CORROSION PREVENTION AND CONTROL

Corrosion Fundamentals

 Corrosion can be defined as the degradation of a material due to reaction with its
environment.
 Corrosion is Extractive Metallurgy in reverse.
 It is a spontaneous process.
 The driving force of corrosion is the tendency of the metals to have lower energy.
Why Corrosion Control?

 Economic Aspects: It can be referred to as cost of corrosion under Direct Loss and
Indirect Loss.
 Health Aspects: Surgical instruments, implants, pacemakers, etc. are all prone to
corrosion.
 Cultural Aspects: Antiques and Monuments may get extinct due to corrosion.
 Safety Aspects: Machine parts in factories and home appliances can cause harm if
corroded.
Prevention Measures
1. Design Constraints
 Design for proper drainage, less crevices, less stress, less water retention.
 Design for allowances.
2. Role of Materials
 Use of pure metals: e.g.: Aluminum, Titanium, Gold, Platinum etc....
 Use of corrosion resistant alloys. e.g.: Duralumin, Stainless steel, Brass, Bronze
etc....
 Fulfill required functionality in terms of strength and corrosion resistance.
3. Protective coatings
 Metal coating: Surface of a metal (base metal) is coated with another metal
(coat metal).
 Painting: A suitable top coat which excludes water and oxygen from the surface.
 Polishing: Finely finishing the surface.
4. Metal Coating
 Hot Dipping: Base metal is dipped or passed through molten coat metal or alloy.
E.g.: Galvanization
 Metal Spraying: Coat metal is sprayed on base metal.
 Cementation: Base metal is protected by alloying its surface with another metal.
 Metal Cladding: Base metal is sandwiched between thin layers of hot metal and
pressed between rollers.
 Electroplating: Deposition of coat metal over base metal using electricity.
 Anodizing: Formation of hydrated oxide layer of coat metal over base metal.
5. Painting
 Oil Painting: Most widely used consist of pigments and thinners.
 Water Painting: A suspension of dispersible pigments in emulsion of water and
small quantities of drying oils.
  Special Paints: Special chemicals are added in paints specific purpose. E.g.:
Heat resistant paints, water repellant paints, etc.
6. Cathodic Protection
 The metal to be protected is connected to an external anode and a D.C. current
is passed so that all areas of the metal surface become cathodic and do not
corrode.
 Cathodic protection can be achieved in two ways:
By Sacrificial Anodes.
- These anodes consist of the highly reactive metal like Mg.
- To protect pipes, rods of Mg buried near the pipes and connected to
them by wires.
- Thus, Galvanic cells with high E.M.F are setup with surface to be
protected made cathodic.
- The cost of replacement of corroded anodic Mg is much less than
replacing pipes.

By Impressed Current.
- The object to be protected is made cathode of an electrolytic cell by
connecting it to negative terminal of a D.C source.
- This is done by rectifying an A.C line or using D.C source.
- The positive terminal is connected to scrap iron.
 7. Environmental Modification
 Deaeration: Removal of dissolved oxygen. E.g.: By adding chemicals like
Sodium Sulfite.
 Dehumidification: Removal of moisture from air. E.g.: By adding chemicals like
Silica.
 Inhibitors: It is a chemical additive which reduce the rate of corrosion. E.g.:
Alkali, Amines, Orthophosphates, etc.
8. Passivation
 The process of using a light coat of material such as a metal oxide to create a
shell against corrosion. It can only occur in certain conditions and is used in
micro-electronics to enhance silicon.

Case Study: Iron Pillar, Delhi

The iron pillar of Delhi has not rusted from the last 16
centuries due to the following reasons:

 Purity of its iron

 High Phosphorus Content
 Low Sulphur and Magnesium
 Better forge welding
 Drier and uncontaminated atmospheric condition
Case Study: Eiffel Tower

 The structure comprises 220000-meter square of

surface (300 tons of wrought iron) that have to be
maintained and repainted every 7 years, consuming 50
tons of lead-free paint.
 For renovation, corroded areas are prepared before
painting.
 All this is carried out by around 25 painters, works lasting for around 15 months and
costing over 20 million francs.
LABORATORY EXAMPLE
Experiment: Corrosion of Metals
Objective

 The objective of this experiment is to measure the corrosion rate of two different metals
and to show the effectiveness of the use of inhibitors to protect metals from corrosion.
Background
The importance of corrosion can be seen in daily life. Corrosion causes accidents in
industry, on highways, and in homes. It is wasteful financially, costing industrialized nations 4-
5% of their gross domestic products annually. A little knowledge of electrochemistry, material
science and corrosion could save nations some 25% of this loss. Corrosion engineering is the
application of science and art to prevent or control corrosion damage in a safe and economical
manner. To perform this function properly, the corrosion engineer must rely on experimental
research. This is because the major aspects of corrosion engineering are largely empirical in
nature. A body of theory exists that can be very helpful in solving corrosion problems, but in the
final analysis, most decisions are based on the results of empirical tests.
Corrosion tests are conducted for a number of reasons including:
1. Establishing corrosion mechanisms.
2. Defining corrosion resistance of materials and how to develop new corrosion
resistant alloys.
3. Estimating service life of equipment.
4. Developing corrosion protection processes.
5. Defining the critical potential values for materials in various environments.
Procedure

CAUTION: BE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND HOW TO OPERATE THE EQUIPMENT BEFORE

BEGINNING THE EXPERIMENT
If you are not familiar with the equipment, ask for help from your instructor. DO NOT START
INDISCRIMINATELY MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO THE EQUIPMENT.

 Your group will be provided with samples of 1018 steel and brass. Prepare the sample
(metal exposed side) for metallographic observation (polish/grind using 400 grit, 600 grit
sandpaper and 1 micron powder). Check the specimens under the microscope to be
sure that they are well polished. Observe the surface of each specimen before and after

CAUTION: The equipment used to measure corrosion rates is very delicate. Use extreme care
when handling.

corrosion takes place. Take photos.

 Pour about 400cc tap water (room temperature) into the beaker that makes up the
electrochemical cell and add approximately one teaspoon of salt to form a solution.
 Then place one prepared (steel or brass) specimen in the cell setup with the calomel
standard reference electrode and the counter electrode. Check to be sure that the
counter electrode and the sample surface are parallel (not touching).
 Connect the leads from the EG&G VersaStat to the electrochemical cell. The Green wire
attaches to the working electrode (the sample), the Red wire attaches to the counter
electrode, and the White wire attaches to the reference electrode.
 If the machine is not already on, boot up the computer and at the DOS C:\> prompt type:
corr [ENTER].
 When the title screen comes up hit any key to display the Main menu. Pick “SetUp“ from
the main menu to display the Set up menu. Pick “Get Set Up”.
 You will then be asked to “Enter setup filename for recall.” Type: 227L [ENTER].
 The screen will now display the test parameters to be used for your experiment. Your
group will have to enter the correct sample area and specimen density in their respective
fields on the test Setup Screen.
 Once the correct test parameters have been entered for your specimen, your group is
ready to run a test. Choose the Run command from the menu and turn the Cell Switch
located on the front of the EG&G Versa Stat to the ON position. A plot of your test will
appear on the computer screen once the test begins. The test runs for 15 minutes.
 When the test stops, turn the Cell Switch to the OFF position. Save your data to a 3.5”
floppy before beginning any further tests. Put a 3.5” floppy disk into the A drive. To save
your data first save your data on the C drive using the “Save” command in the “File”
menu. Next recall your data using the “Get Data” command in the “File” menu. Finally,
transfer the data to your diskette in the A drive by choosing the “Export Data” from the
“File” menu. Type in a file name for your data including an A drive path. (For example,
you can type: a:\steel).
 Repeat this procedure for the other metal (steel or brass) sample.
 Next put about 400cc of the prepared antifreeze/water mixture (50% ethylene glycol) into
the electrochemical cell and repeat the experiment for the remaining samples. Note the
corrosion inhibiting effect of the antifreeze. Normally, when antifreeze is added in small
concentrations to an environment, the corrosion rate decreases. In a sense, an inhibitor
can be considered a retarding catalyst. The effectiveness of an inhibitor can be
measured based on:

corrosion rate without inhibitor

Degree of effectiveness of inhibitor=
corrosionrate with inhibitor

when a rate is determined using the mpy equation once the rate has plateaued.

Experiment: Corrosion of Metals Name:

______________________________

Poor Fair Average Good Excellent

Memorandum Format 1 2 3 4 5
 Used
Spelling, grammar, & 1 2 3 4 5
punctuation correct

Report includes: Poor Fair Average Good Excellent

Discuss rate of corrosion for all 1 2 3 4 5
samples in mpy (once the
specimen's corrosion rate
levels off). Discuss current
density vs. time. Show
calculation for mpy.
Discuss the degree of 1 2 3 4 5
effectiveness of the inhibitor.
Show calculations.
Graph the current density 4 8 12 16 20
versus time. Overlay graphs for
comparison. Include more
than 1 graph.
Include table of results, 1 2 3 4 5
measurements, significant
parameters obtained or used in
this lab. (Relevant information)
Discuss sources of error in this 1 2 3 4 5
experiment.
Attach photos of steel and 1 2 3 4 5
brass samples (comparison of
before and after testing in
saltwater and antifreeze
solution)
Column Subtotals

Poor Fair Average Good Excellent

Overall level of effort apparent 1 2 3 4 5
Quality of graphs 1 2 3 4 5
Quality of abstract 1 2 3 4 5
Quality of work description 1 2 3 4 5
Quality of conclusions 1 2 3 4 5
Column Subtotals
QUIZ
1. Corrosion of metals involves
a) Physical reactions c) Both
b) Chemical reactions d) None
2. The following factors play vital role in corrosion process
a) Temperature c) Both
b) Solute concentration d) None
3. Following equation is related to corrosion rate
a) Nernst equation c) Either
b) Faraday’s equation d) Neither
4. Passivity is due to
a) Higher EMF c) Oxide film
b) Lower EMF d) All
5. Passivity is not reason for inertness of the following
a) Au c) Ti
b) Al d) Ni
6. Difficult to monitor and very dangerous form of corrosion
a) Galvanic c) Crevice
b) Pitting d) Stress
7. This form of corrosion occurs due to concentration difference in a component
a) Uniform c) Inter-granular
b) Galvanic d) Stress
8. Main form of ceramic degradation
a) Corrosion c) Dissolution
b) Weathering d) Swelling
9. The following influences deterioration of polymers
a) Weather c) Temperature
b) Radiation d) All
10. Following is not the main form of polymer deterioration
a) Corrosion c) Weathering
b) Swelling and Dissolution d) Scission
11. When Pt and Co are electrically connected, which one gets corroded
a) Pt c) None
b) Co d) Can’t decide
12. Which of the following can be used for cathodic protection:
a) Al c) Cu
b) Cd d) Either

KEY TO CORRECTION
1. b
2. c
3. b
4. c
5. a
6. b
7. c
8. c
9. d
10. a
11. b
12. a

REFERENCES

 https://www.slideshare.net/pranjalprateek1/corrosion-control-33091988
 http://www.csun.edu/~bavarian/Courses/MSE%20227/Labs/9-Corrosion.pdf
 https://nptel.ac.in/content/storage2/courses/112108150/pdf/MCQs/MCQ_m13.pdf