By

Vikas Panchal

introducing

CORROSION
Introduction

• Corrosion is a gradual chemical or electro-

chemical attack on a metal by its surroundings
such that the metal is converted into an oxide,
salt or some other compound.

• Surroundings could be any corrosive media

such as air, industrial atmosphere, soil, acids,
and salt solutions.
Underground corrosion Electronic components

Corrosion influenced by flow Automobile Corrosion

Types of Corrosion

• Sometimes it occur due to the presence of

electrolyte in contact with metal.

• The electrolyte is usually aqueous solution of salt,

acid, or alkali, this type of corrosion can be called
wet corrosion.

• All other corrosion phenomena involving

chemical reaction between metal and gas or a
liquid which is not an electrolyte can be classified
as dry corrosion.
Effect of corrosion

• Extremely expensive financially

• Extremely waste of natural resources
• Inconvenience to human beings and
sometimes loss of life
• Shut down of machinery for replacement
Outline

Factors Types of Prevention of

Influencing
Corrosion corrosion corrosion
Factors Influencing
Corrosion
The corrosion of a metal is dependent on:

• Chemical nature of metal

• Environment
• Internal structure
• Nature of engineering application for which it
is used.
Environmental factors

• Concentration
• Temperature and movement of corrodent
• Presence of electro-chemical couples, surface
films and stresses
General Types of corrosion

1) Chemical or dry corrosion

2) Electro – chemical corrosion
Types of corrosion

• Galvanic corrosion
• Corrosion due to differential aeration
• Pitting corrosion
• Uniform corrosion
• Inter granular corrosion
• Stress corrosion
• Erosion corrosion
• Fretting corrosion
Galvanic Corrosion

• When two dissimilar metals are in electrical contact in

an electrolyte, the less noble metal becomes anode in
the galvanic cell and is attacked to a greater extent
than if it were exposed alone.

• For example, galvanized steel, which is steel coated

with zinc, where zinc is sacrificed to protect steel.

• Galvanic corrosion can also take place between two

different areas of a structure of same metal and
immersed in same electrolyte, if the contact areas are
at different temperature.
Galvanic Cell e flow

Anode Cathode
Zn Cu
(0.76) (+0.34)

Zn  Zn2+ + 2e or
oxidation 2H+ + 2e  H2
Cu2+ + 2e  Cu or
Reduction O + 2H O + 4e   4OH
Zn will corrode at the expense of Cu 2 2
Galvanic series
Pitting Corrosion

• Pitting is a form of localized attack that

produces pits or holes in a metal.
• Sources:
– Surface deposits that set up local concentration
cells
– Mechanical ruptures in protective coatings
– Differences in ion and oxygen concentration cells
Uniform Corrosion

• Simplest form of corrosion

• All the surfaces exposed to a corrosive
medium are uniformly attacked
• For example,
– Metal pickling operation ( Fe and Zn in HCL)
– Rusting of a sheet of steel roof
Intergranular Corrosion

• Localized corrosion which take place at grain

boundaries
• Under certain conditions, the grain boundary
regions can be very reactive, results in
intergranular corrosion which causes loss of
strength
• It depends strongly upon the mechanical and
thermal treatment given to the alloy
Stress Corrosion

• It is result of the combined effects of tensile

stresses and chemical attack.
• Stresses involved can be due to normal service
load or residual stresses resulting from
manufacturing.
• It is found in alloys and not in pure metals
• Sc occurs in a specific environment for a given
alloy
Erosion Corrosion

• It is defined as the acceleration in the rate of

corrosion due to relative motion between a
corrosive fluid and a metal surface.
• Due to mechanical wear and abrasion action,
grooves, valleys, pits and rounded holes
appear on the metal surface.
• Soft metals such as copper and lead, are
sensitive to erosion corrosion
Fretting Corrosion

• It takes place between mating surfaces that

are subjected to sliding and vibrations as in
the case of shaft and bearings
• Damage appears as grooves or pits
• Damage is accelerated as more debris
accumulates and acts as an abrasive between
the two surfaces
• Surfaces subjected to fretting corrosion in air
often show red, oxidized appearance.
Prevention of Corrosion
 Material selection
• Some metals give better performance under
certain environmental conditions
• For example,
– For reducing oxidizing conditions Cu- Ni alloys are
often used
– For oxidizing conditions, chromium containing alloys
are used
– For powerful oxidizing conditions, Ti and its alloys are
used
– Aluminium is resistant to atmospheric oxidation
 Design
• An additional thickness of metal over the
required one will reduce corrosion in case of
pipes and tanks
• Welding of tanks, structures or containers in
place of riveting reduces corrosion problems
• If rivets are used, rivet material should be
cathodic to the plate being joined
• Sharp bends and corners should be avoided
• Design system for easy removal and replacement
of parts that are expected to fail rapidly
 Coatings
• By application of different types of coatings
such as metallic, inorganic and organic on the
metal surfaces, corrosion can be controlled.
• Metallic coatings are applied in thin layers by
electroplating, hot dipping or spraying.
• Inorganic coatings are applied to attain a
smooth durable finish
• Organic coatings such as paints, are applied to
protect them from corrosive environments.
 Cathodic protection
• In this method, electrons are supplied to the
metal structure to be protected.
• If electrons are supplied to the steel structure,
metal dissolution will be suppressed and rate
of hydrogen evolution increases.
• The metal to be protected is electrically
connected to another metal which is more
reactive to the environment.
 Environment
• Lowering fluid temperature reduces corrosion
by lowering the corrosion reaction rates.
• Decreasing the velocity of a corrosive fluid
reduces erosion corrosion
• Reducing concentration of corrosion ions in a
solution can decrease corrosion rate of a
metal
• Inhibitors are substances which, when added
to environment decreases its corrosiveness.
 Corrosion as useful process
• Etching process for microstructural
observation
• Dry cell batteries
• Electroplating
• Electrochemical machining
• Acid pickling or macro etching for surface
crack detection