Automotive Exhaust System Corrosion

Steel automotive exhaust systems suffer from various forms of corrosion. This article illustrates exhaust system components with typical upper metal skin temperatures and alloys of construction. It discusses high-temperature corrosion of automotive exhaust systems, including oxidation, hot salt attack, and thermal fatigue. The article describes the various forms of corrosion which occur at the cold end of an exhaust system. The forms of cold end exhaust corrosion, including condensate pitting corrosion, exterior salt pitting, crevice corrosion, intergranular corrosion, and galvanic corrosion.