Corrosion Testing and Determination of Corrosion Rates

This chapter is an edited version of the chapter that was published originally in the previous addition of Shreir's Corrosion. Although it is now somewhat outdated in detail, the key principles and methods remain relevant to modern research and engineering practice. It reviews the test procedures that are available for evaluating and dimensioning corrosion in the laboratory and in the field, with an emphasis on the underlying principles upon which the various procedures are based. Tests that are specific to the different types of corrosion and to specific corrosion environments are considered, including the purposes and usefulness of accelerated testing procedures. The significance and limitations of the results of the various test methods are considered. Reference is made throughout to the standard testing procedures that have been developed by bodies such as ISO, ASTM, and NACE, and an updated list of standard testing procedures is provided.

[1]  A. Wachter,et al.  Dicyclohexylammonium Nitrite, A Volatile Inhibitor for Corrosion Preventive Packaging★ , 1951 .

[2]  G. W. Walter,et al.  A review of impedance plot methods used for corrosion performance analysis of painted metals , 1986 .

[3]  R. Staehle,et al.  Advances in Corrosion Science and Technology , 1972 .

[4]  Tony Sample,et al.  The effect of oxygen impurities on the behaviour of type 316 stainless steel in Pb17Li , 1988 .

[5]  J. Massart,et al.  Corrosion intercristalline des aciers inoxydables austénitiques , 1959 .

[6]  H. S. Isaacs,et al.  Determination of Surface Inhomogeneities Using a Scanning Probe Impedance Technique , 1980 .

[7]  A. Bewick.  Analysis of the use of “IR” compensators in potentiostatic investigations , 1968 .

[8]  N. D. Greene.  Comparison of Chemically and Electrolytically Induced Pitting Corrosion , 1970 .

[9]  J. A. Kapp,et al.  Crack Growth Behavior of Aluminum Alloys Tested in Liquid Mercury , 1986 .

[10]  F. P. Ijsseling.  General guidelines for corrosion testing of materials for marine applications: Literature review on sea water as test environment , 1989 .

[11]  M. Plesset.  The Pulsation Method for Generating Cavitation Damage , 1963 .

[12]  F. Champion.  Corrosion Testing Procedures , 1964 .

[13]  M. C. Bloom,et al.  A Hydrogen Effusion Method for the Determination of Corrosion Rates in Aqueous Systems at Elevated Temperature and Pressure , 1957 .

[14]  M. Keddam,et al.  Depassivation of iron by straining and by abrasion: an A.C. impedance study , 1983 .

[15]  Florian Mansfeld,et al.  Tafel Slopes and Corrosion Rates from Polarization Resistance Measurements , 1973 .

[16]  A. Al‐Suhybani,et al.  Organic and inorganic corrosion inhibitors for copper in HNO3 studied by two methods , 1987 .

[17]  M. Stern,et al.  Electrode Assembly for Electrochemical Measurements , 1960 .

[18]  P. Delahay,et al.  Kinetics of Fast Electrode Reactions , 1955 .

[19]  H. Cleary.  Microelectrodes for Corrosion Studies , 1968 .

[20]  David E. Williams,et al.  Stochastic Models of Pitting Corrosion of Stainless Steels II . Measurement and Interpretation of Data at Constant Potential , 1985 .

[21]  H. Humble.  Cathodic Protection of Steel Piling In Sea Water , 1949 .

[22]  Claude Gabrielli,et al.  A review of the probabilistic aspects of localized corrosion , 1990 .

[23]  S. Barnartt.  Linear corrosion kinetics , 1969 .

[24]  S. R. Pillai,et al.  An electrochemical meter for measuring carbon activity in liquid sodium , 1986 .

[25]  Keith B. Oldham,et al.  On the So-Called Linear Polarization Method for Measurement of Corrosion Rates , 1971 .

[26]  D. Macdonald.  Some Advantages and Pitfalls of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy , 1990 .

[27]  N. D. Groves,et al.  Corrosion of Metals by Weak Acids Under Heat Transfer Conditions , 1961 .

[28]  J. Huff,et al.  Continuous Ohmic Polarization Compensator for a Voltammetric Apparatus Utilizing Operational Amplifiers. , 1966 .

[29]  H. Tas,et al.  Compatibility and performance of electrochemical oxygen and lithium monitors in liquid Pb17Li , 1988 .

[30]  N. D. Greene,et al.  Electrochemical energy conversion in a palladium hydrogen diffusion electrode. Scientific report No. 4 , 1964 .

[31]  J. H. Sluyters,et al.  A new method for the compensation of ohmic drop in galvanic cells , 1966 .

[32]  W. Vernon,et al.  The prevention of corrosion in packaging. III. Vapour-phase inhibitors† , 2007 .

[33]  H. Thirsk,et al.  The impedance of chromium in the active-passive transition , 1972 .

[34]  N. D. Greene.  Some effects of experimental procedureson controlled potential corrosion tests of sensitized austenitic stainless steels , 1970 .

[35]  W. D. Manly.  Fundamentals of Liquid Metal Corrosion , 1956 .

[36]  M. Streicher.  Development of Pitting Resistant Fe-Cr-Mo Alloys , 1974 .

[37]  P. Doig,et al.  Use of Microelectrodes in the Study of Stress Corrosion in Aged Al–7·2 wt-% Mg and Al–4·4 wt-% Cu Alloys , 1974 .

[38]  N. D. Greene.  Predicting the intergranular corrosion of austenitic stainless steels , 1968 .

[39]  B. E. Wilde.  ADAPTATION OF LINEAR POLARIZATION TECHNIQUES FOR IN-SITU CORROSION MEASUREMENTS IN WATER COOLED NUCLEAR REACTOR ENVIRONMENTS. , 1967 .

[40]  T. Shibata,et al.  Stochastic Theory of Pitting Corrosion , 1977 .

[41]  Michel Keddam,et al.  Application of impedance technique to localized corrosion , 1988 .

[42]  J. Hinnüber,et al.  Die Carbidausscheidung beim Glühen von nichtrostendem unmagnetischem Chromnickelstahl , 1930 .

[43]  R. Burns.  Electrochemical Techniques in Corrosion Study , 1937 .

[44]  R. L. Leroy,et al.  The Range of Validity of the Linear Polarization Method for Measurement of Corrosion Rates , 1973 .

[45]  M. Brown,et al.  Behavior of Austenitic Stainless Steels in Evaluation Tests for the Detection of Susceptibility to Intergranular Corrosion , 1974 .

[46]  A. Fisher.  New Methods of Simulating Corrosive Plant Conditions In the Laboratory , 1961 .

[47]  M. Indig,et al.  Some Limitations of the Linear Polarization Techniques in Evaluating Corrosion Behavior , 1969 .

[48]  A. L. Thompson,et al.  Some Corrosion Effects in Accelerated Cavitation Damage , 1960 .

[49]  T. E. Larson,et al.  Measurement of the Instantaneous Corrosion Rate By Means of Polarization Data , 1957 .

[50]  F. Mansfeld.  Some Errors in Linear Polarization Measurements and Their Correction , 1974 .

[51]  M. Streicher.  Relationship of Heat Treatment And Microstructure to Corrosion Resistance In Wrought Ni-Cr-Mo Alloys , 1963 .

[52]  W. Schwerdtfeger,et al.  Coatings Formed on Steel by Cathodic Protection And Their Evaluation by Polarization Measurements , 1963 .

[53]  M. Streicher.  The time-factor in potentiostatic studies of intergranular corrosion of austenitic stainless steels , 1969 .

[54]  E. J. Warlow-Davies,et al.  Fretting Corrosion and Fatigue Strength: Brief Results of Preliminary Experiments: , 1941 .

[55]  J. Dawson,et al.  Electrochemical Studies of the Passive Film on 316 Stainless Steel in Chloride Media , 1985 .

[56]  J. Mayne,et al.  The oxidation of iron at room temperature , 1965 .

[57]  V. Pingel,et al.  A Micro Solution‐Potential Measuring Technique , 1951 .

[58]  B. E. Wilde,et al.  The Variable Corrosion Resistance of 18Cr-8Ni Stainless Steels: Behavior of Commercial Alloys , 1969 .

[59]  J. M. West,et al.  Mechano-chemical anodic dissolution of austenitic stainless steel in hot chloride solution , 1962, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

[60]  R. Malpas,et al.  Corrosion of stainless steels in natural, transported, and artificial seawaters , 1988 .

[61]  R. Wood,et al.  The Synergistic Effect of Cavitation Erosion and Corrosion for Copper and Cupro-Nickel in Seawater , 1989 .

[62]  Norio Sato,et al.  Stochastic Process of Chloride Pit Generation in Passive Stainless Steel , 1976 .

[63]  R. Bakish,et al.  Selective Corrosion of Inconel , 1960 .

[64]  J. K. Dennis,et al.  Nickel and chromium plating , 1972 .

[65]  L. Tronstad.  The investigation of thin surface films on metals by means of reflected polarized light , 1933 .

[66]  J. Pearson.  “Null” Methods Applied to Corrosion Measurements , 1942 .

[67]  B. E. Wilde,et al.  Electrode Mounting For Potentiostatic Anodic Polarization Studies , 1965 .

[68]  Newton Gaines,et al.  A Magnetostriction Oscillator Producing Intense Audible Sound and Some Effects Obtained , 1932 .

[69]  D. A. Vermilyea,et al.  Intergranular Corrosion of Austenitic Stainless Steel , 1971 .

[70]  G. Butler,et al.  The influence of movement and temperature on the corrosion of mild steel. I. Water circulation apparatus and tests in teddington mains water , 2007 .

[71]  T. Hoar.  On the relation between corrosion rate and polarization resistance , 1967 .

[72]  M. Streicher.  General and Intergranular Corrosion of Austenitic Stainless Steels in Acids Effect of Cations in the Acids and the lnfluence of Heat Treatment and Grain Size of the Steel , 1959 .

[73]  K. Nobe,et al.  Electrochemical Characteristics of Iron in H 2 SO 4 Containing Benzotriazole , 1971 .

[74]  David E. Williams,et al.  Stochastic Models of Pitting Corrosion of Stainless Steels I . Modeling of the Initiation and Growth of Pits at Constant Potential , 1985 .

[75]  Anton deS. Brasunas,et al.  Liquid Metal Corrosion , 1953 .

[76]  U. R. Evans,et al.  The mechanism of corrosion fatigue of mild steel , 1947, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

[77]  F. Mansfeld.  Simultaneous Determination of Instantaneous Corrosion Rates and Tafel Slopes from Polarization Resistance Measurements , 1973 .

[78]  L. W. Gleekman,et al.  Massive De-Aluminization of Aluminum Bronze By Chloride Crevice Attack , 1961 .

[79]  R. R. Hartwell,et al.  Steel Surface Properties Affect Internal Corrosion Performance of Tin Plate Containers , 1956 .

[80]  W. Schwerdtfeger.  Corrosion Rates of Ferrous Alloys (Fe-Cr and Fe-Cr-Si) Measured by Polarization Technique , 1963 .

[81]  H. Borgstedt,et al.  Kohlenstoffaustausch zwischen Stahl und Natrium als Korrosionserscheinung , 1990 .

[82]  J. V. Fraunhofer,et al.  Potentiostat and its applications , 1972 .

[83]  J. Kruger.  The Oxide Films Formed on Copper Single Crystal Surfaces in Pure Water I . Nature of the Films Formed at Room Temperature , 1959 .

[84]  A. Mercer.  Test methods for corrosion inhibitors: report prepared for the European Federation of Corrosion Working Party on Inhibitors , 1985 .

[85]  P. Novák,et al.  Testing the Susceptibility of Stainless Steel to Intergranular Corrosion by a Reactivation Method , 1975 .

[86]  Yuzo Hosoi,et al.  Electrochemical Reduction of Thick Rust Layers Formed on Steel Surfaces , 1970 .

[87]  K. A. Chandler,et al.  Corrosion-Resistant Low-Alloy Steels: A Review with Particular Reference to Atmospheric Conditions in the United Kingdom , 1970 .

[88]  B. E. Wilde.  A Critical Appraisal of Some Popular Laboratory Electrochemical Tests for Predicting the Localized Corrosion Resistance of Stainless Alloys in Sea Water , 1972 .

[89]  H. Takenouti,et al.  Use of impedance measurements for the determination of the instant rate of metal corrosion , 1972 .

[90]  B. E. Wilde,et al.  On the Correspondence between Electrochemical and Chemical Accelerated Pitting Corrosion Tests , 1970 .

[91]  D. Macdonald,et al.  Impedance studies of the growth of porous magnetite films on carbon steel in high temperature aqueous systems , 1983 .

[92]  J. C. Rowlands,et al.  Determination of Corrosion Rates Using Polarisation Resistance Measurements and Some Practical Applications , 1972 .

[93]  H. Feuerstein,et al.  Compatibility of metals and alloys in liquid Pb17Li at temperatures up to 650°C , 1988 .

[94]  M. Stern,et al.  Electrochemical Polarization I . A Theoretical Analysis of the Shape of Polarization Curves , 1957 .

[95]  S. Barnartt.  Tafel Slopes for Iron Corrosion in Acidic Solutions , 1971 .

[96]  H. Takenouti,et al.  A Coupling between Charge Transfer and Mass Transport Leading to Multi-Steady-States. Application to Localized Corrosion , 1975 .

[97]  J. Edwards.  Accelerated Corrosion Testing of Chromium-Plated Articles—Sulphur Dioxide Test , 1957 .

[98]  B. E. Wilde,et al.  An Automatic Polarization Apparatus for Electrochemical Corrosion Studies , 1969 .

[99]  D. Jones,et al.  Electrochemical Detection of Localized Corrosion , 1969 .

[100]  J. K. Dennis,et al.  Investigations into Corrosion Resistance of Decorative Nickel and Chromium Electrodeposits , 1963 .

[101]  H. Copson.  Galvanic Corrosion of Steel Coupled to Nickel. , 1945 .

[102]  A. Fisher,et al.  Laboratory Methods for Determining Corrosion Rates Under Heat Flux Conditions , 1959 .

[103]  S. Mori,et al.  An Electrochemical-Statistical Study of the Effect of Chemical Environment on the Corrosion Behavior of Mild Steel , 1970 .

[104]  K. D. Efird.  The Synergistic Effect of Ns and Fe on the Sea Water Corrosion of Copper Alloys , 1977 .

[105]  M. Walker,et al.  Linear Polarization Measurements In the Study of Corrosion Inhibition , 1963 .

[106]  D. Jones.  Polarization in high resistivity media , 1968 .

[107]  J. Hudson.  The application of electrical resistance measurements to the study of the atmospheric corrosion of metals , 1927 .