What is corrosion (2024)

All materials weather, dependent upon the environmental conditions that they are exposed to. This is shown in various ways: changes in its appearance, changes to its properties and eventual failure of the material.

Corrosionreaction

There are many different types of corrosion mechanisms. One example is when steel reacts with oxygen and water. The corrosion reaction is generally denoted as follows:

4Fe + 2H2O + 3O2= 2Fe2O3H2O

What is corrosion?

Corrosion is a natural process, which converts a metal to a more chemically-stable form, such as its oxide, hydroxide, or sulfide.It is the gradual destruction of materials (usually metals) by chemical and/or electrochemical reaction with their environment.Both the type of metal and the environmental conditions, general and at a very local level, it is exposed to, determine the form and rate of deterioration. Read more about the corrosion process.

Do All Metals Corrode?

Most metals corrode. Some like iron corrode quickly, while others naturally corrode more slowly (e.g. zinc) or corrode slowly because they are an alloy of various metals (e.g. stainless steel).

A small group of metals, called the Noble Metals, are much less reactive than others. As a result, they rarely corrode. They are, in fact, the only metals that can be found in nature in their pure form. The Noble Metals, not surprisingly, are often very valuable. They include palladium, silver, platinum, and gold.

What is corrosion (1)

Types of corrosion

Metals can corrode in a number of ways dependant upon environmental conditions, both general or localised, and design related issues.

Corrosion of certain metals can be minimised by applying coatings or by adding an alloy to a pure metal. Read more about the common types of corrosion.

Corrosion rates and corrosion categories

Corrosion rates are normally calculated in units of µ/yr (microns per year). In other words, the corrosion rate is based on the number ofmicrons (thousandths of a millimetre) lost each year.

Find out more on how to calculate the corrosion rate for a given environment.

Corrosionprotection systems

There are many different types of corrosion protection systems that can be used to prolong the life of metal structures. These will vary in the way they are applied, their characteristics and their performance.

Find out more on the different systems that can be used to protect steel.

What is corrosion (2024)

FAQs

What is a corrosion answer? ›

Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment.

How do you explain corrosion? ›

What is Corrosion? Corrosion is a natural process in which a refined metal is converted to a more chemically stable form, such as oxide, hydroxide, or sulphide. It is the gradual decomposition of materials (usually metals) as a result of chemical and/or electrochemical reactions with their surroundings.

What is corrosion with 2 example? ›

A few general examples of corrosion are the rusting of iron, tarnishing of silver, and the appearance of green colour in copper.

What might corrosion be? ›

Corrosion is a natural process that occurs when metals react with oxygen and form metal oxides. All water contains some dissolved oxygen and is therefore somewhat corrosive. The rate of corrosion depends on many factors including the water's pH, electrical conductivity, oxygen concentration, and temperature.

What is corrosion in one sentence? ›

The slow degradation of the metal due to the effect of air, water or any chemical reaction is called corrosion.

What is corrosion for dummies? ›

Corrosion - A natural but controllable process

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.

What is an example of corrosion? ›

Corrosion is usually defined as the degradation of metals due to an electrochemical process. The formation of rust on iron, tarnish on silver, and the blue-green patina that develops on copper are all examples of corrosion.

What causes corrosion? ›

General corrosion occurs when most or all of the atoms on the same metal surface are oxidized, damaging the entire surface. Most metals are easily oxidized: they tend to lose electrons to oxygen (and other substances) in the air or in water. As oxygen is reduced (gains electrons), it forms an oxide with the metal.

What are the four 4 main types of corrosion? ›

In certain environments, metals may be exposed to various types of local corrosion including pitting, crevice, intergranular, stress, and galvanic corrosion. Even a single alloy can suffer from more than one form of corrosion depending on its exposure to different environments at different points within a system.

What is one example of corrosion reaction? ›

Corrosion of iron is called rusting. Green coating on copper articles and black coating on silver ornaments are other examples of corrosion.

What are 3 examples of rusting? ›

The examples of rusting in daily life:
  • iron and steel objects rusting.
  • exhaust system and automobile bodies rusting.
  • the rusting of several metal statues.
  • rust on copper kitchenware.
  • iron towers that have rust.
  • pipes that carry water rust.
  • Copper wires that are rusting.
Oct 29, 2020

What does corrosion look like? ›

Depending on the material, corrosion can emerge in different colors such as blue and green. Rust has an orange brown color. For more information on corrosion and rust, check out our whitepaper, Corrosion – Effects on Metals & Electronic Equipment, Processes & Prevention.

What is corrosion examples in daily life? ›

Examples of corrosion in everyday life?
  • Rusting of steel utensils and iron.
  • Rusting of exhaust systems and bodies of cars.
  • Rusting on different metallic statues.
  • Rusting on copper utensils.
  • Rusting on iron towers.
  • Rusting on water pipes.
  • Rusting on copper wires.
Jun 17, 2016

What's the meaning of corrosive? ›

having the quality of corroding or eating away; erosive. harmful or destructive; deleterious: the corrosive effect of poverty on their marriage. sharply sarcastic; caustic: corrosive comments on the speaker's integrity.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Delena Feil

Last Updated:

Views: 5875

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (45 voted)

Reviews: 84% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Delena Feil

Birthday: 1998-08-29

Address: 747 Lubowitz Run, Sidmouth, HI 90646-5543

Phone: +99513241752844

Job: Design Supervisor

Hobby: Digital arts, Lacemaking, Air sports, Running, Scouting, Shooting, Puzzles

Introduction: My name is Delena Feil, I am a clean, splendid, calm, fancy, jolly, bright, faithful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.