about corrosion

Corrosion is a naturally occurring phenomenon commonly defined as the deterioration of a material (usually a metal) that results from a chemical or electrochemical reaction with its environment. Like other natural hazards such as earthquakes or severe weather disturbances, corrosion can cause dangerous and expensive damage to everything from vehicles, home appliances, and water and wastewater systems to pipelines, bridges, and public buildings. Unlike weather-related disasters, however, there are time-proven methods to prevent and control corrosion that can reduce or eliminate its impact on public safety, the economy, and the environment.

The science of corrosion prevention and control is highly complex, exacerbated by the fact that corrosion takes many different forms and is affected by numerous outside factors. Corrosion professionals must understand the effects of environmental conditions such as soil resistivity, humidity, and exposure to salt water on various types of materials; the type of product to be processed, handled, or transported; required lifetime of the structure or component; proximity to corrosion-causing phenomena such as stray current from rail systems; appropriate mitigation methods; and other considerations before determining the specific corrosion problem and specifying an effective solution.

The first step in effective corrosion control, however, is to have a thorough knowledge of the various forms of corrosion, the mechanisms involved, how to detect them, and how and why they occur.

Simply put, corrosion is the natural deterioration that results when a surface reacts with its environment. Different surfaces, environments and other factors add complexity to the equation.