My

Project on
Types of corrosion

By

S.Muthu kumar

I EEE A
INTRODUCTION
There are six most common types of corrosion which are generally easily explainable, yet each of
these processes is a rather complex one involving different factors to enhance the corrosion and
different layouts for the actual metal deterioration. As well understood as they are all types of
corrosion re difficult to handle and represent the primary threat to any metal made construction.
As a general classification for the most common types of corrosion would include generalized
corrosion, pitting corrosion, galvanic corrosion, microbiological influenced corrosion, erosion corrosion
and corrosion under insulation.
Generalized corrosion or also named uniform corrosion stands out as an uniform metal loss from the
surface and is often combined with velocity fluid corrosion, either abrasive or not. The least dangerous
of all types of corrosion, uniform corrosion usually appears in environments with low corrosion rates or
where the metal received any corrosion chemical treatment. This type of corrosion is the most easy to
deal with and provides a most accurate estimate on the metal life expectancy.
Second most common of types of corrosion is pitting corrosion, easy identifiable by it’s localized, deep
penetration of the metal surface. This sort of corrosion is generally caused by off balance surface
deposits. As this type of corrosion leaves most of the metal surface intact it’s harder to spot and
eventually combat with. The looks of pitting corrosion as that of a very rough surface. Pitting corrosion
appears where the protective metal films are incomplete or on the spots where there you can find
deposits of foreign substances. Pitting corrosion can also be classified in subcategories such as cell
concentrated corrosion, under deposit corrosion, impingement corrosion and crevice corrosion. Crevice
corrosion occurs where the metal is bolted or presents lap joints. Concentrated cell corrosion is best
explained by electrolytic environments there the oxygen concentration is variable.
Galvanic corrosion is one of the most aggressive types of corrosion, being at the same time localized.
It generally appears where two different types of metals are joined in an environment that conducts
well electricity. The electrochemical reactions are very powerful and the metal is quite quickly eaten
away. The anode metal develops therefore pits on its surface. The best way to prevent galvanic
corrosion is to before hand test the voltage potentials between the metals that need to be joined, as
they are placed in the environment where they need to perform.
Microbiological influenced corrosion is considered to be the greatest threat to metals out of all the
known types of corrosion. It has several different microbiological agents that cause it and it’s a
widespread corrosion which leads undoubtedly to construction failure. The best way to avoid this type
of corrosion is to make sure that the environment you place your metal construction in is as clean as
possible.
Erosion corrosion is one of the slowest types of corrosion and it basically means the slow gradual
deterioration of certain metal material. It is caused by mechanical wear and tear. It is most frequently
present at the elbows of the metal materials.
The trickiest of all types of corrosion is the under insulation corrosion. It is most common to humid
environments where water is allowed to condense at he metal surface. Under insulation corrosion will
occur wherever water, moisture, ice or snow will penetrate the metal’s insulation.
One of the not so common types of corrosion is the graphite corrosion which means that the graphite
from the metallic materials are eaten away by salt waters or acids, leaving the structure with a weak
metal.

TYPES OF ELECTROCHEMICAL CORROSION

It is convenient to classify corrosion on the basis of:

(i) The forms in which it manifests itself

(ii) The environment causing corrosion.

The different types of corrosion are listed below:

(i) Galvanic or bimetallic corrosion/ Differential metal corrosion

(ii) Concentration cell corrosion

(iii) Waterline corrosion

(iv) Pitting corrosion

(v) Crevice corrosion

(vi) Stress corrosion

(vii) Underground or soil corrosion

(viii) Intrangular corrosion 

(ix) Microbial Corrosion

(x) Erosion corrosion.

 Corrosion Process Showing Anodic and Cathodic Current Components

The potential of the metal is the means by which the anodic and cathodic reactions are kept
in balance.  Refer to Figure 1-1.  Notice that the current from each half reaction depends on
the electrochemical potential of the metal.  Suppose the anodic reaction releases too many
electrons into the metal.  Excess electrons shift the potential of the metal more negative,
which slows the anodic reaction and speeds up the cathodic reaction.  This counteracts the
initial perturbation of the system. 

The equilibrium potential assumed by the metal in the absence of electrical connections to
the metal is called the Open Circuit Potential, Eoc.  In most electrochemical corrosion
experiments, the first step is the measurement of Eoc. The terms Eoc (Open Circuit
Potential) and Ecorr (Corrosion Potential) are usually interchangeable, but Eoc is preferred.

It is very important that the Corrosion Scientist measures the Eoc and allows sufficient time
for the Eoc to stabilize before beginning the electrochemical experiment.  A stable Eoc is
taken to indicate that the system being studied has reached "steady state", i.e., the various
corrosion reactions have assumed a constant rate.  Some corrosion reactions reach steady
state in a few minutes, while others may need several hours.  Regardless of the time
required, a computer-controlled system can monitor the Eoc and begin the experiment after
it has stabilized.

The value of either the anodic or cathodic current at Eoc is called the Corrosion Current,
Icorr.  If we could measure Icorr, we could use it to calculate the corrosion rate of the
metal.  Unfortunately, Icorr cannot be measured directly.  However, it can be estimated
using electrochemical techniques.  In any real system, Icorr and Corrosion Rate are a
function of many system variables including type of metal, solution composition,
temperature, solution movement, metal history, and many others.
The above description of the corrosion process does not say anything about the state of the
metal surface.  In practice, many metals form an oxide layer on their surface as they
corrode.  If the oxide layer inhibits further corrosion, the metal is said to passivate.  In
some cases, local areas of the passive film break down allowing significant metal corrosion
to occur in a small area.  This phenomena is called pitting corrosion or simply pitting.

Because corrosion occurs via electrochemical reactions, electrochemical techniques are ideal
for the study of the corrosion processes.  In electrochemical studies, a metal sample with a
surface area of a few square centimeters is used to model the metal in a corroding system. 
The metal sample is immersed in a solution typical of the metal's environment in the system
being studied.  Additional electrodes are immersed in the solution, and all the electrodes are
connected to a device called a potentiostat.  A potentiostat allows you to change the
potential of the metal sample in a controlled manner and measure the current the flows as a
function of potential.

Both controlled potential (potentiostatic) and controlled current (galvanostatic) polarization

is useful.  When the polarization is done potentiostatically, current is measured, and when it
is done galvanostatically, potential is measured.  This discussion will concentrate on
controlled potential methods, which are much more common than galvanostatic methods. 
With the exception of Open Circuit Potential vs. Time, Electrochemical Noise, Galvanic
Corrosion, and a few others, potentiostatic mode is used to perturb the equilibrium
corrosion process.  When the potential of a metal sample in solution is forced away from
Eoc, it is referred to as polarizing the sample.  The response (current) of the metal sample
is measured as it is polarized.  The response is used to develop a model of the sample's
corrosion behavior. 

Suppose we use the potentiostat to force the potential to an anodic region (towards positive
potentials from Eoc).  In Figure 1-1, we are moving towards the top of the graph.  This will
increase the rate of the anodic reaction (corrosion) and decrease the rate of the cathodic
reaction.  Since the anodic and cathodic reactions are no longer balanced, a net current will
flow from the electronic circuit into the metal sample.  The sign of this current is positive by
convention.    If we take the potential far enough from Eoc, the current from the cathodic
reaction will be negligible, and the measured current will be a measure of the anodic
reaction alone.  In Figure 1-1, notice that the curves for the cell current and the anodic
current lie on top of each other at very positive potentials.  Conversely, at strongly negative
potentials, cathodic current dominates the cell current.

In certain cases as we vary the potential, we will first passivate the metal, then cause
pitting corrosion to occur.  With the astute use of a potentiostat, an experiment in which the
current is measured versus potential or time may allow us to determine Icorr at Ecorr, the
tendency for passivation to occur, or the potential range over which pitting will occur. 

Because of the range of corrosion phenomena that can be studied with electrochemistry, the
ability to measure very low corrosion rates, and the speed with which these measurements
can be conducted, an electrochemical corrosion measurement system has become a
standard item in the modern corrosion laboratory.
 Causes of Corrosion

Corrosion is the result of a chemical reaction on metals causing metal to oxidize. Most people are familiar
with water (wet) corrosion, however, there are multiple factors that influence corrosion. Some of these
factors are:

 Type of metal - composition, grain boundary, surface condition, microstructure

 Environmental - where is the metal located on the asset, is it subject to temperature variations,
conductivity, heat transfer rates, humidity, wet and dry cycles
 Stress - how the asset is being used, what comes in contact with the metal (other objects,
chemicals), engineering stress load.
 Physical - reactivity to chemicals, surface coating, frequency of contact with other surfaces,
chemicals or residue(dirt/dust/fuels)

Types of Corrosion

The most common forms of corrosion include:

 General or uniform corrosion - the least damaging of corrosion forms and occurs over a wide
area.
 Pitting - can be the result of an impurity or penetration of the metal surface.
 Galvanic - the interaction of two or more dissimilar metals, very common HVAC issue when
brass and steel or copper and steel meet.
 Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC) - the most severe and threatening form of
corrosion caused by microbiological agents.
 Corrosion due to wear and tear - a gradual deterioration of the metals surface. found at joints,
elbows or other abrasions.

Critical Nature Of Preventive Maintenance and Inspections

Left unattended corrosion will cause part and/or system failure on machines. Some corrosion (MIC and
Pitted) once started can be very expensive to repair if at all possible and will definitely shorten the
lifecycle of an asset. The most viable solution is to perform inspections for signs of corrosion and to
regularly schedule preventive maintenance tasks such as washing, coating, changing covers, lubrication
and the use of preservatives.

"Compared to the cost of naval aircraft, the cost of corrosion prevention is small. Preventive maintenance
is a powerful tool that can control even the most difficult corrosion problem...The Naval Aviation
Maintenance Program (NAMP), OPNAVINST 4790.2, requires SE shops to establish a maintenance
schedule for each item of equipment. The SE Custody and Maintenance History Record, OPNAV
4790/51, is used to schedule and record all corrosion maintenance actions."
Quantitative Corrosion Theory
In the previous section we pointed out that Icorr cannot be measured directly.  In many
cases, you can estimate it from current versus voltage data.  You can measure a log current
versus potential curve over a range of about one half volt.  The voltage scan is centered on
Eoc.  You then fit the measured data to a theoretical model of the corrosion process.

The model we will use for the corrosion process assumes that the rates of both the anodic
and cathodic processes are controlled by the kinetics of the electron transfer reaction at the
metal surface.  This is generally the case for corrosion reactions.  An electrochemical
reaction under kinetic control obeys Equation 1-1, the Tafel Equation.                       

                             I  =  I0 e(2.3(E-E°)/β)                         Equation 1-1

In this equation,
            I            is the current resulting from the reaction
            I0              is a reaction dependent constant called the Exchange Current
            E            is the electrode potential
            Eo             is the equilibrium potential (constant for a given reaction)
            β               is the reaction's Tafel Constant (constant for a given reaction).
                                Beta has units of volts/decade. 

The Tafel equation describes the behavior of one isolated reaction.  In a corrosion system,
we have two opposing reactions – anodic and cathodic.

The Tafel equations for both the anodic and cathodic reactions in a corrosion system can be
combined to generate the Butler-Volmer Equation (Equation 1-2).

       I = Ia + Ic = Icorr(e(2.3(E-Eoc)/a) – e(-2.3(E-Eoc)/c))      Equation 1-2

Problems Identification – Dead Leg Situation

There are numerous types of corrosive reactions that can occur with steel and various
methods for combating or trying to slow the corrosive activity. Corrosion in piping systems
is not usually a problem "If" all of the air is removed from the system after filling the
system with water unless MIC is present. However even a small amount trapped air can
cause the onset of corrosive activity. from the system after filling the system with water
unless MIC is present. However even a small amount trapped air can cause the onset of
corrosive activity.

Microbiologically Induced Corrosion (MIC)

MIC is the term used for corrosion influenced by microbes in the water. The primary concern
is that the influence of these microbes provides an extremely accelerated rate of corrosion.
MIC is not caused by a single microbe, but is attributed to many different microbes. These
are often categorized by common characteristics such as by-products (i.e., sludge
producing) or compounds they effect (i.e. sulfur oxidizing). In a general sense, they all fall
into one of two groups based upon their oxygen requirements; one being aerobic (requires
oxygen) such as sulfur oxidizing bacteria, and the other being anaerobic, (requires little or
no oxygen), such as sulfate reducing bacteria [2].
Although there have been regions of the United States, such as the Phoenix, Arizona area,
where a large number of MIC cases have been reported and documented, there is presently
no indication that MIC is confined to any specific geographical area. Reports of MIC attack
have been received from throughout the United States and also from abroad [1].

MIC almost always occurs concurrently with other corrosion mechanisms, and it is virtually
impossible to separate them. This is in part due to the fact that microbes help create
conditions under which other corrosion mechanisms can occur, such as crevice corrosion,
pitting, and under-deposit corrosion [1].
For more reference
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJyTlKRLTtM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh0nv3ErjqU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jFFB_2KRLc&feature=related