Corrosion Testing

Actual service environments are often different from those experienced by a material during laboratory testing. Exposure to the environment (from moist air to salt water) and contact between dissimilar metals can cause corrosion. Corrosion changes the material and affects its mechanical properties. It is important to understand how and why corrosion occurs in engineering materials. Corrosion requires an electrical circuit, which involves the flow of current via free electrons. Corrosion is studied in the lab using various metal electrodes and media of electron exchange (water or salt-water). The potential difference between the electrodes and current in the circuit are measured to quantify the corrosion process.