Tipos de Corrosión

GENERAL WASTAGE OF MATERIAL UNIFORM CORROSION.

This term describes the more or less uniform wastage of material by corrosion, with no pitting or other
forms of local attack. If the corrosion of a material can be considered to be uniform the life of the material
in service can be predicted from experimentally determined corrosion rates.

Corrosion rates are usually expressed as a penetration rate in inches per year, or mills per year (mpy) (where
a mill D 10 _3 inches). They are also expressed as a weight loss in milligrams per square decimetre per day
(mdd). In corrosion testing, the corrosion rate is measured by the reduction in weight of a specimen of
known area over a fixed period of time.

GALVANIC CORROSION DISSIMILAR METALS IN CONTACT.

If dissimilar metals are placed in contact, in an electrolyte, the corrosion rate of the anodic metal will be
increased, as the metal lower in the electrochemical series will readily act as a cathode. The galvanic series
in sea water for some of the more commonly used metals is shown in Table 7.4. Some metals under certain
conditions form a natural protective film; for example, stainless steel in oxidising environments. This state
is denoted by “passive” in the series shown in Table 7.4; active indicates the absence of the protective film.

Minor shifts in position in the series can be expected in other electrolytes, but the series for sea water is a
good indication of the combinations of metals to be avoided. If metals which are widely separated in the
galvanic series have to be used together, they should be insulated from each other, breaking the conducting
circuit. Alternatively, if sacrificial loss of the anodic material can be accepted, the thickness of this material
can be increased to allow for the increased rate of corrosion. The corrosion rate will depend on the relative
areas of the anodic and cathodic metals. A high cathode to anode area should be avoided.

Sacrificial anodes are used to protect underground steel pipes.

PITTING LOCALISED ATTACK.
Pitting is the term given to very localised corrosion that forms pits in the metal surface. If a material is
liable to pitting penetration can occur prematurely and corrosion rate data are not a reliable guide to the
equipment life.

Pitting can be caused by a variety of circumstances; any situation that causes a localized increase in
corrosion rate may result in the formation of a pit. In an aerated medium the oxygen concentration will be
lower at the bottom of a pit, and the bottom will be anodic to the surrounding metal, causing increased
corrosion and deepening of the pit. A good surface finish will reduce this type of attack. Pitting can also
occur if the composition of the metal is not uniform; for example, the presence of slag inclusions in welds.
The impingement of bubbles can also cause pitting, the effect of cavitation in pumps, which
is an example of erosion-corrosion.

INTERGRANULAR CORROSION
Intergranular corrosion is the preferential corrosion of material at the grain (crystal) boundaries. Though
the loss of material will be small, intergranular corrosion can cause the catastrophic failure of equipment.
Intergranular corrosion is a common form of attack on alloys but occurs rarely with pure metals. The attack
is usually caused by a differential couple being set up between impurities existing at the grain boundary.
Impurities will tend to accumulate at the grain boundaries after heat treatment. The classic example of
intergranular corrosion in chemical plant is the weld decay of unestablished stainless
steel. This is caused by the precipitation of chromium carbides at the grain boundaries in a zone adjacent
to the weld, where the temperature has been between 500 800 Ž C during welding. Weld decay can be
avoided by annealing after welding, if practical; or by using low carbon grades (<0.3 per cent C); or grades
stabilised by the addition of titanium or niobium.

STRESS CORROSION.
Corrosion rate and the form of attack can be changed if the material is under stress. Generally, the rate of
attack will not change significantly within normal design stress values. However, for some combinations
of metal, corrosive media and temperature, the phenomenon called stress cracking can occur. This is the
general name given to a form f attack in which cracks are produced that grow rapidly, and can cause
premature, brittle failure, of the metal. The conditions necessary for stress corrosion cracking to occur are:

1. Simultaneous stress and corrosion.

2. A specific corrosive substance; in particular the presence of Cl _ ,OH _ ,NO _ 3,or NH +4 ions.

EROSION CORROSION.
The term erosion-corrosion is used to describe the increased rate of attack caused by a combination of
erosion and corrosion. If a fluid stream contains suspended particles, or where there is high velocity or
turbulence, erosion will tend to remove the products of corrosion and any protective film, and the rate of
attack will be markedly increased.
If erosion is likely to occur, more resistant materials must be specified, or the material surface protected in
some way. For example, plastics inserts are used to prevent erosion orrosion at the inlet to heat-exchanger
tubes.

CORROSION FATIGUE.
HIGH TEMPERATURE OXIDATION.
Corrosion is normally associated with aqueous solutions but oxidation can occur in dry conditions. Carbon
and low alloy steels will oxidise rapidly at high temperatures and their use is limited to temperatures below
500 °C.
Chromium is the most effective alloying element to give resistance to oxidation, forming a tenacious oxide
film. Chromium alloys should be specified for equipment subject to temperatures above 500 °C in oxidising
atmospheres.

HYDROGEN EMBRITTLEMENT
Hydrogen embrittlement is the name given to the loss of ductility caused by the absorption (and reaction)
of hydrogen in a metal. It is of particular importance when specifying steels for use in hydrogen reforming
plant. Alloy steels have a greater resistance to hydrogen embrittlement than the plain carbon steels. A chart
showing the suitability of various alloy steels for use in hydrogen atmospheres, as a function of hydrogen
partial pressure and temperature, is given in the NACE (1974) corrosion data survey. Below 500 °C plain
carbon steel can be used.