
Environmental stability of materials 171
1 The metal - gold does not corrode in water, iron does. The position of a
metal in the electrochemical series is an indicator of the likelihood of that
metal corroding in water.
2
Metallurgical factors
- electrochemical corrosion requires an anode and a
cathode to occur. These can be the result of chemical segregation occurring
within a metal (as with dezincification with brass), inclusions, local
differences in grain size, etc.
3
Surface defects
- surface defects can allow water to come into contact with a
metal as a result of removing a protective coating.
4 Stress - variations in stress within a