This article discusses the identifying characteristics of the forms or mechanisms of corrosion that commonly attack copper metals, as well as the most effective means of combating each. It tabulates the corrosion ratings of wrought copper alloys in various corrosive media. The article describes the corrosion behavior of copper alloys in specific environments. It reviews the corrosion characteristics of copper and copper alloys in various acids, alkalis, salts, organic compounds, and gases. The article provides information on the behavior of copper alloys that is susceptible to stress-corrosion cracking in various industrial and chemical environments. It concludes with information on various corrosion testing methods, including aqueous corrosion testing, dynamic corrosion tests, and stress-corrosion testing.

This article describes the processes involved in the production of hafnium and its alloys. It discusses the physical, mechanical and chemical properties of hafnium. The aqueous corrosion testing of hafnium and its alloys is detailed. The article reviews the corrosion resistance of hafnium in specific media, namely, water, steam, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, alkalis, organics, molten metals, and gases. Forms of corrosion, namely, galvanic corrosion, crevice corrosion, and pitting corrosion are included. The article explains the corrosion of hafnium alloys such as hafnium-zirconium alloys and hafnium-tantalum alloys. It also deals with the applications of hafnium and its alloys in the nuclear and chemical industries.

This article provides a summary of the concepts discussed in the articles under the Section “Fundamentals of Corrosion” in ASM Handbook, Volume 13A: Corrosion: Fundamentals, Testing, and Protection. In this section, the thermodynamic aspects of corrosion are descried first followed by a group of articles discussing the fundamentals of aqueous corrosion kinetics. The fundamentals of gaseous corrosion are addressed next. The fundamental electrochemical reactions of corrosion and their uses are finally described.

Improvement in the corrosion performance of a component or structure can be achieved through proper design, surface protection, proper material selection, or combinations of all three parameters. This is an introductory article on the selection of nonferrous corrosion-resistant materials.

This article discusses two general mechanisms of corrosion in molten salts. One is the metal dissolution caused by the solubility of the metal in the melt. The second and most common mechanism is the oxidation of the metal to ions. Specific examples of the types of corrosion expected for the different metal-fused salt systems are also provided. The metal-fused salt systems include molten fluorides, chloride salts, molten nitrates, molten sulfates, hydroxide melts, and carbonate melts. The article concludes with information on prevention of molten salt corrosion.

This article describes the classification of organic solvents, namely, aprotic and protic solvents and one-component and multi-component systems. It discusses the corrosion behavior in aprotic and protic solvents. The article contains a table that presents the relationship among solution conductivity, acidity, and the corrosion rates of type 304 stainless steel in protic and aprotic solvents. The article reviews important environmental variables that influence corrosion testing in organic liquids.

This article discusses the basic approach for predicting the corrosion-fatigue life of structural components. It describes two types of tests that are normally used in combination: cycles-to-failure tests, which focus on crack initiation, and crack propagation tests, which focus on crack growth rates under cyclic load. The article examines corrosion-fatigue cracking along with the effects of cracking due to stress corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement, which often occur together. It explains how test parameters such as loading and environmental conditions impact crack growth mechanisms and data interpretation.

This article focuses on the testing and typical corrosion behavior of coating-substrate systems in aqueous solutions and humid aggressive atmospheres. It includes a short review of the fundamentals of corrosion, followed by a discussion of specific system behavior, electrochemical and laboratory accelerated tests, and simulated service tests. The article also contains examples of different types of corrosion damage and presents guidelines for improving corrosion resistance.

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.

From the standpoint of corrosion protection of iron and steel, metallic coatings can be classified into two types: noble coatings and sacrificial coatings. This article focuses on hotdipped zinc, aluminum, zinc-aluminum alloy and aluminum-zinc alloy coatings. It discusses the Sendzimir process and the Cook-Norteman process, which are the two commercial processes that are used for almost all hot-dip galvanized sheet steel in the United States. The article provides a discussion on the aqueous corrosion and atmospheric corrosion of galvanized steel and aluminized steel, as well as the intergranular corrosion of galvanized steel.

Stress-corrosion cracking (SCC) is a cracking phenomenon that occurs in susceptible alloys, and is caused by the conjoint action of tensile stress and the presence of a specific corrosive environment. This article provides an overview of the anodic dissolution mechanisms and cathodic mechanisms for SCC. It discusses the materials, environmental, and mechanical factors that control hydrogen embrittlement and SCC behavior of different engineering materials with emphasis on carbon and low-alloy steels, high-strength steels, stainless steels, nickel-base alloys, aluminum alloys, and titanium alloys.