Corrosion Behavior of WC-Co in High Sulphate Content

Abstract

Cermet alloys are a combination of ceramic and metal. Therefore, cermets exist in high corrosion resistance in aqueous media. However, because of the nature of cermet alloys, which have a metal and ceramic composition, the corrosion rate is complex to identify. The corrosion attack could be assessed by calculating the corrosion rate or through electrochemistry evaluation. Generally, the corrosiveness of media increased as the anions contents increased. This paper presents the corrosion mechanism of cobalt tungsten-carbide (WC-Co) exposed to a high concentration of sulphate in the salinity of seawater. The solution (media) was prepared according to the same composition as seawater including pH, salinity and dissolved oxygen. The corrosion rate was then identified and the corrosion mechanism revealed. The corrosion rate was identified at 4°C, 20°C, 50°C and 80°C and compared with the corrosion rate of WC-Co in seawater. The results revealed that sulphate has an inhibiting effect that minimises the corrosion attack on WC-Co. The corrosion rate decreased as the sulphate content in seawater increased, and an increase in the temperature increased the corrosion attack on WC-Co.