Fundamentals of Corrosion

Corrosion is a critical aspect of the operation of all industries. It is, thus, widely researched for numerous alloys. It is dependent on several factors, such as environment, temperature, pressure, position in component, metallurgical condition, and surface condition. Hence, it is pertinent to look at its forms from the most basic perspective. This chapter delves into the fundamentals of electrochemistry of corrosion. Concepts such as potential, current density, Evans diagram, Tafel plots are explained from the point of view of a practical application. It goes on to describe the eight major forms of corrosion. They include uniform, galvanic, pitting, crevice, dealloying, stress corrosion cracking, corrosion fatigue, filiform corrosion, and intergranular corrosion. The mechanism of each form has been described in detail, with the help of explanatory diagrams. The chief distinguishing factors for each corrosion form are further included.