Aggressive Environments Research Articles

Utilizing Electrochemical Techniques for Assessing the Probability of Concrete Resistivity and Corrosion Potential in Reinforced Concrete Structures

Corrosion of reinforcing steel is a major durability issue for reinforced concrete structures exposed to aggressive environments. Early assessment of corrosion probability is important for effective maintenance planning. This study investigates the application of non-destructive electrochemical methods like concrete resistivity and half-cell potential measurement, along with integrated assessment and advanced techniques, for evaluating corrosion risk in reinforced concrete. Concrete specimens with and without Albizia amara resin coating were subjected to accelerated corrosion testing. Concrete resistivity and half-cell potential values showed an inverse correlation, with lower resistivity indicating higher corrosion risk. Resistivity and potential results for the coated samples exhibited intermediate values compared to the control and corroded samples, demonstrating the resin's partial passivating effects. Rebar diameter measurements before and after exposure confirmed corrosion led to reductions in diameter and cross-sectional area, which coating mitigated. Statistical analysis validated the significant impacts of original bar diameter and corrosion level on subsequent geometry changes. Mechanical testing of reinforcing steel bars found the control samples had the highest strength and ductility, while the coated bars exhibited properties closer to the controls than the corroded bars. The protective capabilities of the bio-based Albizia amara resin coating were validated through multipoint monitoring of material durability parameters. Overall, results demonstrated the effectiveness of integrated electrochemical testing with non-destructive techniques for comprehensive condition assessment and corrosion risk evaluation in reinforced concrete structures

Luminescence thermometry based on negative thermal expansion host matrices

In practical applications involving high temperatures in oxides and oxide-based structures, challenges such as flames and aggressive environments are common. Turbine engines, where oxide coatings are crucial, face difficulties in temperature measurement due to rapid part motion. The emergence of luminescence thermometry offers advantages in such scenarios and has been studied extensively. However, thermal quenching (TQ) of luminescence happening at such conditions limits the use of phosphor materials as luminescence thermometers for high-temperature sensing, thereby restricting the achievement of sufficient sensitivities and temperature resolutions. Thus, thermally stable phosphors, or more favorably phosphors with anti-TQ of luminescence, have been explored to address TQ issues of luminescence thermometry in recent years. Particularly, phosphors based on negative thermal expansion (NTE) as host matrices have shown feasibility in luminescence thermometry at temperatures exceeding 600 °C. This review focuses on NTE-based phosphors, addressing their luminescent properties and analytical techniques for extending the temperature measurement range. The aim of this review is for better understanding of the structural changes with temperature of NTE-based phosphors, assessing their potential for temperature sensing in harsh conditions, and ultimately encouraging researchers to explore new NTE-based phosphors.

Production of effective materials on the basis of sulfuric acid industry wastes

Introduction. Solving the urgent problem of the production of special concretes using certain varieties of substandard natural raw materials and a number of industrial wastes will support introducing the principles of resource saving and improving the technological features of production.Aim. To make a comprehensive assessment of the impact of sulfuric acid production wastes and substandard natural clay raw materials on the production of high-quality and durable concretes for special purposes.Materials and methods. Easily fusible clay rocks serve as a raw material for the production of expanded clay gravel. Organic (solar oil) and ferruginous (pyrite cinders) additives were used. X-ray analysis was carried out to determine the crystalline phases in the clay of the Nikolskoe oil-field, in the resulting expanded clay gravel, as well as to analyze the factory bulk samples of pyrite cinders. A tubular electric furnace was used for firing in a two-stage mode of 700 and 1100 °C to obtain high-strength expanded clay gravel under laboratory conditions. The research involved studying parameters of phosphate binder formation and properties of iron phosphate concrete based on H3PO4 and sulfuric acid industry wastes – pyrite cinders.Results. It was found that Nikolskoye field clay forms a good raw material for the production of high-strength heavy expanded clay gravel with a strength of up to 550 kg/cm2, water absorption of 1.5 % and resistance to aggressive environments, thereby making it suitable for manufacturing special concretes. The results obtained specify the test methods and technical requirements, control methods and product acceptance rules, thus improving the quality and durability of the concretes considered.Conclusions. The investigated non-bloating clay can be used with organic and ferruginous additives to obtain high-strength expanded clay gravel for the manufacture of structural concretes. A mixed iron phosphate binder serves for producing heat-resistant concretes for linings of melting and casting units in non-ferrous metallurgy with high resistance and durability.

Robustness and diversity of disordered structures on sound absorption and deformation resistance

Biostructures exhibit excellent physical properties, such as sound absorption, compression resistance, and fatigue resistance. These properties of the same species are robust in the same environment and diverse in distinct environments. Unlocking the robustness and diversity of biostructural properties will provide high flexibility in the design of engineering structures in different scenarios. However, biostructures are usually disordered in their geometries, and the complexity of geometric disorders creates an obstacle for scientists to understand the mechanisms behind the robustness and diversity of biostructures. Here, the acoustic and mechanical properties of artificially disordered structures are utilized to reproduce such robustness and diversity. We unravel that the robustness and diversity of probabilistically physical properties are determined by the statistical characteristics of the geometries of disordered structures and reveal that the acoustic absorptions of disordered structures are highly consistent even under serious loading. This work demonstrates a new approach for the design of disordered engineering structures whose properties are robustness and diversity against aggressive environments.

Influence of electrochemical machining on shape memory and surface characteristics of nickel-titanium-cobalt shape memory alloy: An experimental study

ABSTRACT Electro-chemical machining (ECM) can safely be categorized as being a unique unconventional machining technique, in which the role of thermal defects are not involved. The NiTiCo shape memory alloy has high yield strength coupled with good resistance to aggressive aqueous environments, which makes it a potential candidate for use in several bio-medical applications. This research concentrates on electro-chemical machining of a NiTiCo alloy. Taguchi’s Design of Experiment (DOE) containing three-parameters and three-factors was used to conduct the experimental study. The influence of concentration of the sodium chloride electrolyte, voltage, and frequency on output characteristics, such as (i) material removal rate (MRR), (ii) surface roughness (SR), and (iii) over-cut (OC), was analyzed. Experimental outputs revealed the voltage (45.29%) to be the most influential among the three controlling parameter. Grey relational analysis (GRA) was utilized to discover the ideal parametric relation and optimize machining characteristics.

Long-term strength and resistance to chemical aggressive environments of blast furnace slag, pozzolan and limestone ternary cements

In the cement industry, the search for a less expensive binder using mineral additions from industrial by-products or natural resources has become a major concern on the one hand to compensate for the deficit in the manufacture of Portland cement and on the other hand to reduce the environmental impact linked to the massive use of Portland cement. This research aims studying the feasibility to produce ternary cement systems by replacing clinker with a binary combination of two different mineral additions. Two types of ternary cement systems were studied: type A with 65% clinker and 35% (natural pozzolan and limestone), and type B with 65% clinker and 35% (blast furnace slag and limestone), were the combination of mineral additions was 10%+25%, 17,5%+17,5%, and 25%+10%, respectively. Study of mortars (type A or B, and sand) compressive strength at the ages of 28 days, 1 year and 3 years was carried on. Resistance to chemical aggressive environments, namely sulphuric acid (H2SO4) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) solutions, was also studied after an initial 28 days curing and for six months period of immersion, by compressive strength test, weight and pH changes. The effect of aggressive environment on the internal microstructure was also studied by mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP).

Effect of various admixtures on selected mechanical properties of medium viscosity bone cements: Part 2 – Hydroxyapatite

Poly methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) is one of the most widely used polymer composite materials in orthopaedic and trauma surgery. However, this material can change its mechanical properties when exposed to the highly aggressive environment of the human body, which may result in joint implant loosening and thus in a need for revision surgery. Therefore, in recent years, numerous researchers have investigated the effect of adding various particles to PMMA in order to obtain a composite bone cement with enhanced mechanical properties. In our study, we examined the effect of adding different grain sizes of hydroxyapatite (HA) to the commercially available PMMA (Palamed, Heraeus) on the mechanical properties of the fabricated PMMA/HA bone cement composite. Samples were subjected to compressive loading, as this type of load reflects typical conditions in the human body after joint prosthesis implantation. Hydroxyapatite of two different grain sizes was used: 5 µm (HA5) and 10 µm (HA10). Being a naturally occurring bone mineral, hydroxyapatite can improve the biocompatibility of bone cements, which would prolong the total joint replacement (TJR) survival rate. However, when added to PMMA, HA can affect its mechanical properties. In this study, the effects of adding HA was added in 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10 % of dry mass were analysed. Obtained results demonstrated that only the addition of 2 % HA had a significant impact on the mechanical properties of PMMA. The other percentage concentrations had no effect on PMMA properties.

Effect of various admixtures on selected mechanical properties of medium viscosity bone cements: Part 1 – α/β tricalcium phosphate (TCP)

Every year millions of people around the world suffer from joint and bone diseases and require orthopaedic surgery. Owing to its unique properties such as biocompatibility and ability to bond bones with orthopaedic implants, poly methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) is among the most widely used polymer composites for bone cements in orthopaedic and trauma surgery. On the other hand, this material is characterized by low mechanical properties, which can lead to accelerated implant loosening in aggressive environments, such as the human body. Over the years, researchers have studied PMMA, especially its failure mechanism. Various additives to PMMA have been proposed to enhance the mechanical properties of this material. This study investigated the effect of mixing PMMA with α-TCP (PMMA/α-TCP bone cement composite) and β-TCP (PMMA/β-TCP bone cement composite) on its mechanical properties. The study was conducted on commercially available PMMA (Haraeus Palamed) mixed with α-TCP and β-TCP in different concentrations. TCP has bacteriostatic properties and, as a bone compatible material, it stimulates bone regeneration and bone ingrowth, which highly increases the survival rate of PMMA bonding. However, the addition of particles to PMMA can affect mechanical properties of bone cements. In this study, the effects of 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and 10% dry mass concentration of TCP in bone cement on the mechanical properties of PMMA were investigated. Samples were subjected to compressive loading. This loading mode is typical of the human body after joint prosthesis implantation. The analysis involved comparing selected mechanical parameters of samples prepared according to manufacturer’s instructions and of samples prepared with the addition of α-TCP and β-TCP. Results demonstrated that the addition of β-TCP, whose crystals are triangular, did not affect the mechanical properties of PMMA. On the other hand, the addition of more than 3% dry mass α-TCP, the inner structure of which is hexagonal, led to a slight yet significant decrease in the compressive strength of PMMA.

Strategies to enhance the efficacy of FGF2-based therapies for skin wound healing.

Basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2 or bFGF) is critical for optimal wound healing. Experimental studies show that local application of FGF2 is a promising therapeutic approach to stimulate tissue regeneration, including for the treatment of chronic wounds that have a low healing potential or are characterised by a pathologically altered healing process. However, the problem of low efficiency of growth factors application due to their rapid loss of biological activity in the aggressive proteolytic environment of the wound remains. Therefore, ways to preserve the efficacy of FGF2 for wound treatment are being actively developed. This review considers the following strategies to improve the effectiveness of FGF2-based therapy: (1) use of vehicles/carriers for delivery and gradual release of FGF2; (2) chemical modification of FGF2 to increase the stability of the molecule; (3) use of genetic constructs encoding FGF2 for de novo synthesis of protein in the wound. In addition, this review discusses FGF2-based therapeutic strategies that are undergoing clinical trials and demonstrating the efficacy of FGF2 for skin wound healing.

Flexural behaviour of the segmental precast concrete decks post-tensioned by GFRP rods

This paper introduces an innovative post-tensioned segmental concrete deck system internally reinforced and tied with GFRP reinforcements for application in pontoon decks and other deck structures in aggressive marine environments. Utilisation of the GFRP reinforcements in floating concrete structures is essential because of their non-corrosive characteristics. Six large-scale segmental decks following the specifications of Queensland maritime infrastructure were designed, manufactured, and tested to assess the reliability of the new construction system under static flexural loading in the flatwise and edgewise orientations. One segmental deck served as a reference with hand-tight post-tensioning, while the remaining specimens were connected by the GFRP rods with varying levels of post-tensioning. All decks were tested up to failure, allowing for an investigation of their flexural strength, load-strain behaviour, joint opening, and failure mechanism. The results showed that post-tensioning the GFRP rods improves the flexural performance of the segmental decks. The higher the level of post-tensioning, the higher the contact area between the segments at the joint is achieved. A numerical model was developed to understand the detailed mechanism of both flatwise and edgewise specimens. A strain reduction coefficient in the segmental concrete deck under flexure is introduced accounting for the joint presence to reliably calculate the stress in the post-tensioned internal GFRP rod when the concrete in the joint crushes. The system investigated can increase maritime and recreational infrastructure's construction efficiency and provide creative solutions in the GFRP-reinforced concrete structures in the building and construction industry.

The Influence of the Aggressive Medium upon the Degradation of Concrete Structures: Numerical Model of Research

This article discusses the impact of the aggressive environment on the pattern of pore distribution, strength, and mass absorption of investigated samples. For this purpose, a physical and numerical research model has been developed based on Fick’s second law and Zhurcov’s theory. Consequently, computer tomography research revealed that pore redistribution was revealed in test samples due to exposure. The degradation model is proposed assuming that in the first stage of interaction between concrete constructions and aggressive medium, the product of interaction is accumulated in the surface of structures and pores. Interaction products in the form of needle-shaped crystals grow in time and create additional stress in the body of the structure, resulting in partial distribution of the surface of the structure due to the growth. In this state, the excretion of dissolved substances (in the form of citrate and calcium acetate), leaching of Ca(OH)2, and decalcination of CSH lead to a decrease in the strength of cement stone. Based on the developed numerical models, the dependences of aggressive environment impact on the on the parameters of the structure of cement composites at different exposure times were obtained. For the samples obtained during the activation of Portland cement in the electromagnetic mill, energy parameters of the destruction process are 1.85–2.2 times heavier than the control compositions. The samples obtained by activating Portland cement in the electromagnetic mill have a higher susceptibility to an aggressive environment (they absorb 1.8 times more energy per unit of time for structure transformation). However, the higher U-energy barrier (1.85 times greater than the control composition) provides both a longer term of exploitation and a lower kinetics of the change in the strength of the material.

Improving the technology of producing seamless hot‑rolled pipes from stainless steel l80 type 13Cr in the tube rolling workshop

The production of seamless hot‑deformed pipes from martensitic stainless steel with a high chromium content, used under the constant influence of aggressive environments, involves overcoming a series of technological challenges. These challenges are due to the metal’s structural features, such as relatively low plasticity, a narrow temperature range for hot deformation, a tendency to defect formation during rolling, and more intense wear on the rolling tools. The article discusses the main stages of research work on mastering the technology of producing seamless hot‑rolled pipes from stainless steel grade L80 type 13Cr at OJSC “BSW – Management Company of Holding “BMC”. It presents the results and complexities of mastering the technology for producing seamless stainless steel pipes, analyzes the results aimed at reducing the cost of finished products by increasing the durability of piercing mandrels, the resistance of disc saws for cutting blanks, eliminating metal adhesion to the piercing mill’s Dishar discs, increasing the productivity of the rolling line and heat treatment process.

Influence of Starch Admixtures and Silver Colloids Stabilised with Starch Hydrolysates on the Course of Electrochemical Potential Difference of Reinforcing Steel in High-chloride Environment

The purpose of the conducted study was to verify whether the use of concrete admixtures with modified starches and starches modified with stabilised silver colloids affects the course of electrochemical potential difference, and hence corrosion, of reinforcing steel in a chloride environment. In the tests, cross-linked starches and products of acid hydrolysis of starch (dextrins) were used as admixtures. The 1-molar aqueous solution of sodium chloride was used as an aggressive environment. The tests consisted of measuring the potential difference generated in the reinforcement corrosion cell on the surface for a period of 60 days and then assessing the risk of corrosion. The effect of the addition of starch derivatives on the properties of cement paste was investigated through a one-way ANOVA analysis of variance followed by post hoc tests. The test results showed that the use of concrete admixtures with cross-linked starches positively affects the passivation of the steel. The likelihood of reinforcing steel corrosion when using distarch phosphate, acetylated distarch phosphate and acetylated distarch adipate admixtures is less than 5%. The results obtained showed an improved effect on the passivation of reinforcing steel in cement composites. Additionally, concrete samples may have microbicidal properties.

Sustainable bacteria-based self-healing steel fiber reinforced concrete

Self-healing concrete presents an innovative and eco-friendly solution with the potential to reduce maintenance costs through self-activated crack repair. This study examined the effect of varying bacterial content across different environmental conditions. Additionally, the coupling effect between bacteria and steel fiber to enhance the mechanical and physical properties at different ages has been investigated. Bacillus Sphaericus (B. Sphaericus) was incorporated into the concrete at concentrations of 2 × 109 (CFU/ml), and different bacterial percentages selected utilizing calcium lactate as a nutrient source. Bacterial content of 0.0 %, 0.25 %, 1.0 %, and 2.5 %, cured in both fresh water and magnesium sulfate water solution, were tested to examine concrete behavior in harsh environments. Additionally, steel fibers at volume fraction percentages (Vf%) of 1.0 % and 1.5 %, along with 1.0 % bacterial content, were tested to highlight their combined effect. Tests were conducted at different ages to measure compressive, tensile, and flexural strengths. In addition, SEM and EDS analyses for cracked and uncracked specimens were performed. The results showed a significant increase in the long-term compressive, tensile, and flexural strengths at 180 days by 47 %, 80 %, and 50 %, respectively, with a bacterial content of 2.5 %. Moreover, the incorporation of steel fibers, 1.0 % and 1.5 % content, in the bacterial concrete resulted in a long-term compressive strength increase at 180 days by 45 % and 55 %, respectively with 1.0 % bacterial content, compared to 15 % and 27 % for 0 % bacteria. Curing in sulfate-rich water, concrete specimens exhibited increasing compressive strength at 180 days from 47 MPa for 0 % bacteria to 77 MPa with 2.5 % bacteria content. Despite lower initial strength of 29 MPa at 7 days, bacterial incorporation led to significant strength improvements, highlighting effective self-healing even in aggressive curing environments.

Mastering the complex time-scale interaction during Stress Corrosion Cracking phenomena through an advanced coupling scheme

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) failure is a multi-physics phenomena and is usually modelled at the microstructural level, which includes mechanical, chemical, and electrochemical contributions. In aggressive corrosive environments, materials prone to localized corrosion, can suffer heavy pitting corrosion. Subsequently, pit-to-crack transition events might be initiated. Respective mechanical assisted pitting corrosion propagation processes are determined by mechanical, chemical, and electrochemical properties as well as transport properties of ions at grain boundaries. Variations in the electrolyte exposure conditions (including the kinetics at the solid–liquid interface), different mechanical loading scenarios, grain-specific crystal anisotropies, and other local factors combine to produce a highly complex SCC-type interaction scenario at various time and length scales. Since corrosion is a slow process whereas brittle fracture is a rapid failure mechanism, the individual domain discretization-based solvers need to use distinct time steps and appropriate solver settings to become capable to accurately simulate such coupled events. In order to address the issues that arise while accounting for scaling effects in both time and space, and retaining coupled mechanistic interplay and including the aspects specified earlier, a sophisticated modelling method is necessary for the analysis of structural failure by SCC. In this work, a partitioned multi-physics computational approach is presented, using two separate single physics solvers coupled by the open-source coupling library preCICE. In the proposed computational setup, two separate software environments are used, with dedicated solver settings and different time steps, to simulate the mechanical fracture and dissolution-driven pitting corrosion for various loading and corrosion conditions, while also taking into account the effects of microstructural anisotropy. For a 2D polycrystalline model representing face-centered-cubic (fcc) material systems, selected numerical experiments are conducted that predict the evolution of fracture and crack path resulting from SCC. The framework has been further extended to simulate 3D problems as well. The corresponding results are evaluated to show the applicability of the proposed methodology.

In Situ Thermal Interactions of Cu-Based Anti-Corrosion Coatings on Steel Implemented by Surface Alloying

Incorporating expensive alloying elements into bulk steel for corrosion protection is undesirable, considering that only the surfaces are exposed to aggressive environments. Therefore, this work focused on developing and optimizing a new surface functioning technology through in situ observation of thermal interactions between the metallic powders at elevated temperatures. The study revealed that the Cu-Ni powder mixture, with 12.5 wt% Ni, began to melt at 1099.5 °C and was fully melted at 1175 °C, significantly different from the Cu-Ni solid solution and bulk Cu or Ni. As a result of high-temperature reactions, copper penetration of up to 35 µm for pure copper and 55 µm for copper-chromium composite coatings occurred due to liquid metal corrosion. In contrast, the copper-nickel composite coating exhibited a cupronickel solution microstructure with FeNi dendrites and a nickel-rich transition layer. This cupronickel coating, with a chemical composition of 89.3 wt% Cu, 6.2 wt% Ni, and 4.5 wt% Fe, demonstrated uniform thickness, superior surface morphology, and continuous coverage on the steel substrate. Furthermore, the Ni-rich transition layer played a vital role in preventing copper penetration along the grain boundary of the steel matrix while forming a chemical binding between the coating and the substrate. The practicality of the coating was further confirmed through the hot-rolling procedure and subsequent electrochemical corrosion tests, which resulted in a 44% improvement in corrosion resistance.

Structural Assessment & Repair Techniques

Structures are meticulously designed to withstand predetermined loads throughout their lifespan. However, reinforced concrete (RC) structures, which have been widely employed worldwide for the past 50-60 years, are susceptible to a range of issues leading to varying degrees of damage. Factors such as material deterioration, construction techniques, workmanship quality, overloading, aggressive environments, and the fatigue and corrosion of embedded steel reinforcement contribute to the natural degradation of RCC. This deterioration is now evident in numerous concrete structures. In the current landscape of building research, the significance of repair and rehabilitation cannot be overstated. This is particularly crucial in developed countries where extensive rehabilitation efforts, especially for heritage buildings, are imperative due to their cultural and historical significance. Dealing with these challenges requires a systematic approach, encompassing thorough assessments, innovative repair strategies, and a commitment to sustainable solutions to ensure the longevity and resilience of our built environment.

Effect of various admixtures on selected mechanical properties of medium viscosity bone cements: Part 3 – Glassy carbon

Bone cements based on poly methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) are among the most widely used polymer composites in orthopaedic surgery. They play a key role in fixing the endoprosthesis with the bone, and, as such, are the weakest link in total joint replacement (TJR) surgeries. A fast, premature decrease in the mechanical properties of PMMA in an aggressive environment, such as the human body, can lead to TJR loosening, which results in the necessity for revision surgery. In recent years researchers have undertaken studies on the possibility of enhancing the mechanical properties of PMMA by adding various admixtures in different concentrations. In this study we present the results of the mechanical properties of samples made of the commercially available and widely used in orthopaedic surgery PMMA bone cement (Palamed® Heraeus) that was admixed with glassy carbon (GC) using different concentrations. All samples were subjected to compression testing. Compression reflects the load mechanism acting on PMMA in the human body after TJR implantation. The study involved comparing selected mechanical parameters of both samples prepared according to the manufacturer’s instructions and samples prepared with the addition of GC with grain sizes of 0.4–12 μm and 20–50 μm. Although this material can potentially increase the mechanical strength of PMMA, serious contamination with GC can lead to PMMA polymerization impairment due to the thermal properties of GC and, consequently, affect the mechanical properties of PMMA. GC was added in the following w/w concentrations: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and 10 %. Results revealed a significant decrease in the compression strength of PMMA following the addition of 20–50 μm GC, which resulted from the disturbances in standard polymerization process conditions (time and temperature). Interestingly, the addition of 0.4–12 μm GC did not affect significantly the compressive strength of the material in the tested range of concentration.

Impact of multi-factor coupling on the corrosion behavior of 254SMo stainless steel in an aggressive oilfield environment containing CO2 and H2S

The passivity and corrosion behavior of 254SMo stainless steel in aggressive oilfield environments containing both carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) were investigated using weight-loss and surface analyses. The results indicated that the corrosion rate increased with the increase in temperature, CO2/H2S partial pressures, tensile stress and flow rate. Compressive stress led to a reduction in sulfide compound contents and promoted the formation of protective oxide films, while tensile stress had an opposite effect. Furthermore, a synergistic effect of stress and flow was observed.

Study of a mechano-electrochemical model: a numerical and experimental approach

The mechanochemical effects of elasticity and plasticity are introduced into a peridynamic (PD) corrosion model. A PD equation that couples the mechanics and kinetics of electrochemistry is proposed for the first time. This clarifies the influence of the mechanical load in governing the occurrence of diffusion during corrosion. The phase changes experienced by a material are used to characterize the movement of the corrosion boundary, and the concentration of material points is used to characterize the degree and extent of damage caused to the chosen metal. Immersion tests and in situ electrochemical tests are carried out, and the results are used to explore the effects of stress and/or load on the kinetics of environment-induced damage to an aluminum alloy. The model predictions are in good agreement with the experimental observations. The results of this study demonstrate that a coupled mechano-electrochemical PD corrosion model can capture corrosion-induced damage and can be used to study damage propagation upon exposure to an aggressive environment.