CORROSION

OF METALS
AND ALLOYS

CHE 431
2 units

Course Instructors: Dr. Odunlami O.&

Mr. Ogunbiyi A.T.

Mode of Assessment
Test 1
=10%
Test 2
= 10%
Grp. Assig. = 10%
Cont. Ass.
30%
Exam.
70%
Total
100%
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MODULES
Corrosion

Control

by

Materials

Selection
Corrosion Control by Protective
Coating and Use of Inhibitors
Corrosion Control by Anodic &
Cathodic Protection
Corrosion in automobile, chemical
and petroleum industry
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MODULES

Introduction
Principles of Corrosion
Forms of Corrosion
Corrosion Testing

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What is Corrosion?
Corrosion can be defined as the
destructive attack of a metal by
chemical or electrochemical
reaction with its environment .

Why Metals corrode

Metals corrode because we use them in

environments
unstable.

where

Only copper and the

they

are

chemically

precious metals (gold,

silver, platinum, etc.) are found in nature in

their metallic state.
All other metals, to include iron-the metal most
commonly used-are processed from minerals
or ores into metals which are inherently
unstable in their environments.
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Corrosion process
(1) Ions are involved and need a medium to move in
(usually water)
(2) Oxygen is involved and needs to be supplied
(3) The metal has to be willing to give up electrons to start
the process
(4) A new material is formed and this may react again or
could be protective of the original metal
(5) A series of simple steps are involved and a driving
force is needed to achieve them.
The most important fact is that interfering with the steps
allows the corrosion reaction to be stopped or slowed
to a manageable rate.
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Forms of Corrosion
Uniform or General Corrosion
Pitting Corrosion
Crevice Corrosion
Galvanic Corrosion
Erosion Corrosion

Inter-granular Corrosion
Stress Corrosion Cracking
CO2 corrosion
H2S Corrosion
Strong acids Corrosion
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Measurement of Corrosion Rate

[A] WEIGHT LOSS METHOD
[B] MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION

[C] MEASUREMENT OF ELECTRICAL

RESISTANCE
9

Corrosion Control
Select a material that is resistant to the

corrosive environment.
Give metal a protective coating.
Change the service conditions, such as
temperature, pressure, or velocity.
Change environment chemistry, such as
pH, concentration, aeration, or impurities.

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Corrosion Control Continued

Add a corrosion inhibitor.
Shift the electrical potential of the metal

by cathodic or anodic protection.

Modify the design of the equipment or
system.
Let it corrode and replace it (often a
viable alternative!).

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Types of materials

Non metallic materials

Metallic materials

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Non metallic materials

Plastics
Ceramics
Concrete
Wood

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Metallic materials
Carbon Steels
Stainless Steels
Aluminum
Copper Alloys
Titanium
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Materials Selection
Iron
second most abundant metal element in the earths
crust
primarily used to produce steel
one of the most important structural materials in the
world.
Steel
an alloy of iron and various other metals,
used to enhance the properties (strength, resistance to
corrosion, tolerance to heat etc) of iron.
Changing the type and amount of the elements alloyed
with iron can produce different types of steel.
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Materials Selection Continued

The most common steels are:
1. Carbon steels,
contain between 0.5-1.5% carbon.
most large metal structures are made from carbon
steel
the world's most useful structural material.
inexpensive, readily available in a variety of forms,
can be machined, welded, and formed into many
shapes.
unprotected carbon steel rusts readily when exposed
to air and moisture.
iron oxide film (the rust) is active and accelerates
corrosion by forming more iron oxide
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Materials Selection Continued

Low alloy steels,
contain between 1-5% other metals
(often nickel or tungsten).
Nickel steel is able to withstand high
level of tension (for bridges)
Tungsten steels keep their shape and
strength
in
high
temperature
environments

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Materials Selection Continued

High alloy steels,

contain 12-18% of other metals

are

only used in specialty

applications due to their high cost.
very strong and highly resistant to
corrosion.
Stainless steel is an example of a
high alloy steel
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Stainless steels
A stainless steel is defined as a ferrous alloy

containing enough chromium to passivate in some

environment, such as air and water. At least 10% Cr
(but usually ~12%), is required to form a passive
film (mainly Cr2O3).
Stainless steels contain sufficient chromium to
form a passive film of chromium oxide, which
prevents further surface corrosion by blocking
oxygen diffusion to the steel surface and blocks
corrosion from spreading into the metal's internal
structure.
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Stainless steels continued

First choice for a probably corrosive

environment with unknown properties,

resistant to a wide range of oxidizers,
cannot withstand strong reducing
solutions, such as hydrochloric acid.
They can be corroded, despite their
name.
Stainless steel is 100% recyclable.
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Classification of stainless steels

The stainless steels are classified into
five general groups:
i.
Austentic
ii. Ferritic
iii. Martensitic
iv. Duplex
v. Precipitation Hardening
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Austentic stainless steels

The austenitic grades are the largest type of stainless
steels, and can be divided into five sub-groups:

Cr-Mn grades also referred to as 200-

series grades have some of the nickel

replaced with manganese and nitrogen
Cr-Ni grades general-purpose grades
mainly alloyed with chromium and nickel,
but with no molybdenum
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Austentic stainless steels continued

grades also general-purpose
grades, but with increased corrosion resistance
due to alloying with molybdenum
High-performance grades high alloying
content for use in very demanding
environments
High-temperature grades high chromium
and nickel content, but no molybdenum, for use
at temperatures exceeding 550 C
Cr-Ni-Mo

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Austentic stainless steels continued

Good to excellent corrosion

resistance
Good
weldability
formability
Non-magnetic
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and

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Ferritic stainless steel

Chromium (11.219%)
Low carbon and nickel content
Good corrosion resistance
Good weldability and toughness
Magnetic
Not expensive because of the low

nickel content
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Martensitic stainless steels

Smallest group of stainless steels.
High

strength (high carbon and

nitrogen content)
High wear resistance
Limited corrosion resistance
Magnetic
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Duplex stainless steels

Very good corrosion resistance
Good weldability
Light weight
Magnetic
Approximately

50% ferritic and 50%

austenitic.
Higher strength than either ferritic or
austenitic steels.
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Precipitation Hardening stainless steels

High strength
High wear resistance
Limited corrosion resistance
Magnetic

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