Definition

The presence of cracks, gaps, screens or deposits on a metal surface can give rise to a localized
corrosion form, called crevice corrosion or interstitial corrosion and corrosion under deposit. Crevice
corrosion is a concern in many environments for active-passive alloys as stainless steels, nickel alloys
and titanium. Typically, stainless steels suffer from crevice corrosion in seawater or in chloride-
containing solutions, present in most of industrial plants as in chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical,
food processing, as well as in biomedical, nuclear and civil engineering. Crevice corrosion produces local
thinning or even perforation, with risk of out of service of equipment and pollution of fluids; in some
situations, the corroded area can create conditions for stress corrosion cracking occurrence.

Crevice corrosion can occur in geometrical clearances, such as

 under gaskets or seals
 under bolt heads
 between overlapping metal sheets
 within screw threads
 within strands of wire rope

or crevice corrosion can occur under deposits, such as

 corrosion products
 dust particles
 barnacles (in seawater)

Crevice corrosion is a localized attack on the material, which is usually associated with a stagnant
solution on the microenvironment level. For MIC, the stagnant solution in a crack or small pit will have a
high pH level than the surrounding environment. Crevice corrosion can be caused by biofouling deposits
like iron hydroxide. APB is usually associated with crevice corrosion because of the high pH level.
Typically, a microscope or other high magnification device must be used to identify crevice corrosion.
The figure above shows crevice corrosion in seawater.
In Fig. 1.11, crevice corrosion is occurring under a shield. This shield could be a coating or a lining that
allows a stagnant solution to increase pH level.

Figure below shows two manifestations of crevice corrosion: in a riveted lap joint, and under a surface
deposit. It can also occur beneath a porous gasket in bolted flange joints and in many other situations
commonly found in power plants.