 C.

Numerical Problems:
1. A concentration cell was constructed by immersing two silver electrodes in 0.05 M and 1M of
AgNO3 solution. Write the cell representation and calculate the Ecell at 298K.
Solution: AgǀAgNO3 (0.05M)ǀǀAgNO3 (1M)ǀAg
0.0591 𝐶2
Eg= 𝑛 log𝐶1
0.0591 1
= log0.05 = 0.0768 V
1

2. Represent the cell formed by coupling two Cu-electrode immerses in CuSO4 solution
concentration of Cu2+ ions in one electrode system and 100 times more concentrated than other.
Calculate the Ecell at 298K
Solution : CuǀCu2+ (1M)ǀǀCu2+ (100M)ǀCu
0.0591 𝐶2
Eg= log
𝑛 𝐶1
0.0591 100
= log = 0.0591 V
2 1

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Corrosion Penetration Rate (CPR)
The Corrosion penetration rate is the speed at which any metal or alloy deteriorates in a specific
corrosive environment through chemical or electrochemical reactions. It is also defined as the
amount of weight loss per year in the thickness of metal or alloy due to corrosion. The
Corrosion penetration rate also referred as corrosion rate.

Corrosion penetration rate depends on following factors;

1. Nature of metal.
2. Nature of corrosive environment/medium.
3. Nature corrosion product.
4. Speed at which corrosion spreads in the inner portion of metal.

The Corrosion penetration rate is calculated using the following formula;

K .W
CPR =
 . A.t
Where,
W is weight loss after exposure time, t.
t is exposure time in corrosive medium.
ρ is the density of metal or alloy.
A is surface area of exposed specimen.
K is constant.

The CPR is conveniently expressed in terms of either mils (0.001 inch) per year (mpy) or
millimeters per year (mmpy). K=534 for CPR in mpy when surface area of test specimen is in
inch2 and K=87.6 for CPR in mmpy when surface area of test specimen is in cm2

Where, 1 mil =0.001 inch

Constant CPR in mpy CPR mmpy
K 534 87.6
W (wt loss) mg Mg
ρ g/ cm3 g/ cm3
A inch2 Cm2
t hrs Hrs

Numerical Problems on CPR

1. A sheet of carbon steel one meter wide by three meters long has lost 40g to corrosion over
the past six months. Convert that mass loss to a penetration rate of the steel in mm units and
mpy units. What could be the corrosion rate? (Carbon steel density=7.8g/ cm3) To calculate
CPR in mmpy
Solution: To calculate CPR in mmpy

Given;
K = 87.6
W (wt loss) = 40 g = 40 x 1000 mg
ρ = 7.8 g/ cm3 = 7.8 g/ cm3
A = 1m x 3m = 3m2 = 3x100 x 100 cm2
T = 6 months = 6 x 30 x 24 hrs

We have
K .W
CPR =
 . A.t
87.6 x 40 x1000
CPR =
7.8 x3 x100 x100 x6 x30 x 24

CPR = 3.466 x10-3 mmpy

To calculate CPR in mpy

Given;
K = 534
W (wt loss) = 40 g = 40 x 1000 mg
ρ = 7.8 g/ cm3 = 7.8 g/ cm3
A = 1m x 3m = 3m2 = 3 x 1550 inch2
T = 6 months = 6 x 30 x 24 hrs

We have
K .W
CPR =
 . A.t
534 x 40 x1000
CPR =
7.8 x3 x100 x100 x6 x30 x 24

CPR = 0.0503 mpy

2 Calculate the CPR in both mpy and mmpy for a thick steel sheet of area 100 inch2
which experiences a weight loss of 485g after one year. (Density of steel=7.9g/cm3).

Solution: To calculate CPR in mmpy

Given;

K = 87.6
W (wt loss) = 485 g = 485 x 1000 mg
ρ = 7.9 g/ cm3 = 7.9 g/ cm3
A = 100 inch2 = 100 x 6.45 cm2
t = 1 year = 365 x 24 hrs

1 inch2 = 6.45 cm2

1 cm2 = 0.155 inch2
We have
K .W
CPR =
 . A.t
87.6 x 485 x1000
CPR =
7.9 x100 x6.45 x365 x 24

CPR = 0.9518 mmpy

To calculate CPR in mpy

Given;
K = 534
W (wt loss) = 485 g = 485 x 1000 mg
ρ = 7.9 g/ cm3 = 7.9 g/ cm3
A = 100 inch2 = 100 inch2
t = 1 year = 365 x 24 hrs

We have
K .W
CPR =
 . A.t
534 x 485 x1000
CPR =
7.9 x100 x365 x 24

CPR = 37.424 mpy