Corrosion

ADDIS ABABA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
UNIVERSITY
CHAPTER TEN
CORROSION
CORROSION
Introduction
 Corrosion is a slow but continuous eating away of
metallic components by chemical or electrochemical
attack.
Three factors govern corrosion
 The metal from which the component is made
 The protective treatment the component surface receives
 The environment in which the component is kept
 Allmetals corrode to a greater or lesser degree; even

precious metals like gold and silver tarnish in time.
2
 Prevention processes are unable to prevent the
inevitable failure of the component by corrosion; they
only slow down the process.
 Three ways in which metals corrode:
1. Dry corrosion: This is the direct oxidation of metals

which occurs when a freshly cut surface reacts with
the oxygen of the atmosphere.
 Most of the corrosion-resistant metals such as lead, zinc

and aluminum form a dry oxide film which protects the
metal from further atmospheric attack.
3
2. Wet corrosion: This occurs in two ways:
a) The oxidation of metals in the presence of air and

moisture, as in the rusting of ferrous metals.
b) The corrosion of metals by reaction with the dilute
acids in rain due to the burning of fossil fuels (acid
rain)

3. Galvanic corrosion: This occurs when two dissimilar

metals, such as iron and tin or iron and zinc, are in intimate
contact.
 Corrosion occurs with being eaten away.
4
Types of corrosion
1. Atmospheric corrosion
 Any metal exposed to normal atmospheric conditions become
covered with an invisible, thin film of moisture.
 This moisture film is consistently contaminated with dissolved

solids and gases which increase the rate of corrosion.
 Once ‘rusting’ commences the action is self-generating - that
is, it will continue even after the initial supply of moisture and
air is removed.
 This is why all traces of rust must be removed or neutralized

before painting, otherwise rusting will continue under the paint
5
2. Galvanic corrosion
 When two dissimilar metals come into intimate

association in the presence of an electrolyte that a
simple electrical cell is formed resulting in the eating
away of one or other of the metals.
 If any two metals come into contact in the presence of a

dilute acid, the more negative metal will corrode more
rapidly and will be eaten away.
6
7
3. Corrosion accelerated by mechanical stresses
 Failure of a component may also occur as a result of the
complementary effects of chemical corrosion and
mechanical stress.
 The methods of stress application may vary and this will
affect the extent of corrosion which occurs.
3.1 Stress Corrosion

 In a cold-worked metal the pile-up of dislocations at crystal
boundaries and other points increases the energy in those
regions so that they become anodic to the rest of the
structure.
8
 Consequently, corrosion takes place in these regions of
high energy and the locked-up stresses give rise to the
formation of cracks which grow progressively with the
continuance of corrosion.
 A similar process may take place in components in which
unequal heating or cooling has given rise to the
presence of locked-up stresses, as, for example, near to
welded joints.
3.2 Corrosion Fatigue
 Any component which is subjected to alternating stresses
and is working in conditions which promote corrosion
may fail at a stress well below the normal fatigue limit.
9
 The action of the corrosive medium will tend to be
concentrated at any surface flaw and behave as a focal
point for the initiation of a fatigue crack.
3.3 Fretting Corrosion
 Fretting Corrosion is allied to corrosion fatigue and occurs
particularly where closely fitting machine parts are
subjected to vibrational stresses.
3.4 Impingement Corrosion
 Impingement Corrosion refers to the combined effects of
mechanical abrasion and chemical corrosion on a metallic
surface.
 Mechanical wear can be caused by the impingement of
entrained air bubbles or abrasive particles suspended in10the
liquid.
 This type of corrosion is encountered in pump mechanism
turbine and tuber carrying sea-water.
Factors affecting corrosions
1. Structural design
 The design should avoid crevices and corners where
moisture may become trapped and adequate ventilation and
drainage should be provided.
 The design should allow for easy washing down and
cleaning.
 Joints which are not continuously welded should be sealed,
for example, by the use of mastic compounds or
impregnated tapes.
11
 Where dissimilar metals have to be joined, high-strength
epoxy adhesives should be considered since they insulate
the metals from each other and prevent galvanic corrosion.
 Materials which are inherently corrosion resistant should be
chosen or, if this is not possible, an anti-corrosive treatment
should be specified.
2. Environment
 The environment in which the component or assembly is to
spend its service life must be carefully studied.
3. Applied or internal stresses
 Chemical and electrochemical corrosion is intensified when
a metal is under stress. 12
 Internal stresses are usually caused by cold working and, if not
removed by stress-relief heat treatment, results in corrosive
attack along the crystal boundaries.
4. Composition and structure
 The presence of impurities in non- ferrous metals reduces their
corrosion resistance.
 Hence the high level of corrosion resistance exhibited by high-
purity copper, aluminum and zinc.
5. Temperature
 For all chemical reactions there is a critical temperature below
which they will not take place.
 Since corrosion is the result of chemical or electrochemical

reactions, corrosion is retarded or stopped altogether at 13low
temperatures.
 High temperatures alone do not increase the rate of
corrosion, and corrosion is virtually non-existent in arid
desert areas of the world.
Metals which resist corrosion

 The following metals, which resist corrosion, react to
form impervious, homogeneous coatings on their
surfaces which prevent further corrosion from taking
place, providing these coatings remain undisturbed.
 Such as copper, zinc, aluminum, lead , stainless steel,

nickel and chromium.
14
Protection of corrosion
 There are two principal methods by which corrosion may
be prevented or minimized.
 First, the metallic surface can be insulated from the
corrosive medium by some form of protective coating.
Example:
 Paints and varnishes, metallic films having good corrosion-
resistance and artificially thickened oxide films.
 Secondly, In circumstances where corrosive action is

severe, or where mechanical abrasion is likely to damage a
surface coating, it may be necessary to use a metal or
alloy which has an inherent resistance to corrosion. 15
There are many types of the protection from corrosion, which
they are:-
1) The use of a Metal or Alloy which is inherently
corrosion-resistant
 The corrosion-resistance of a pure metal or a homogeneous
solid solution is generally superior to that of an alloy in
which two or more phases are present in the microstructure.
2) Protection by Metallic Coatings
 Protection afforded by metallic coatings can be either
"direct" or "sacrificial".
16
 Direct protection depends on an unbroken film of metal
covering the article, and if the film becomes broken,
corrosion may be accelerated by electrolytic action between
the film and the metal beneath.
 In the case of sacrificial protection, however, the metallic

film becomes the anode in the event of a break in the film,
and thus dissolves in preference to the surface beneath.
2.1 Cladding
 This process is applicable chiefly to the manufacture of
"clad" sheet.
 The basis metal is sandwiched between pieces of the
coating metal, and the sandwich is rolled to the required17
thickness.
 "Alclad",which is duralumin coated with pure aluminum,
is possibly the best known of these products, whilst
"Niclad" (nickel-coated steel) is also manufactured.
2.2 Hot-dip Metal Coating

 Tin and zinc are the metals most often used to produce
metallic coatings in this manner, though increasing use is
being made of aluminum.
(a) Hot-dip Tinning
(b) Hot-dip Galvanizing
(c) Hot-dip Coating with Aluminum 18
2.3 Coating by means of a spray of molten metal
 Metal spraying consists in projecting "atomised" particles
of molten metal from a special pistol by a stream of
compressed air on to a suitably prepared surface.
 The metal most commonly used for spraying is zinc,

though coatings of aluminium, tin, lead, solder, cadmium,
silver, copper and stainless steel can be deposited in this
way.
2.4 Electro-plating
 The formation of metal coatings by electro-deposition is
well known, and a wide variety of metals can be thus used,
including copper, nickel, chromium, cadmium, gold 19and
silver.

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ADDIS ABABA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 Allmetals corrode to a greater or lesser degree; even

1. Dry corrosion: This is the direct oxidation of metals

 Most of the corrosion-resistant metals such as lead, zinc

a) The oxidation of metals in the presence of air and

3. Galvanic corrosion: This occurs when two dissimilar

 This moisture film is consistently contaminated with dissolved

 This is why all traces of rust must be removed or neutralized

 When two dissimilar metals come into intimate

 If any two metals come into contact in the presence of a

3.1 Stress Corrosion

 Since corrosion is the result of chemical or electrochemical

Metals which resist corrosion

 Such as copper, zinc, aluminum, lead , stainless steel,

 Secondly, In circumstances where corrosive action is

 In the case of sacrificial protection, however, the metallic

2.2 Hot-dip Metal Coating

 The metal most commonly used for spraying is zinc,

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