Posted on February 28, 2013
In many cases making a decision involving the choice between competing design alternatives is best done by computing the life cycle cost (LCC) of each alternative. This is especially true when future costs associated with a given option are large and the required service life is long. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this […]
Posted on December 31, 2012
Pitting is a classic form of localized corrosion that often is found in a wide range of applications. It can occur on plain carbon steels but it is found much more frequently on alloys that form robust protective (or passive) films. Examples of these materials include many stainless steels, plus many copper, aluminum and nickel […]
Posted on September 30, 2012
This form of material degradation and the factors that affect its control involve both mechanical and material parameters. The material damage mechanism consists of high speed, repetitive interaction between a material surface and a liquid such that bubbles alternately form and implode. This creates major, concentrated impact forces at the material – liquid interface. The […]
Posted on August 31, 2012
Four primary techniques are used for limiting corrosion rates to practical levels: Material Selection Coatings Cathodic Protection Chemical Corrosion Inhibitors Material selection entails picking an engineering material – either metal alloy or non-metal – that is inherently resistant to the particular corrosive environment and also meets other criteria. Variables that will affect corrosion are established […]
Posted on April 25, 2012
Microbiological influenced corrosion (MIC) has gotten much attention as one of the unique forms of corrosion. It occurs as a result of the life processes of several types of microorganisms or it can occur due to the simple formation and growth of colonies of these organisms on wetted metal surfaces. Different microorganisms can produce a […]
Posted on March 16, 2012
SCC has been one of – if not the – most widely studied forms of corrosion. This is because it is can occur in so many different applications and it is an insidious type of attack that often leads to metal failure before the process of cracking is detected. The mechanism of SCC combines corrosion […]
Posted on January 29, 2012
There are several forms of metallic wear. In each case the process can be defined generally as the unwanted removal of material from a surface due to mechanical action. This is in contrast to desirable manufacturing processes that occur by similar mechanisms such as machining, grinding or shot blasting. The most common harmful forms of […]
Posted on December 28, 2011
The most current (2002) study of the cost of corrosion in the United States found the associated loss was $276 billion in 1998 – 3.1% of the country’s total Gross Domestic Product that year. The National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE International) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) jointly coordinated that study. In 2008 a […]
Posted on November 10, 2011
Typically an engineering root-cause failure analysis (RCFA) is performed for one of two purposes. These are for use in litigation or for internal use in various industrial and related organizations. In the legal arena RCFA’s are part of the input that an engineering expert witness contributes to define the physical circumstances that caused the accident, injury […]
Posted on September 15, 2011
A variety of low-voltage electronic devices may fail to operate properly because of exposure to certain corrosive, gaseous environments. Susceptible items include consumer products such as microwave ovens, audio equipment, TV’s and personal computers as well as many types of industrial sensors and automatic control devices. Failure generally occurs because of specific application factors. These […]
