This article reviews the types of passivity and presents tactics that employ passivity to control corrosion. Thermodynamics provides a guide to the conditions under which passivation becomes possible. A valuable guide to thermodynamics is the potential-pH diagram and the Pourbaix diagram. The article presents a potential-pH diagram for the iron-water system and an illustration of an idealized anodic polarization curve for a metal surface, which serves as a basis for describing the kinetics of passivation. It discusses five properties of passive films: thickness, composition, structure, electronic properties, and mechanical properties. The article outlines three possible processes that can form passive films: direct film formation, dissolution precipitation, and anodic oxidation of metal ions in solution. It describes the breakdown of the passive film using various models and highlighting the effect of alloy composition and structure.

This article focuses on the internal corrosion of iron and copper in potable water. It tabulates the corrosion and water-quality problems caused by materials in contact with drinking water. The article provides a theoretical description of the reduction-oxidation reactions in water to analyze the causes of corrosion of metals in contact with water. It discusses the Langelier saturation index and the Larson index for determining corrosion in potable water systems. The article describes the two major ways of mitigation against corrosion in potable water systems. The first is to line the pipe surface physically such that water and dissolved oxygen cannot reach the metal surface and the second is to add chemical inhibitors to alter water chemistry.

A potential pH diagram is a graphical representation of the relations, derived from the Nernst equation, between the pH and the equilibrium potentials (E) of the most probable electrochemical reactions occurring in a solution containing a specific element. This article describes three types of reactions for calculation and construction of E-pH diagrams: electrochemical reactions of pure charge (electron) transfer; reactions involving both electron and solvated proton transfer; and acid-base reactions of pure solvated proton transfer. It illustrates the practical use of E-pH diagrams for temperature aqueous solutions and adsorbed species and in prediction of corrosion of nickel and copper.

This article presents information regarding the use of protective coatings in municipal potable water systems, including raw water collection and transmission, water treatment plants, and treated water distribution. It provides useful guidance for the selection and use of protective coatings in these municipal water systems. The most commonplace corrosion-damage mechanisms are highlighted. The article describes the most common materials of construction found in municipal water systems, namely, cast iron, ductile iron, carbon steel, precast concrete cylinder pipe and reinforced concrete pipe, prestressed concrete tanks, and stainless steel. It provides information on the most common generic coating systems used for new steel tanks and water storage tanks. It concludes with a discussion of quality watch-outs when selecting or using protective coatings in municipal water systems.

In high-iron-tonnage operations, the cupola remains the most efficient source of continuous high volumes of iron needed to satisfy high production foundries or the multiple casting machines of centrifugal pipe producers. This article explores successful improvement technologies in cupola equipment, including preheated air blast, recuperative hot blast systems, and duplex electric holders. It discusses the shell, intermittent or continuous tapping, tuyere and blower systems, refractory lining, water-cooled cupolas, emission-control systems, and storage and handling of the charge materials. The article provides a discussion on the control tests for cupola, including the chill test and mechanical test. It concludes with information on specialized cupolas such as the cokeless cupola and the plasma-fired cupola.

This article provides an overview of the identification systems for various grades of wrought stainless steels, namely, the American Iron and Steel Institute numbering system, the Unified Numbering System, and proprietary designations. It elaborates on five major families of stainless steels, as defined by the crystallographic structure. These include ferritic stainless steels, austenitic stainless steels, martensitic stainless steels, and precipitation-hardening stainless steels. The mechanism of corrosion protection for stainless steels is reviewed. The article examines the effects of composition, processing, design, fabrication, and external treatments on the corrosion of stainless steels. Various forms of corrosion, namely, general, galvanic, pitting, crevice, intergranular, stress-corrosion cracking, erosion-corrosion, and oxidation, are reviewed. Corrosion testing for; corrosion in atmosphere, water, and chemical environments; and the applications of stainless steels in various industries are also discussed.

Aggregate molding, or sand casting, is the gravity pouring of liquid metal into a mold that is made of a mixture molded against a permanent pattern. This article summarizes the most important materials in the process of sand casting of cast iron, including different types of molding aggregates, clays, water, and additives in green sand, chemically bonded organic resins, and inorganic binders in self-setting, thermosetting, and gas-triggered systems. It discusses three main types of reclamation systems: wet, dry, and thermal. The article concludes with a description of both nonpermanent and permanent mold processes.