Copper Alloys: Corrosion

Abstract

In nature copper is found as a pure metal. It is low in the reactivity series which make copper not tending to corrode. The resistance to corrode combined with other desirable properties, such as thermal and electrical conductivity, ease of fabrication, and low cost, results in their wide commercial use in such environments applications. Mixing copper with other metal result in excellent copper alloy properties made copper more important. Copper alloys developed for highly specialized applications with desirable characteristics on their composition. This paper reviews the corrosion mechanisms of copper and copper alloys to provide a foundation for understanding the corrosion behavior of copper alloys which is important for the design of new copper alloys with enhanced corrosion properties. In considering copper and its alloys for such applications the cautious selection of the appropriate copper alloy, based on an understanding of the nature of the process streams, will prevent local failure of the equipment by phenomena such as dealloying or stress corrosion cracking. Some cases of copper corrosion resistance were highlighted such as atmospheric exposure, soil, water, oxidation, and hydrogen embrittlement.