Atmospheric Exposure

The natural environments—rural, marine and industrial—and some combination of these are of primary concern. Some contaminated atmospheres, such as those containing hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, sulfur dioxide, etc., should be considered rigorously. Relative humidity and its cycling are of major importance for corrosion kinetics and a material s resistance to corrosion. Temperature and pressure are major factors to consider, together with the chemical composition of the medium. 

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Sodium is a soft, malleable soHd readily cut with a knife or extmded as wire. It is commonly coated with a layer of white sodium monoxide, carbonate, or hydroxide, depending on the degree and kind of atmospheric exposure. In a strictiy anhydrous iaert atmosphere, the freshly cut surface has a faintiy pink, bright metallic luster. Liquid sodium ia such an atmosphere looks much like mercury. Both Hquid and soHd oxidize ia air, but traces of moisture appear to be required for the reaction to proceed. Oxidation of the Hquid is accelerated by an iacrease ia temperature, or by iacreased velocity of sodium through an air or oxygen environment. 

Contamination limits the amount of handling and atmospheric exposure the powder can be subjected to before consoHdation. The consoHdation method most widely used is cold compaction and sintering. 

Corrosion. Copper and selected copper aHoys perform admirably in many hostile environments. Copper aHoys with the appropriate corrosion resistance characteristics are recommended for atmospheric exposure (architectural and builder s hardware), for use in fresh water supply (plumbing lines and fittings), in marine appHcations (desalination equipment and biofouling avoidance), for industrial and chemical plant equipment (heat exchangers and condensers), and for electrical/electronic appHcations (coimectors and semiconductor package lead-frames) (30) (see Packaging). 

Atmospheric exposure, fresh and salt waters, and many types of soil can cause uniform corrosion of copper aHoys. The relative ranking of aHoys for resistance to general corrosion depends strongly on environment and is relatively independent of temper. Atmospheric corrosion, the least damaging of the various forms of corrosion, is generaHy predictable from weight loss data obtained from exposure to various environments (31) (see Corrosion and CORROSION CONTKOL). 

Alloys having varying degrees of corrosion resistance have been developed in response to various environmental needs. At the lower end of the alloying scale are the low alloy steels. These are kon-base alloys containing from 0.5—3.0 wt % Ni, Cr, Mo, or Cu and controlled amounts of P, N, and S. The exact composition varies with the manufacturer. The corrosion resistance of the alloy is based on the protective nature of the surface film, which in turn is based on the physical and chemical properties of the oxide film. As a rule, this alloying reduces the rate of corrosion by 50% over the fkst few years of atmosphere exposure. Low alloy steels have been used outdoors with protection. 

Corrosion test methods, useful for comparison purposes, usually have no correlation to actual corrosion resistance in atmospheric exposure. 

Atmospheric exposure at temperatures in excess of 480°C, because of oxide scaling ... 

Reactions with aqueous solutions. Uniform dissolution or corrosion of metals in acid, alkaline or neutral solutions (e.g. dissolution of zinc in hydrochloric acid or in caustic soda solution general corrosion of zinc in water or during atmospheric exposure). Reactions with non-aqueous solution (e.g. dissolution of copper in a solution of ammonium acetate and bromine in alcohol). 

Table 3.21A Atmospheric exposure test, Sheffield, 5 years. Results loss weight (g/m ) ...

In atmospheric exposure 18% Ni maraging steel corrodes in a uniform manner , and becomes completely rust covered. Pit depths tend to be more shallow than for the low-alloy high-strength steels. Atmospheric corrosion rates in industrial (Bayonne, New Jersey) and marine (Kute Beach, North Carolina) atmospheres are compared with those for low-alloy steel in Figs. 3.29, 3.30 and 3.31. The corrosion rates drop substantially after the first year or two and in all cases the rates for maraging steel are about half the corrosion rate for HY80 and AISI 4340 steels. 

When unusually rapid corrosion of copper and its alloys occurs during atmospheric exposure, it is likely to be for one of the following reasons ... 

Alloy Immersion for 30 days in 3% NaCl solution Sea-water spray 3 times per day for 6 months Atmospheric exposure for 2 years... 

Reference to Table 4.19 will show that greatly superior corrosion rates of the high-purity alloys are only in evidence in the more severe conditions of test by immersion in salt water, and that in less drastic conditions, and especially in industrial atmospheric exposure, there is little to choose between the alloys. 

Fig. 4.17 Samples of high-purity AZ31 (upper photographs) and ZW3 (lower photographs) magnesium-base alloys, fitted with mild-steel nuts and bolts and exposed to a variety of corrosion conditions, (a) 4-S hours immersion in 37 salt soln., (b) 180 days immersion in distilled water, (c) 4 days immersion in borehole water, (d) 180 days in humidity cabinet sea-water spray and (e) 180 days atmospheric exposure...

In atmospheric exposure to industrial environments its corrosion rate is only about one-third that of zinc and the corrosion reaction is stifled by the tenacious oxide which is produced nevertheless it can frequently function as an anodic coating both for steel and for the less corrosion-resistant aluminium alloys. 

An extensive compilation of atmospheric exposure test data on zinc is now available and complements the slightly earlier critical study by Schikorr . 

These alloy coatings have advantages over tin in atmospheric exposure where there is heavy pollution by oxides of sulphur. They are cathodic to steel and anodic to copper. In industrial atmospheres, however, formation of a layer of lead sulphate seals pores and produces a generally stable surface and terne-plate has been used extensively as roofing sheet, especially in the USA. It is easily and effectively painted when additional protection is required. Copper heat exchangers in gas-fired water-heaters may be coated by hot dipping in 20% tin alloy . 

Atmospheric exposure trials, carried out in Cambridge, established the fact that when rusty specimens were painted in the summer, their condition, after some years exposure, was very much better than that of similar specimens painted in the winter It was found that steel weathered in Cambridge carried spots of ferrous sulphate, deeply imbedded in the rust, and that the quantity of ferrous sulphate/unit area was very much greater in the winter than in the summer this seasonal variation was attributed to the increased sulphur dioxide pollution of the atmosphere in the winter, caused by the combustion of coal in open grates. It was concluded that there was a causal relationship between the quantity of ferrous sulphate and the effective life of the paint. It was suggested that these soluble deposits of ferrous sulphate short-circuit the resistance of the paint film and, since paint films are very permeable to water and oxygen, the ferrous sulphate will become oxidised and hydrolysed with the production of voluminous rust, which will rupture the film at numerous points, thus giving rise to the characteristic type of failure seen on painted rusty surfaces. 

Paint Finishes for Structural Steel for Atmospheric Exposure... 

For ordinary atmospheric exposure, it is usually possible to arrange that thin spots of the film, such as the contact points of the anodising jigs, are located in relatively unimportant positions on the article and are hidden from view. 

In order to secure information as to changes in corrosion rates with time, as in atmospheric exposure tests, it is necessary to expose sufficient specimens to allow sets to be taken from test after at least three time intervals. 

In view of possible or probable variations in mechanical properties among different specimens of the same metal cut from different sheets or other pieces, or even from different sections of the same sheet or piece, it is necessary to pay careful attention to the initial sampling of stock to be used for control, as well as exposure, specimens. An interesting case in which several of these considerations were involved was provided by the long-time atmospheric exposure tests of non-ferrous metals carried out by Subcommittee VI of ASTM Committee B-3 on Corrosion of Non-Ferrous Metals and Alloys in which changes in tensile properties were used as one of the means of measuring the extent of corrosion. 

Hickling", in attempting to study the corrosion of steels under thin film conditions that simulate atmospheric exposure, took into account the time-dependence of polarisation measurements, and developed a technique using galvanostatic transients. 

Stanners have designed a test rig (Fig. 19.12) which provides results that can be correlated with actual atmospheric exposure data. The rig has been designed to investigate a wide range of alloying elements in a development programme on slow-weathering steels for which it was essential to have a rapid, reliable and reproducible test that incorporated the specific atmospheric factors responsible for rust formation. 

The extent of galvanic action in atmospheric exposure may also be restricted by the development of corrosion products of high electrical resistance between the contacting surfaces — this is especially likely to occur if one of the metals in the couple is an iron or steel that will rust. In long-time tests such possible interruptions in the galvanic circuit should be checked by resistance measurements from time to time so as to determine the actual periods in which galvanic effects could operate. 

An appraisal of artificial weathering methods was given in a report by Hoey and Hipwood who described the effectiveness of various weatherometer tests such as are described in BS 3900 Part F3 and ASTM 42 1964 (now ASTM G23 1989). Although these tests simulate atmospheric exposure it is not possible to obtain a direct correlation owing to variation in outdoor exposure conditions from place to place, but they serve a very useful purpose in providing a preliminary sorting of paints that can then be tested in the field. 

Method for measurement of impedance of anodic coatings on aluminium Recommended practice for rating of electroplated panels subjected to atmospheric exposure... 

Patina a green coating of corrosion products of copper (basic sulphate, carbonate and chloride) which forms on copper or copper alloys after prolonged atmospheric exposure. 

Experiments were conducted in a large (-26 m3) radon/thoron test facility (RTTF) designed for calibration purposes and simulation studies (Bigu, 1984). A number of different materials were exposed in the RTTF to a radon/radon progeny or thoron/thoron progeny atmosphere. Exposure of the materials was carried out under laboratory-controlled conditions of radiation level, aerosol concentration, air moisture content and temperature. The materials used were in the form of circular discs of the same thickness (-0.5 mm) and diameter (-25 mm), and they were placed at different locations on the walls of the RTTF at about 1.6 m above the floor. Other samples were placed on horizontal trays. Samples (discs) of different materials were arranged in sets of 3 to 4 they were placed very close to one another to ensure exposure under identical conditions. Exposure time was at least 24 hours to ensure surface activity equilibrium, or near equilibrium, conditions. 

Early works were typically carried out using single atmosphere exposure conditions, either air (or moist air) representing the cathode side environment [124-129, 139, 142,144-162] or a reducing atmosphere simulating the anode side environment [124, 125, 127-129, 144, 145], Lately, studies have been also performed to determine the oxidation/corrosion behavior of metal and alloys under dual-atmosphere exposure conditions that closely simulate the interconnect exposure conditions during SOFC operation [154-159], The alloys studied include both Fe-Cr base FSSs and Ni or Ni-Cr base heat-resistant alloys, as well as Cr or Cr base alloys. 

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