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Pitting Corrosion
Pitting Corrosion
Pitting corrosion is a localized form of corrosion by which cavities or "holes" are produced in the material.
Pitting is considered to be more dangerous than uniform corrosion damage because it is more difficult to
detect, predict and design against. Corrosion products often cover the pits. A small, narrow pit with
minimal overall metal loss can lead to the failure of an entire engineering system. Pitting corrosion, which,
for example, is almost a common denominator of all types of localized corrosion attack, may assume
different shapes.
outh open (uncovered) or covered with a semi-permeable membrane of corrosion products. Pits can be
either hemispherical or cup-shaped
c. The presence of non-uniformities in the metal structure of the component, e.g. nonmetallic inclusions.
Theoretically, a local cell that leads to the initiation of a pit can be caused by an abnormal anodic site
surrounded by normal surface which acts as a cathode, or by the presence of an abnormal cathodic site
surrounded by a normal surface in which a pit will have disappeared due to corrosion.
In the second case, post-examination should reveal the local cathode, since it will remain impervious to
the corrosion attack as in the picture of an aluminum specimen shown on the right. Most cases of pitting
are believed to be caused by local cathodic sites in an otherwise normal surface.
Apart from the localized loss of thickness, corrosion pits can also be harmful by acting as stress risers.
Fatigue and stress corrosion cracking may initiate at the base of corrosion pits. One pit in a large system
can be enough to produce the catastrophic failure of that system. An extreme example of such
catastrophic failure happened recently in Mexico, where a single pit in a gasoline line running over a
sewer line was enough to create great havoc to a city, killing 215 people in Guadalajara.
Some definitions:
Pitting: corrosion of a metal surface, confined to a point or small area, that takes the form of cavities. *
Pitting factor: ratio of the depth of the deepest pit resulting from corrosion divided by the average
penetration as calculated from weight loss. *
Pitting resistance equivalent number (PREN): an empirical relationship to predict the pitting resistance of
austenitic and duplex stainless steels. It is expressed as PREN = Cr + 3.3 (Mo + 0.5 W) + 16N.
Trough Pits
Narrow, deep Shallow, wide Elliptical Vertical grain attack
Sideway Pits
In this photo, a type 316 stainless steel tube and tube sheet from a heat exchanger in a seawater re
osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant suffered crevice corrosion due to the presence of crevice (gap)
between the tube and tube sheet.
Mechanisms
What causes crevice corrosion? Crevice corrosion is initiated by a difference in concentration of so
chemical constituents, usually oxygen, which set up an electrochemical concentration cell
(differentialaeration cell in the case of oxygen). Outside of the crevice (the cathode), the oxygen co
and the pH are higher - but chlorides are lower.
Chlorides concentrate inside the crevice (the anode), worsening the situation. Ferrous ions form fe
chloride and attack the stainless steel rapidly. The pH and the oxygen content are lower in the crev
than in the bulk water solution, just as they are inside a pit. The pH inside the crevice may be as low
a neutral solution. Once a crevice has formed, the propagation mechanism for crevice corrosion is t
same as for pitting corrosion.
The major factors influencing crevice corrosion
are:
crevice type: metal-to-metal, metal-to-
non-metal
crevice geometry: gap size, depth,
surface roughness
material: alloy composition (e.g. Cr, Mo),
structure
environment: pH, temperature, halide
ions, oxygen
A material's resistance to crevice corrosion is
usually evaluated and ranked using the critical
crevice temperature (CCT) in accordance with
the ASTM Standard G48-03: Standard Test Methods for Pitting and Crevice Corrosion of Stainless St
and Alloys by Use of FeCl3. The critical crevice temperature is the minimum temperature (°C) to pro
crevice attack and CCT is usually lower than the critical pitting temperature (CPT).
Prevention
How to prevent crevice corrosion? Crevice corrosion can be designed out of the system
Use welded butt joints instead of riveted or bolted joints in new equipment
Eliminate crevices in existing lap joints by continuous welding or soldering
Avoid creating stagnant conditions and ensure complete drainage in vessels
Use solid, non-absorbent gaskets such as Teflon.
Use higher alloys (ASTM G48) for increased resistance to crevice corrosion