Corrosion Protection of Steel

Shruti Sinha Barch/1028/2010

CONTENT
What is corrosion and its process? Corrosion in steel What affects the rate of Corrosion? Types of corrosion

Corrosion protection methods

Bibliography

The corrosion process

What is it?
The chemical or electrochemical reaction between a material and its environments that produces a deterioration of the material and its properties is called Corrosion.

Corrosion in Steel
Most corrosion of steel can be considered as an electrochemical process that occurs in stages. Initial attack occurs at anodic areas on the surface, where ferrous ions go into solution. Electrons are released from the anode and move through the metallic structure to the adjacent cathodic sites on the surface where they combine with oxygen and water to form hydroxyl ions. These react with the ferrous ions from the anode to produce ferrous hydroxide which itself is further oxidised in air to produce hydrated ferric oxide; red rust. The sum of these reactions can be described by the following equation:4Fe + 302 + 2H20 = 2Fe203.H20 (Iron/Steel) + (Oxygen) + (Water) = Rust

 Two important points emerge from this: For iron and steel to corrode it is necessary to have the simultaneous presence of water and oxygen. In the absence of either, corrosion does not occur. All corrosion occurs at the anode; no corrosion occurs at the cathode. From this it can be seen that for iron and steel to corrode it is necessary to have the simultaneous presence of water and oxygen. In the absence of either, corrosion does not occur.

What affects the rate of corrosion?

The principle factors that determine the rate of corrosion of steel in air are the time of wetness and the presence of atmospheric pollution typically present as suplhates and chlorides. Both sulphates and chlorides increase corrosion rates. They react with the surface of the steel to produce soluble salts of iron that can concentrate in pits and are themselves corrosive.

Types of Corrosion
Uniform Corrosion Pitting Corrosion Crevice Corrosion Galvanic Corrosion Fretting Corrosion Stress Intergranular Bacterial Erosion

Uniform Corrosion
It is characterized by a corrosive attack proceeding evenly over the entire surface area or a large fraction of the total area. A general thinning of the section takes place until the failure.

Pitting Corrosion
It is a localized form of corrosion resulting in the cavities in the surface of steel. It is more dangerous than Uniform corrosion since it is more difficult to detect.

Crecive Corrosion
It is a localized form of corrosion, usually associated with stagnant water in crevices(shielded areas) such as those formed under gaskets, washers, insulation materials, etc.

Galvanic Corrosion
Corrosion damage occurs when two dissimilar metals are coupled in a corrosive electrolyte.

Fretting Corrosion
Refers to the corrosion damage that occurs at the interface of two highly loaded surfaces that are not designed to move against each other. Most commonly caused because of vibration.

Corrosion Protection Methods

Coated SteelGalvanized
Galvanizing structural steel is another popular method used to protect the steel. During the galvanizing process, the steel is immersed in pickling acid, flux and finally in molten zinc. Common recommended procedures to avoid the build up of pressure are to either seal the liquids out of crevices and pockets or provide vent holes in the steel assembly to permit liquids to drain.

Weathering Steel
The use of weathering steel is a popular outdoor corrosion protection method With weathering steel, a protective patina forms on the surface of the steel that prevents corrosion. Weathering steel works well in most environmental conditions. However, it is not as effective in areas of aggressive chemistry, in tunnel like conditions (constant moisture in the air), immersed water conditions (consistently wet), and routine salt environments (coastal conditions).

 Weathering steels are high strength, low alloy weldable structural steels that possess good weather resistance in many atmospheric conditions without the need for protective coatings. They contain up to 2.5% of alloying elements, e.g. chromium, copper, nickel and phosphorous. On exposure to air, under suitable conditions, they form an adherent protective rust patina. This acts as a protective layer that, with time, causes the corrosion rate to reduce until it reaches a low terminal level, usually between 2-5 years.

This photo provides an example of two popular corrosion protection systemspainting and the use of weathering steel.

Hot Dip Galvanizing

The most common method of applying a metal coating to structural steel is by hot-dip galvanizing. Following surface preparation as described earlier the galvanizing process involves the following stages: i. The cleaned steel is immersed in a fluxing agent to ensure good contact between the steel and zinc during the galvanizing process. ii. The cleaned and fluxed steel is dipped into a bath of molten zinc at a temperature of about 450C. At this temperature, the steel reacts with the molten zinc to form a series of zinc/iron alloys integral with the steel surface. iii. As the steel workpiece is removed from the bath, a layer of relatively pure zinc is deposited on top of the alloy layers.

Coated SteelPainted
Painting is the principle method of protecting structural steelwork from corrosion. Paints are made by mixing, pigments (the coloured part), binders (the film forming component) and the solvent (which dissolves the binder). Paints are usually applied one coat on top of another and each coat has a specific function or purpose. The primer is applied directly onto the cleaned steel surface. Its purpose is to wet the surface and to provide good adhesion for subsequently applied coats. In the case of primers for steel surfaces, these are also usually required to provide corrosion inhibition. The finishing coats provide the first line of defence against the environment and also determine the final appearance in terms of gloss, colour, etc.

Impressed Current Method

A low voltage direct current is applied to the steel structure from a rectifier. The positive terminal of the rectifier is connected to an electrode installed underwater or underground, and the negetive terminal is connected to the steel structure to be protected. The electric current density can be controlled according to the rate of corrotion. The electrodes do not need frequent replacements. The impressed current method is thus well suited to large piers that require semi-permanent protection.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.steelconstruction.info/Corrosion_protec tion http://www.engineering.uiowa.edu/~swan/courses /53086/Corrosion_Protection.pdf http://www.cortecvci.com/Publications/Papers/Vp CIPolymerAdditives/DAFLOU%20BATIS%20VpCI%20_ 2_.pdf Guide-to-protection-of-steel-against-corrosion (PDF)

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