Lecture4: Corrosion

To one degree or another, most materials experience some type of interaction with a large number of diverse environments. Often, such interactions impair a material’s usefulness as a result of the deterioration of its mechanical properties (e.g., ductility and strength), other physical properties, or appearance. Occasionally, to the chagrin of a design engineer, the degradation behavior of a material for some application is ignored, with adverse consequences. Deteriorative mechanisms are different for the three material types. In metals, there is actual material loss either by dissolution (corrosion) or by the formation of nonmetallic scale or film (oxidation). Ceramic materials are relatively resistant to deterioration, which usually occurs at elevated temperatures or in rather extreme environments; the process is frequently also called corrosion. For polymers, mechanisms and consequences differ from those for metals and ceramics, and the term degradation is most frequently used. Polymers may dissolve when exposed to a liquid solvent, or they may absorb the solvent and swell; also, electromagnetic radiation (primarily ultraviolet) and heat may cause alterations in their molecular structures. The deterioration of each of these material types is discussed in this chapter, with special regard to mechanism, resistance to attack by various environments, and measures to prevent or reduce degradation