Essay On Corrosion

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What Is Corrosion?
Corrosion may be defined as the deterioration of a material due to a reaction with the environment around it. Metals corrode because we use them in environments that are chemically unstable. Very few metal are found in nature in their metallic state such as copper, gold and silver . All other metals are processed from minerals or ores into metals which are innately unstable in their environments. These unstable metals have a tendency to revert to their more stable mineral forms. Some metals form protective ceramic films (passive films) on their surfaces and these prevent, or slow down, their corrosion process. We can prevent corrosion by using metals that form naturally protective passive films, but these alloys are usually expensive, so we have developed other means of corrosion control. That are discussed later in this paper.

Types Of Corossion
There are two common classifications of corrosion: direct chemical attack and electrochemical attack. In both cases the metal is converted into a compound such as a sulfate, oxide, or hydroxide. Corrosion always involves two concurrent changes. The metal that is oxidized suffers what is called anodic change, and the corrosive agent is reduced and is undergoing cathodic change.
Direct chemical attack, is corrosion resulting from direct contact of a bare surface to caustic liquid or gaseous substance. Unlike electrochemical attack where the anode and cathode changes may be happening at a distance, the changes in direct chemical attack are taking place at the same time and at the same point. The most common substances causing direct chemical attack on an aircraft are; residual flux deposits resulting from inadequately cleaned, welded, brazed, or soldered joints, spilled b...

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...luminum. There are many kinds of stainless steels. That are generally immune to corrosion, but they may crevice corrosion and undergo stress corrosion cracking in some cases.
Titanium is a common metals in nature, but its limited use means that small-scale production results in a high price. However it finds extensive use in the aerospace industry. There are two general types of titanium alloys-aerospace alloys and corrosion resistant alloys.

Engineering designers must consider how much metal is necessary to withstand the anticipated load for a given application. Since they can make mistakes, or the structure can be misused, they are required to over design the aircraft by a safety factor. Once the necessary mechanical load safety factor has been considered, it becomes necessary to consider whether what corrosion allowance is necessary to keep the aircraft safe.

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