Mild Steel Marine Corrosion: Corrosion Rates in (0.37mm/y) and full immersion (0.

23mm/y) are less

Atmospheric and Seawater Environments of a
Peruvian Port
N.W. Farro1, L. Veleva2 and P. Aguilar3
1,3
Universidad Nacional de Trujillo, Departamento de
Química1, Departamento de Física3 , Av. Juan Pablo II s/n.
Ciudad Universitaria, Urb. San Andrés, Trujillo, Perú
2
CINVESTAV-Merida, Applied Physics
Department, Carr. Ant. a Progreso, Km.6, 97310
Mérida, México
A great part of metallic constructions exposed in seawater
and marine atmospheres are destroyed, due to the
corrosion phenomenon. Chemical, physical and biological
factors determine the type of metal corrosion attack and its
rate (1-4). The seawater at the vicinity of the coast,
especially in harbors, can present a high degree of
contamination if intense economic-industrial activities or
outlets of rivers and/or canals exist that gather great
quantities of waste of the human activity. In a marine
environment, it can be distinguished several zones:
aggressive for mild steel. Several relevant factors control
progress in the mild steel corrosion process, as oxygen
content, periodical cycles of drying-wetness, time of metal
wetness and some hydrochemical parameters specifics for
the port region of Salavery (sand carried by wind,
continuous dredging and boarding, deposits of biomass on
metal surface, oil residues, etc.). The mild steel mass loss
(C) in the marine atmospheric environment as a function
of the time of wetness (t), obeys the power law
C = A tn.
References
1. M. Schumacher , Seawater Corrosion Handbook, Park Ridge,
New Jersey (1979).
2. R. H. Heidersbach Metals Handbook, Vol.13, p.893, Ohio
(1972).
3. I. Matsushima, Uhlig’s Corrosion Handbook, p.545, John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., Canada (2000).
4. D. A. Shifler, Corros. Sci., 47, 2335 ( 2005).
240
Splash 6 months

Distance from the maximum immersión

220
atmospheric, splash/spray, tidal (high and low), zone 12 months
200
submerged/full immersion (shallow water and deep ocean) Figure 1.
180
and mud zones. The mild steel corrosion in seawater has Profiles of
160
been relatively less studied than its atmospheric corrosion, mild steel
140
and particularly in Peru any study is not carried out in this Mean high tide
site (cm)
Tidal corrosion
120
aspect. The Peruvian harbor of Salaverry is one of the zone
100 Mean low tide rates for 6 and
most important ones located in the northern part of the 12 months of
80
country. The main aim of this research was to enlarge the exposure in
60
studies of the marine corrosion of mild steel in its first Immersion
the seawater
40
stages, in order to determine its corrosion rate profiles in zone
20 (Peruvian port
seawater and in the surrounding atmosphere that could 0 of Salavery).
help us to establish policies of corrosion prevention, 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
maintenance, remodeling of metallic structures, which are Penetration, mpy
affected by the environmental aggressive factors. (calculated from mass loss)

Experimental 4500
Immersion zone
During one year flat coupons of mild steel were exposed Figure 2. Annual 4000 Line of mean-tidal
to different seawater zones and also other ones in the progress of mild 3500 Splash zone

marine atmospheric zone of the Peruvian port of steel mass loss in

M a s s lo s s (g /m 2 )

3000
Salaverry. The analysis of the metal samples and different zones of 2500
determination of their corrosion rates were carried out the seawater of 2000
after 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of exposure. Several seawater the Peruvian port: 1500
physicochemical parameters (temperature, dissolved full immersion, 1000
oxygen, salinity, and content of sulfates, nitrites, nitrates splash and line of 500
and phosphates) were monitored. Monthly deposition rate mean-tidal. 0
of atmospheric chlorides and sulfates (SO2) were also 0 3 6 9 12
measured, and time of wetness (TOW) was calculated for Exposure time (months)

samples exposed in the atmospheric zone.

Results Table 1. Mild steel annual corrosion rates (mass loss) in

The profile of mild steel corrosion rates is shown in Fig. 1, Peruvian marine environment in different zones.
which compares the values corresponding to 6 and 12
months of exposure in the splash, tidal and immersion Zones of marine Corrosion rates
zones. Annual progress in mild steel monthly mass loss, environment g/m2-y mpy mm/y
corresponding to different seawater zones, is presented in Splash 11.78 21.86 0.555
Fig.2. Table 1 collects the mild steel corrosion rates (daily Mean tidal (average
and annual) for samples exposed in four marine zones. line of water) 7.78 14.44 0.366
The highest annual corrosion rate was observed in the Full immersion 4.91 9.11 0.231
splash zone (0.55mm/y), while the lowest one was in the Atmosphere 3.82 7.02 0.178
atmospheric zone (0.18mm/y). The mean tidal zone