Corrosion Principles

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 Topics
Corrosion Principles
 What is corrosion?
 What causes corrosion?
 The effects of corrosion
 Eliminating corrosion

Coating Properties and Composition

 What is a coating?
o Basic coating components
o Required properties
o Product design and development

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 Corrosion Principles

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 What is Corrosion?

“The deterioration of a substance, usually a

metal or its properties, because of a reaction
with its environment.”
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 Effects of Corrosion
› Protection of Assets
› Safety
› Appearance

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 Corrosion of Iron

› Electrochemical process

› Iron loses electrons

› Current flow involved

› Iron to iron oxide

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 Refining / Corrosion Process

Iron Ore
Refined Steel

Corroding Steel
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 Corrosion Happens
When Five Things are Present
› Electrolyte (moisture & ions)
› Anode (-)
› Cathode (+)
› Conductive Pathway
› Oxygen

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 Oxygen
› Must be present for
normal atmospheric
corrosion to occur
› Without it, iron cannot
be oxidized to iron oxide
(rust) and corrosion will
not occur
› Tough to create an
oxygen free atmosphere
on Earth… ~20%
oxygen gas in
atmosphere

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 Electrolyte
› A solution of salts,
minerals, acids, alkalis
or other chemical
compounds in water or
atmospheric moisture
which is capable of
conducting an electrical
current

› Most relevant example:

NaCl “salt”

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 The Anode

› Part of the metal

where the actual
metal loss (corrosion)
takes place

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 The Cathode

› Area of the corroding metal adjacent to the anode

› Cathode area accepts current flow from the anode

completing the corrosion circuit

› Cathodic area is not attacked and does not corrode

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 Conductive Pathway

› Good conductors of
electric current
› Provide the internal path
to complete the corrosion
circuit
› Usually metallic

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 DC Circuits vs Corrosion Cells

› Which way is the current

flowing?
› Oxidation at anode
› Reduction at cathode
› If anode is Zn and
Cathode is Fe which way
do electrons flow?

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 Pitting Corrosion
1 2 3 4

Pitting Sludge in Pitting on Loss of

pipe pipe walls metal along
pipe wall

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 Pitting in a Tank Car

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 Corrosion Rates

› Metals corrode at different rates

› Rate of corrosion depends on many factors:

› Metal Composition
› Atmospheric Composition
› Temperature
› pH
› Flow Conditions
› Electrolyte Considerations

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 Corrosion Chemistry

› Note the electrons

› Electron movement ≡
current flow
› Note the role of acid and
base

 There are many reactions at play here but

the essential elements are still Cathode,
Anode, Electrolyte, Oxygen and a
Conductive Pathway completing the circuit

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 More Active

Less Active

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 Atmospheric Contamination

› Acid Rain
› Sulfur dioxide
› Salts
› Sulfates
› Phosphates
› Vehicle exhausts

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 Hopper Car Corrosion
Hopper cars in rock salt service after seven years

› Moisture
› Temperature
› Salt
› Oxygen

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 Eliminating Corrosion
Four methods

› Alloys, different metals

› Alter the environment

› Eliminate either anode, cathode, electrolyte or metallic pathway

› Use protective coatings

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 Protective Coatings Provide:

› Protective barriers as either thin

film or thick film materials

› Inhibitors that will slow the

corrosion rate of steel

› Sacrificial protection (zincs) that

corrode to protect the steel
substrate

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 Pigments & Fillers

Titanium Dioxide Silica Iron Oxide Glass Flake

Zinc Phosphate Zinc Aluminum Oxide Mica

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 Barrier Coatings

Polyurethane Topcoat
Intermediate Coat - Epoxy

Primer Coat – Zinc Rich

Steel Substrate

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 Inhibitive Coatings

Epoxies with inhibitor (zinc phosphate)

Steel Substrate

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 Sacrificial Coatings
› Zinc corrodes - not the steel substrate! “Sacrificial”
 Relies upon metallic zinc in the binder
› Works on same principle found in galvanizing
 Zinc acts as anode in corrosion cell
› Excellent primer for coating systems exposed to atmospheric elements
› Not recommended for exposure to acids or strong alkalies

Oxidation

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 Sacrificial Coatings
› Zinc anode and steel cathode
in contact with same
electrolyte

› Zinc primer pigmented with

sufficient zinc to maintain high
electrical conductivity

› Look for zinc oxides on IOZ

primers, galvanic protection at
work

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 Questions?
abaer@Carboline.com

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