Inspector Knowledge Series 03-0: An Introduction to Corrosion

Corrosion can be defined as the degradation of a material due to a reaction with its environment. Degradation implies deterioration of physical properties of the material. This can be a weakening of the material due to a loss of cross-sectional area, it can be the shattering of a metal due to hydrogen embitterment, or it can be the cracking of a polymer due to sunlight exposure. Materials can be metals, polymers (plastics, rubbers, etc.), ceramics (concrete, brick, etc.) or composites-mechanical mixtures of two or more materials with different properties. Because metals are the most used type of structural materials most of this book will be devoted to the corrosion of metals. Most corrosion of metals is electrochemical in nature. Corrosion can be broadly classified into wet aqueous and dry high temperature corrosion.This study material deals only on wet
corrosion.