Corrosion Essay

The aim of this experiment is to test the different methods of corroding iron, but also the different processes to preventing it from rusting. The testing will use a variety of different chemicals to try and erode the iron, then during the second testing other metals will be used to try and find the most successful way to preventing corrosion.

Corrosion is a process that takes place when essential properties within a given material begin to deteriorate, after exposure to elements that recur within the environment. Most often, this deterioration is noticed in metals and referred to as rust.

Corrosion is the disintegration of an engineered material into its constituent atoms due to chemical reactions with its surroundings, this means electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen. Formation of an oxide of iron due to oxidation of the iron atoms in solid solution is a well-known example of electrochemical corrosion, commonly known as rusting. This type of damage typically produces oxide(s) or salt(s) of the original metal. Corrosion can also refer to other materials than metals, such as ceramics or polymers, although in this context, the term degradation is more common.

In other words, corrosion is the wearing a way of metals due to a chemical reaction.

Many structural alloys corrode merely from exposure to moisture in the air, but the process can be strongly affected by exposure to certain substances. Corrosion can be concentrated locally to form a pit or crack, or it can extend across a wide area more or less evenly corroding the surface. Because corrosion is a diffusion controlled process, it occurs on exposed surfaces. As a result, methods to reduce the activity of the exposed surface, such as passivation and chromate-conversion, can increase a material's corrosion resistance. However, some corrosion mechanisms are less visible and less predictable.

Most metals