Semi-Quantitative Categorization Method for the Corrosion Behavior of Metals Based on Immersion Test

Abstract

Corrosion processes are complex in nature and their studies have become an interdisciplinary research field, combining fundamental sciences and engineering. As the quantification of corrosion processes is affected by many variables, standard guidelines to study such phenomena had been developed, such as ASME and ISO, and are broadly used in industry and academics. They describe methods to perform immersion test experiments and to quantify the corrosion rates of metals exposed to corrosive environments, but do not provide any guidelines for post-exposure analysis of the as-obtained corroded samples, which might provide useful information to understand the underlying physicochemical mechanisms of corrosion. This knowledge is useful for selecting optimal construction materials and developing corrosion prevention strategies. In this work, a semi-quantitative categorization method of the corrosion behavior of metals exposed to a corrosive medium based on their mass loss and aspect is presented. For each category, the mathematical aspects of gravimetric measurements of mass change rate and the analytical techniques that can be used for the characterization of materials are discussed. The following method does not intend to replace industrial standards, but to expand them in order to maximize the amount of information that can be extracted from immersion tests.