Intro to Corrosion (student)

MATE 1104
Introduction to Corrosion
Definition of Corrosion
Corrosion is the of a material (usually a metal) or its properties because of
with its environment. This involves a chemical and/or electrochemical
process.
Why is corrosion important?
 No industrial metallic material is entirely to corrosion.
o Corrosion causes damage to everything from automobiles, refineries, pipelines,
bridges, and public buildings
 The economic cost of corrosion in the US alone is estimated between 8 billion and 126
billion dollars per year
 Most corrosion engineers think the majority of this cost could be reduced by a proper
of corrosion and proper use of
The cost of corrosion can be divided into two categories:
1) (ex. painting, replacing failed parts, corrosion monitoring
systems, NDT to inspect parts)
2) (ex. downtime, loss of production, loss of efficiency)
In general, there are 3 forms of corrosion:

1- Liquid metal corrosion (ex. Gallium on aluminum, mercury on aluminum)
2- Dry corrosion (high temperature. Ex. Scale formed on steel during heat treating)
3- Wet corrosion (a is involved). This course will be mainly focused on this

type.
Within wet corrosion, there are 3 categories to focus on:

- corrosion (ex. Interior of pipe wall decreasing in thickness
over time)
- (ex. Localized pitting on a section of sucker rod)
- (ex. Stress corrosion cracking)
Factors affecting the corrosion process
1. Material Properties (corrodibility of the material)
o Chemical composition
o Metallurgical factors
 Segregation ( of certain elements within the material)
 Presence of (each phase can have a different
corrodibility)
 Inclusions
 Cold Working
 Non-uniform stress (from welding or heat treating / lack of stress relief)
2. Environment (corrosiveness of the )
3. Operating Conditions
o An increase in generally results in an increase in corrosion rate
o of exposure to corrosive environment
o – how the material is in contact with the
environment can change the surface area exposed
Corrosion Mechanism
Electrochemistry:
 Chemical reactions that occur at the interface of a metal and an electrolyte caused
by, or resulting in, an electric current that transfers electrons
 Most wet corrosion is electrochemical in nature
 An electrochemical cell (like a battery) is present
Corrosion Reaction:
 A corrosion reaction involves a metal being changed from the to the
 The metal forms a positive ion by to the system
Oxidation Reaction:
 The reaction that gives up electrons -
o (think LEO – Lose Electrons Oxidation)
Reduction Reaction:
 The reaction that consumes electrons –
o (think GER – Gain Electrons Reduction)
Anodic & Cathodic Reactions

Generic Electrochemical Cell:
e-
Wet corrosion must have 4 components:

1. Anode
 Where (this is the metal that is corroding)
 Gives up electrons – oxidation (think LEO: Lose Electrons Oxidation)
 Anodic reaction occurs on the anode surface
 The metal goes into solution
2. Cathode
 Electrons are consumed or absorbed by ions (think GER: Gain Electrons Reduction)
 Cathodic reactions occur on the cathode surface
3. Electrolyte (Aqueous Environment)

 to both anode and cathode
 Must contain and be in contact with the anode and cathode
4. Electrical connection between the anode and cathode

 Electrical between the anode and the cathode to allow electrons to
between them
Important:
 For a corrosion cell to function, all these components must be
 We can stop corrosion if we of these components
 Corrosion is a surface phenomenon – it must occur on the of the
electrodes
Example:
e-
Anodic reaction:
Zn is corroding
Zn → Zn2+ + 2e-
Cathodic reaction:
2e- + 2H+ → H2(gas)
Anodic and Cathodic Reactions

Anodic Reactions
There is only of chemical reaction that can occur at the anode. The anodic reaction
generates electrons and puts the metal into ionic form in solution. This oxidation reaction
always occurs in a general form:
Me → Me +x + xe –
The exact form of the reaction that occurs is dependent on the
Examples of anodic (oxidation) reactions (liberate electrons):
Zinc Zn → Zn+² + 2e-
Iron Fe → Fe+² + 2e-
Aluminum Al → Al+³ + 3e-
Chromium Cr → Cr+3 + 3e-
Potassium K → K+1 + 1e-
Remember: the anodic reactions produce electrons and put the metal into ionic form in
solution. That means the metal is losing atoms from its structure (corroding). This is an
When you have two metals linked, the one that becomes the anode is the metal that is
(less noble) and will be the one losing material.
Cathodic Reactions
The Cathodic reaction uses up the electrons created during the reaction at the anode.
There are four possibilities of the reaction that will occur here and they are dependent on the
(acidic or basic) and whether or not there is
Four most common reactions at the Cathode:
i) Oxygen free acidic environment (without oxygen the final product is )
Acids with no oxygen present:
2H+ + 2e- → 2H (gas)
ii) Aerated (contains oxygen) acidic environment (with oxygen the final product is
)
Acids with oxygen present:
4H+ + 4e- + O2 → 2H2O
iii) Neutral or basic solutions:
O2 + 2H2O + 4e- → 4OH-
iv) Metal plating reactions (reverse of anodic reaction)
M2+ + 2e- → M (plated on cathode)
M3+ + e → M2+
Depending upon the type of material and the environment in which it is exposed to, several
different reactions can take place at the anode and the cathode of a corrosion cell. The
important point to remember is that corrosion occurs on the anode surface and that the
electrons which are liberated are consumed by reactions at the cathode surface.
Consider Iron in O2 free HCl
Fe + 2HCl → FeCl2 + H2 (total reaction)
If we consider each electrode separately, we see:

Anode (corrosion) on the surface:
Fe → Fe2+ + 2e-
Cathode reaction:
2H+ 2e- → H2 (gas)
The cathode is basically inert and only provides a surface that allows H+ to pick up electrons.
Ranking of Materials Corrodibility
Electromotive series
- Electrochemical potential is a characteristic of a metal that is
determined by the metal’s atomic structure and availability of free electrons
- This series is only applicable to
- If 2 metals are connected in a galvanic cell, the one with will
act as the cathode and drive current toward the other metal (anode)
Galvanic series
- The ranking of metals is determined
- Ranked in terms of (noble metals less likely to corrode)
- Will only be for the (ex. Salt water) in which the experiment was
conducted
Passivation
Some normally corrosive materials can develop a protective layer that significantly
the corrosion rate. For example, your stainless steel kitchen sink.
- This is a corrosion by-product
Take for instance Titanium. Ti is very reactive with O2 and N2 and can form a protective
oxide/nitride layer on the surface (TiO2). The layer is only a few
TiO2
Ti
O2
We can manually components/materials:
1- Thoroughly clean – no grease, dirt or corrosion residue
2- Submerge in to passivate (pickling)

- this is oxidizing to the surface of steel
- acid must be neutralized afterward to prevent further attack of acid
Examples:
Al
Aluminum will develop of protective layer in air (Al2O3).
Cr
These layers are stable, but only in certain environments

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MATE 1104

In general, there are 3 forms of corrosion:

3- Wet corrosion (a is involved). This course will be mainly focused on this

Within wet corrosion, there are 3 categories to focus on:

2. Environment (corrosiveness of the )

 The metal forms a positive ion by to the system

Anodic & Cathodic Reactions

Wet corrosion must have 4 components:

3. Electrolyte (Aqueous Environment)

4. Electrical connection between the anode and cathode

2e- + 2H+ → H2(gas)

Anodic and Cathodic Reactions

If we consider each electrode separately, we see:

2- Submerge in to passivate (pickling)

Aluminum will develop of protective layer in air (Al2O3).

These layers are stable, but only in certain environments

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