FORMS OF CORROSION

CHE-545-172
DR IME B.OBOT

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 TYPES OF CORROSION
 Uniform attack
 Galvanic corrosion
 Pitting
 Crevice corrosion
 Stress corrosion cracking
 Intergranular corrosion
 Erosion corrosion
 Hydrogen Embrittlement

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Schematics of types of corrosion

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Snapshots of types of corrosion

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 CATEGORIES OF CORROSION
Group I: Corrosion detected by visual examination.
• Uniform corrosion characterized by uniform loss
of metal from the surface.
• Localized corrosion mostly occurring on discrete
surface areas resulting in pitting or stain
corrosion.
• Galvanic corrosion by electrical contact between
metals with different standard potentials in an
electrolyte.
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 CATEGORIES OF CORROSION
Group II: Corrosion that requires a means of examination
and identification:
• Erosion corrosion caused by high velocity flow, fretting
caused by vibration of two surfaces in close contact,
and cavitation caused by very high flow
• Intergranular corrosion at metal grain boundaries
• Dealloying resulting in alloy composition change due to
the selective dissolution
• Environmental cracking with induced brittle failure in
ductile material under stress and corrosion fatigue
• Microbial activities producing sulfides, organic, or
inorganic acids causing direct metal oxidation
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 UNIFORM CORROSION
Uniform or General Corrosion:
• Uniform corrosion proceeds over a large fraction of the metal
surface area and results in uniform thickness reduction
• The corroding metal must be compositionally and
metallurgically uniform.
• There are no preferential corrosion sites, both the cathode
and anode are not a fixed location, resulting in uniform
corrosion.
• Corrosion rates are measured by electrochemical corrosion
techniques or weight loss.
• This type of corrosion is controlled by corrosion inhibitors,
metallic and organic coatings, and cathodic protection.

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 GALVANIC CORROSION
• The potential difference established when two metals (alloys) are
electrically connected in a conducting medium produces electron
flow and causes the metal (alloy) with more negative potential to
preferentially corrode.
• The more positive metal (alloy) becomes a cathode and is protected
by the negative metal (alloy), which becomes an anode.
• Because the driving force for corrosion is the potential difference
between the metals (alloys), this form of corrosion is called galvanic
corrosion.
• Examples are steel fasteners in an aluminum foil, the solder on a
copper pipe, and stainless steel in contact with galvanized steel.

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 Pitting Corrosion
• Pitting represents an extremely localized attack that
produces holes in the metal or alloy.
• It is one of the most destructive, localized forms of
corrosion.
• The pits are small cavities or holes with a depth greater
than or equal to the surface diameter.
• They penetrate the metal, causing equipment failure due
to preformation with minimal weight loss.
• The severity of pitting corrosion is controlled by
environment, chloride concentration, electrolyte acidity,
oxidizer concentration, temperature, structural
characteristics, metal or alloy composition, dissolved
oxygen concentration, potential, and potential scan rates

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 Pitting Corrosion
• Pitting corrosion occurs through the following steps: (i) passive film
breakdown and nucleated pit formation, (ii) embryonic pit
formation, (iii) metastable pit development, (iv) stable pit formation
and pit growth, and (v) pit arrest.
• An alloying element in stainless steel such as nickel and
molybdenum reduces pitting susceptibility.
• Pitting can be inhibited by (i) decreasing environment
aggressiveness, (ii) alloy composition, (iii) temperature, (iv) alloy
structure, (v) alloy protection with conversion coatings, (vi) cathodic
or anodic protection, and (vii) inorganic inhibitors.
• Solution aggressiveness is reduced by decreasing electrolyte
temperature, chloride concentration, and acidity at the interior of
the pit.

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 Crevice corrosion
• Crevices are formed at welds, in condensers, and
between metal surfaces and valves.
• This type of corrosion is initiated by small volumes of
solution captured in crevices under bolt gasket rivets or
surface deposits.
• It destroys mechanical joint integrity in structures
constructed from stainless steel, aluminum, titanium,
and copper.
• Intensive localized corrosion within crevices & shielded
areas on metal surfaces.
• Small volumes of stagnant corrosive caused by holes,
gaskets, surface deposits, lap joints.

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 Stress corrosion cracking
• Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is defined as crack growth due
to simultaneous tensile stress and corrosive environments on
active metals or alloys.
• In order for SCC to occur, the metal should be susceptible to
SCC and be in a corrosive environment such as chloride ions,
water, oxygen, pH, etc.
• SCC leads to catastrophic failure in aircraft structures, nuclear
facilities, boilers, and liquid or gas transmission pipes.
• Examples: Stainless steels in hot chloride, Ti alloys in nitrogen
tetroxide, Brass in ammonia.

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 Intergranular corrosion
• This is preferential attack on the grain boundaries of the
crystals that form the metal. It is caused by the physical and
chemical differences between the centers and the edges of
the grain.
• It can be avoided by:
 Selection of stabilized materials.
 Control of heat treatments and processing to avoid
susceptible temperature range.

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 EROSION CORROSION
• Accelerated or increase in the rate of deterioration on a
metal because of relative movement between corrosive
fluid & metal surface.
• Relative movement is quite rapid so mechanical wear
effects are involved.
• Metal is removed from the surface either:
 In the form of solid corrosion products.
 In the form of dissolved ion.
• Many types of corrosive media could cause erosion
corrosion.
• Gases, aqueous solutions, organic systems & liquid metals
are some common corrosive medias that causes this type
of corrosion.

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 EXAMPLES OF EROSION CORROSION
• Many metals & alloys are susceptible to
erosion corrosion e.g. aluminum, lead,
stainless steels, carbon steels
• All types of equipment exposed to fluid are
susceptible to this type of corrosion such e.g.
piping systems, elbows, tees, valves, pumps,
blowers.
• Also centrifuges, propellers, impellers,
agitators, heat exchangers tubing.

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 Differences between Erosion and
Erosion-corrosion
• Erosion is the straightforward wearing away
by the mechanical abrasion caused by
suspended particles e.g., sand-blasting,
erosion of turbine blades by droplets.
• Erosion-corrosion also involves a corrosive
environment. The metal undergoes a chemical
reaction.

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 Hydrogen Embrittlement
• High strength materials stressed in presence of hydrogen
crack at reduced stress levels.
• Hydrogen may be dissolved in the metal or present as a gas
outside.
• Only ppm levels of H needed.
• The concentrated areas of adsorbed hydrogen recombine to
form molecular hydrogen in the traps, which drastically
increases localized pressure in the structure.

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