8 JEE125 Materials Technology Student ID……………………..

Tutorial 11 Surname……………………….
Name…………………………….
Corrosion
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Question 1:
a) Explain with a clear diagram how different levels of oxygen in a structure can lead to
concentration cells being produced, and hence serious corrosion occurring.
b) How can the effects of this type of corrosion be minimized at the engineering design stage?
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Answer:
(a) Crevice corrosion is one of the results of an oxygen concentration cell being generated in a steel
structure. This will occur if part of the structure is deprived of oxygen, while another part is exposed to a
higher level, say in air. Crevices, small cracks, and tiny spaces under washers, or layers of dirt are
common sites of corrosion. In seawater a rapid build up of hydrogen ions will speed up the rate of
corrosion even more, resulting in rapid loss of metal, particularly in passivated metals such as stainless
steel.
A typical example of crevice corrosion under a washer on a bolted section is illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 1

The effect of different oxygen levels, and the subsequent generation of a corrosion potential can be
demonstrated by using the Nernst equation, and substituting the following oxygen concentrations:
Ecell = E0cell - 0.059/n log{[O2(LOW)]/[O2(HIGH)]},--------------(1)
where E0cell = 0.00 V
[O2(low)] = 10-10 M, a low value arbitrarily selected for this example,
[O2(high)] = 0.0094 M, as the molar concentration of oxygen in air, and n = 4, from
2 O2- → O2 + 4e
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Substituting these values into (1) gives, Ecell = 0.12 V. This potential contributes to the energy necessary
to drive the process of crevice corrosion.
For further details refer to the lecture notes, section 8.6.3.

(b) Careful attention to avoid stagnant areas by correct design will overcome most crevice corrosion
problems. See section 8.6.8

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Question 2: Copper is commonly used as a material for rivets, and is highly resistant to corrosion.
For this reason it would be an ideal choice for joining together steel plates in a marine
environment. Comment upon this premise, and justify your conclusions.
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Answer:
Copper is a commonly used material for rivets, but it is certainly not “an ideal choice” for joining pieces of
steel plate together, as ironically suggested in the question.
Copper and iron are sufficiently far apart in the galvanic series to indicate that severe galvanic corrosion
will occur when these two metals are coupled together. However several points can be made with
respect to this particular example. The first is that galvanic corrosion can be minimized if the anode
surface area is large, relative to the cathode surface area, making the current density of the steel anode,
in this case low. A low current density means a low rate of corrosion. This is illustrated in the figure
below.
Secondly, the corrosion rate can also be lowered greatly if the structure is painted. Essentially this
procedure will eliminate air and moisture, thus curtailing the cathode reaction, and consequently the
anode reaction. By this means the corrosion will be largely stopped. However if this combination of
metals must be used, the painted surface must be maintained.

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Question 3: Cavitation corrosion is often associated with ship’s propellers. Explain the factors that
lead to this type of corrosion, and what preventative measures may be undertaken to reduce or
eliminate it.
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Answer:
Cavitation corrosion is discussed in the lecture notes, section 8.6.8.

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Question 4: A heated mild steel tank containing water is corroding at a rate of 90 mdd. If the
corrosion is uniform, how long will it take in days, to corrode the wall of the tank by 0.40 mm?
Note: 𝝆𝑭𝒆 = 7.87g/cm3, and mdd = mg of metal lost/dm2/day.
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Answer:

The corrosion rate is 90 mdd, that is 90 mg per square decimetre of surface area per day.

The corrosion rate in g/ cm2/day = 90 x 10-3 g/(100 cm2/day)

= 90 x 10-5 g/ cm2/day.
The density of iron, ρFe = 7.87 g/cm3 . By dividing the corrosion rate by the density, the depth of
corrosion per day can be determined. Thus:
90 𝑥 10−5
Depth of corrosion = (g/cm2/day)/(g/cm3)
7.87
= 11.436 x 10-5 cm/day
The number of days for a decrease in 0.40 mm can be obtained as follows:

Since 11.436 x 10-5 mm of corrosion occurs after 1 day,

1 𝑥 0.40 𝑚𝑚
Therefore, 0.4 mm of corrosion occurs after = 350 days.
11.436 𝑥 10−4 𝑚𝑚/𝑑𝑎𝑦

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Question 5: When steel or aluminium boats are moored there is an increased risk of stray current
corrosion.
a) Explain the nature of this form of corrosion.
b) If welding operations are carried out on a moored vessel from a shore based source,
explain how this operation may lead to corrosion of the hull.
c) Suggest and briefly describe methods for preventing the corrosion in the above
environment.
d) If you are not sure whether or not stray current corrosion is occurring in a vessel moored
in a marina, explain how you would detect the presence of stray currents.
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Answer:
a) Whenever a marine vessel is connected to AC shore power, a bimetallic circuit can be established,
which can cause corrosion of the vessel to occur. When there is a direct bond between dissimilar
metals immersed in an electrolyte, galvanic corrosion will result.
b) When the shore electrical supply for the welder is grounded, galvanic corrosion may occur when the
grounding conductor in the vessel-to- shore cable becomes the direct bond, the seawater becomes the
electrolyte, and the metals in the marina or port, together with the metal hull of the vessel complete
the galvanic cell. The rate of corrosion is directly proportional to the magnitude of the stray current.
c) This problem can be overcome in several ways. One method is to fit a low resistance return cable
from the vessel to the un-earthed welding transformer on shore. This method is outlined in section
8.6.10 of the lecture notes.
The second method is to fit a galvanic isolator, also known as a polarization cell, decoupler, or
electrolysis blocker, to separate the grounding of the shore supply from that of the vessel. The
galvanic isolator is connected in series with the grounding conductor of the vessel-to-shore power
cable, and thereby interrupts the corrosion causing circuit. This procedure maintains the continuity
of the earth of the vessel, ensuring the safety of your life, but removes the continuity with the shore
power. This prevents shore currents coming up the earth line with the shore and damaging the boat.
Commercial galvanic isolators are readily available, and their key component is a bridge rectifier.
d) The easiest method of detecting stray current corrosion is to take potential readings at different
locations on the hull of the vessel, using a silver-silver chloride reference electrode. The reference
electrode is connected to the negative terminal of the high impedence voltmeter, and immersed at the
chosen location. A direct metal to metal contact is made between the metal hull of the vessel and the
positive terminal of the meter, as illustrated below.

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The table below lists the potential versus the silver-silver chloride reference electrode in seawater for
the cathodic protection of steel and aluminium alloys.

Material Minimum Negative Potential (mV) Maximum Negative Potential (mV)

Steel -800 -1100
Aluminium Alloys -800 -1100

If the negative potential drops below -800 mV, corrosion will occur, and extra protection will be
required. Potentials in excess of -1100 mV should not be maintained, since hydrogen gas is liberated at
high negative potentials. This may induce hydrogen embrittlement in certain high strength steels, and
lead to premature failure. Furthermore higher potentials do not provide better protection, and are more
costly to maintain.

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Question 6:
a) Briefly explain why under normal conditions steel reinforcing in concrete will not corrode.
b) List the factors that can lead to the rusting of steel reinforced structures in seawater, and
explain how in practice this type of corrosion can be minimized.
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Answer:
Detailed answers to this question will be found in section 9.4 of the lecture notes.

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