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LITERATURE REVIEW
2.0 INTRODUCTION
The definition and also the mechanism of corrosion is studied on. Research was also
done to find out the correlation between pH and corrosion. The most suitable formula to
2.1 Corrosion
with metallic materials, all material types are susceptible to degradation. Degradation of
polymeric insulating coatings on wiring has been a concern in aging aircraft. Even
ceramics can undergo degradation by selective dissolution. Like death and taxes,
deal with. (Barbara A. Shaw, Robert G. Kelly, 2006). As far back as the Bronze Age, it
was observed that metals were not very stable when subjected to their natural
environment such as soil and sea water. About 1780, a physiologist, Luigi Galvani,
reported on his experiments with metallic arcs of dissimilar metals. In 1824, Sir
Humphry Davy, on contract to the royal Navy, discovered the principle of cathodic
protection for the mitigation of natural corrosion processes. He was searching for a
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attached billets of zinc to the copper and observed that the zinc would corrode to save
and one-half centuries later, corrosion engineers are still using this same method of
preventing corrosion damage by applying this same zinc anode cathodic protection to
steel ships around the world (James. B. Pushman, 1997). Corrosion involves chemical
reactions, in which the original material reacts with a chemical agent to form a new
compound or to dissolve into the chemical agent, in both cases involving a charge
transfer. As for metals, the corrosion process is a dissolution process, with metal atoms
being converted to metal ions. (Hobbs, 2006). At the metal surface, neutral metal atoms
are oxidized to positive metal ions in what is known as an oxidation or anodic reaction:
n+
M M + ne
2++2 e
(e.g. )
Zn
by the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration. The higher the pH level,
the less free hydrogen ions. Additionally, this means a change in one pH value
represents a ten-fold change in concentration of hydrogen ions. The scale goes from 0
to 14 with 7 being neutral. Anything below is considered acid while anything above 7 is
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considered alkaline or basic. Both acid and alkalis are capable of being corrosive as
they have the potential to eat away at something, in some cases very rapidly, and would
have the capability of being harmful to objects such as metal (Akinpelumi, 2012) Acids
are lacking in the electron department so they rip electrons off of elements/compounds
they come into contact with. The removal of electrons changes the properties of the
material that the acid is reacting with. A metal that has had its electrons stolen can no
longer hold together as a solid piece. Bases are the opposite in which they have excess
electrons that are donated to the materials they come into contact with. These extra
The corrosion rates shown in the result section were expressed in mpy. The inclusion of
The most common engineering unit of penetration rate is the mpy which stands for mil
per year (Robert G. Kelly, John R. Scully, David Shoesmith, Rudolph G. Buchheit,
corrosion rate. Mpy is commonly known as mil in the U.S. measurement system.
534 x W
mpy=
Dx AxT
where,
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D=metal density (g/ cm )
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A= exposed area of metal ( cm )
Bibliography