Pitting Corrosion

Pitting corrosion is a localized form of corrosion

by which cavities or "holes" are produced in the
material. Pitting is considered to be more
dangerous than uniform corrosion damage
because it is more difficult to detect, predict and
design against. Corrosion products often cover
the pits. A small, narrow pit with minimal
overall metal loss can lead to the failure of an
entire engineering system. Pitting corrosion,
which, for example, is almost a common
denominator of all types of localized corrosion Post-examination should reveal the local cathode, since
it will remain impervious to the corrosion attack.
attack, may assume different shapes. Pitting
corrosion can produce pits with their mouth
open (uncovered) or covered with a semi-
permeable membrane of corrosion products. Pits
can be either hemispherical or cup-shaped

Pitting corrosion is a localized form of corrosion by which cavities or "holes" are produced in the material.
Pitting is considered to be more dangerous than uniform corrosion damage because it is more difficult to
detect, predict and design against. Corrosion products often cover the pits. A small, narrow pit with
minimal overall metal loss can lead to the failure of an entire engineering system. Pitting corrosion, which,
for example, is almost a common denominator of all types of localized corrosion attack, may assume
different shapes.

Pitting corrosion can produce pits with their m

outh open (uncovered) or covered with a semi-permeable membrane of corrosion products. Pits can be
either hemispherical or cup-shaped

Pitting is initiated by:

a. Localized chemical or mechanical damage to the protective oxide film; water chemistry factors which
can cause breakdown of a passive film are acidity, low dissolved oxygen concentrations (which tend to
render a protective oxide film less stable) and high concentrations of chloride (as in seawater)

b. Localized damage to, or poor application of, a protective coating

c. The presence of non-uniformities in the metal structure of the component, e.g. nonmetallic inclusions.

Theoretically, a local cell that leads to the initiation of a pit can be caused by an abnormal anodic site
surrounded by normal surface which acts as a cathode, or by the presence of an abnormal cathodic site
surrounded by a normal surface in which a pit will have disappeared due to corrosion.

In the second case, post-examination should reveal the local cathode, since it will remain impervious to
the corrosion attack as in the picture of an aluminum specimen shown on the right. Most cases of pitting
are believed to be caused by local cathodic sites in an otherwise normal surface.

Apart from the localized loss of thickness, corrosion pits can also be harmful by acting as stress risers.
Fatigue and stress corrosion cracking may initiate at the base of corrosion pits. One pit in a large system
can be enough to produce the catastrophic failure of that system. An extreme example of such
catastrophic failure happened recently in Mexico, where a single pit in a gasoline line running over a
sewer line was enough to create great havoc to a city, killing 215 people in Guadalajara.

Some definitions:

Pitting: corrosion of a metal surface, confined to a point or small area, that takes the form of cavities. *

Pitting factor: ratio of the depth of the deepest pit resulting from corrosion divided by the average
penetration as calculated from weight loss. *

Pitting resistance equivalent number (PREN): an empirical relationship to predict the pitting resistance of
austenitic and duplex stainless steels. It is expressed as PREN = Cr + 3.3 (Mo + 0.5 W) + 16N.

Types of Pitting Corrosion:

Trough Pits
Narrow, deep Shallow, wide Elliptical Vertical grain attack

Sideway Pits

Subsurface Undercutting Horizontal grain attack

 Different Types of Corrosion
- Recognition, Mechanisms & Prevention
Crevice Corrosion
Recognition
What is crevice corrosion? Crevice Corrosion refers to the
localized attack on a metal surface at, or immediately adjacent
to, the gap or crevice between two joining surfaces. The gap or
crevice can be formed between two metals or a metal and non-
metallic material. Outside the gap or without the gap, both
metals are resistant to corrosion.

The damage caused by crevice corrosion is normally confined

to one metal at localized area within or close to the joining
surfaces.

In this photo, a type 316 stainless steel tube and tube sheet from a heat exchanger in a seawater re
osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant suffered crevice corrosion due to the presence of crevice (gap)
between the tube and tube sheet.

Mechanisms
What causes crevice corrosion? Crevice corrosion is initiated by a difference in concentration of so
chemical constituents, usually oxygen, which set up an electrochemical concentration cell
(differentialaeration cell in the case of oxygen). Outside of the crevice (the cathode), the oxygen co
and the pH are higher - but chlorides are lower.

Chlorides concentrate inside the crevice (the anode), worsening the situation. Ferrous ions form fe
chloride and attack the stainless steel rapidly. The pH and the oxygen content are lower in the crev
than in the bulk water solution, just as they are inside a pit. The pH inside the crevice may be as low
a neutral solution. Once a crevice has formed, the propagation mechanism for crevice corrosion is t
same as for pitting corrosion.
The major factors influencing crevice corrosion
are:
 crevice type: metal-to-metal, metal-to-
non-metal
 crevice geometry: gap size, depth,
surface roughness
 material: alloy composition (e.g. Cr, Mo),
structure
 environment: pH, temperature, halide
ions, oxygen
A material's resistance to crevice corrosion is
usually evaluated and ranked using the critical
crevice temperature (CCT) in accordance with
the ASTM Standard G48-03: Standard Test Methods for Pitting and Crevice Corrosion of Stainless St
and Alloys by Use of FeCl3. The critical crevice temperature is the minimum temperature (°C) to pro
crevice attack and CCT is usually lower than the critical pitting temperature (CPT).

Prevention
How to prevent crevice corrosion? Crevice corrosion can be designed out of the system
 Use welded butt joints instead of riveted or bolted joints in new equipment
 Eliminate crevices in existing lap joints by continuous welding or soldering
 Avoid creating stagnant conditions and ensure complete drainage in vessels
 Use solid, non-absorbent gaskets such as Teflon.
 Use higher alloys (ASTM G48) for increased resistance to crevice corrosion

For more details

More details on crevice corrosion are included in the following corrosion courses which you can tak
in-house training courses, course-on-demand, online courses or distance learning courses:
Corrosion and Its Prevention (5-day module)
Corrosion and Its Prevention (2-day module)
Corrosion Testing and Monitoring Made Easy: -Techniques and Applications (3)
Corrosion, Metallurgy, Failure Analysis and Prevention (5 days)
Marine Corrosion, Causes and Prevention (2 days)
Materials Selection and Corrosion (5 days)
Stainless Steels and Alloys: Why They Resist Corrosion and How They Fail (2 days)
Corrosion Control and Prevention in Seawater Desalination Plants (1 day)