The effect of environmental and meteorological variables on atmospheric corrosion of carbon steel, copper, zinc and aluminium in a limited geographic zone with different types of environment

Abstract

Carbon steel, copper, zinc and aluminium test pieces were exposed to a large variety of environmental conditions in a reduced geographic area close to the coastline in order to ascertain the degree of deterioration of the same due to environmental corrosion. Calculations of corrosion rates were made via loss of weight (in the case of carbon steel, zinc and copper) and analysis of surface deterioration (in the case of aluminium) together with X-ray diffraction analyses. The levels of chlorides, SO2 and time of wetness were also registered in order to be able to correlate the data with respect to corrosion rate with the environmental and meteorological parameters, using the potential law and a modified version of the same. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.