Simulated service testing includes exposures of either structural components or test specimens in environments that are representative of many general service situations. This article discusses the selection criteria of test specimens and methods of assessing the corrosion effects. The ASTM International and NACE International standards that are directly or indirectly applicable to simulated service corrosion testing in water are tabulated. The article also describes the effects of variable concentrations of dissolved carbonates, such as calcium, magnesium, and/or sodium, in water on corrosion.

This article describes the test methods for evaluating the durability of a metal in soil. It provides useful information on soil characteristics such as soil electrical resistivity, pH value, and soil texture. Specimen design, preparation, burial, and retrieval techniques are discussed. The type of information sought during soil-induced corrosion evaluation controls the design configuration and the nature of the corrosion measurements. Consideration of these factors during the planning stage helps the corrosion engineer to obtain the maximum amount of information with the minimum number of problems.

Simulated service testing is the most reliable predictor of corrosion behavior that is important for specific objectives. These include materials selection, predicting the probable service life of a product or structure, evaluating new commercial alloys and processes, and calibrating laboratory corrosion tests in short of in-plant tests and actual service experience. This article provides a detailed discussion on the types of atmospheres used in simulated service testing. It describes the specifics of atmospheric-corrosion test that include equipment, test arrangement, and test specimen; factors affecting atmospheric corrosion; and evaluation of exposed atmospheric-corrosion panels. The article concludes with a discussion on the empirical model used for analyzing the atmospheric-corrosion measurements for estimating the service life of the part being evaluated.

This article describes the preliminary stages and general procedures, techniques, and precautions employed in the investigation and analysis of metallurgical failures that occur in service. The most common causes of failure characteristics are described for fracture, corrosion, and wear failures. The article provides information on the synthesis and interpretation of results from the investigation. Finally, it presents key guidelines for conducting a failure analysis.

This article commences with a discussion on the characteristics of stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) and describes crack initiation and propagation during SCC. It reviews the various mechanisms of SCC and addresses electrochemical and stress-sorption theories. The article explains the SCC, which occurs due to welding, metalworking process, and stress concentration, including options for investigation and corrective measures. It describes the sources of stresses in service and the effect of composition and metal structure on the susceptibility of SCC. The article provides information on specific ions and substances, service environments, and preservice environments responsible for SCC. It details the analysis of SCC failures, which include on-site examination, sampling, observation of fracture surface characteristics, macroscopic examination, microscopic examination, chemical analysis, metallographic analysis, and simulated-service tests. It provides case studies for the analysis of SCC service failures and their occurrence in steels, stainless steels, and commercial alloys of aluminum, copper, magnesium, and titanium.