Stray-current corrosion is an accelerated form of corrosion caused by externally induced electric current. It can occur in unprotected pipelines and submerged metal structures located near electric power sources or anywhere voltage differences exist. This article describes common scenarios and sources of stray current along with ways to detect it and prevent the type of corrosion it can cause.

Stray current can be defined as a current in structures that are underground or immersed in an electrolyte that most often accelerate corrosion on a structure where a positive current leaves the structure to enter the earth or an electrolyte. This article provides a description of the principles of stray current and a discussion on the major types of stray current and their properties and prediction methods. It discusses the consequences of stray current and describes the interference tests used for mapping the path of the stray currents. The article also highlights the methods of mitigating the source of stray current.

This article presents the fundamentals of stray-current corrosion caused by electric rail transit systems. It describes the various corrosion-control design elements for the electric rail system. These design elements include substation spacing and grounding, track and track slab design, and construction acceptance criteria. The impacts of the electric rail construction in underground utilities are discussed. Direct physical interferences, maintenance access encroachments, stray-current effects, and utility relocation design considerations, are discussed. The article also reviews construction issues such as funding, sequencing, and working clearances. It concludes with information on the post-construction monitoring and maintenance for stray-current corrosion control.

This article discusses the corrosion resistance of aluminum and aluminum alloys in various environments, such as in natural atmospheres, fresh waters, seawater, and soils, and when exposed to chemicals and their solutions and foods. It describes the forms of corrosion of aluminum and aluminum alloys, including pitting corrosion, intergranular corrosion, exfoliation corrosion, galvanic corrosion, stray-current corrosion, deposition corrosion, crevice corrosion, filiform corrosion, stress-corrosion cracking, corrosion fatigue, and hydrogen embrittlement. The article also presents a short note on aluminum clad products and corrosion at joints.

This article describes the mechanisms of differential corrosion cells corrosion, microbiologically influenced corrosion, and stray direct current corrosion. It discusses the most common causes and contributing factors for corrosion and stress-corrosion cracking, as well as prevention, mitigation, detection, and repair processes.

Steel storage tanks are the primary means for storing large volumes of liquids and gaseous products. The stored fluid could be water, but it could also be volatile, corrosive, and flammable fluid requiring special precautions for storage as well. Corrosion is generally worst where the tank is in contact with the soil. This article describes the soil characteristics and addresses cathodic protection (CP) criteria for submerged metallic piping systems. It provides information on the data required for designing a CP system, alone or in conjunction with a protective coating system. These data are collected from predesign site assessments, tank electrical characteristics, and soil-resistivity measurements. The article addresses NACE Standard RP0169, which gives requirements and desired characteristics for coating in conjunction with CP. It also explains the methods of protecting aboveground storage tanks and underground storage tanks.

Corrosion is classified into two categories: corrosion that is not influenced by any other process and corrosion that is influenced by another process such as the presence of stresses or erosion. This article discusses uniform corrosion, localized corrosion, metallurgically influenced corrosion, and microbiologically influenced corrosion, which fit under the classification of corrosion that is not influenced by any outside process. It also explains mechanically assisted degradation and environmentally induced cracking, which fit under the classification of corrosion that is influenced by an outside process.

A close-interval survey (CIS) is a series of structure-to-electrolyte direct current potential measurements performed at regular intervals for assessing the level of cathodic protection (CP) on pipelines and other buried or submerged metallic structures. This article describes the equipment required to perform the CIS. It provides a discussion on the activities that should be performed during the preparation and execution of the CIS. The dynamic stray current identification and compensation by CIS is discussed briefly. The article also explains various factors involved in the validation of CIS data. It concludes with information on CIS data interpretation.

This article provides a detailed discussion on the various devices by which cathodic protection (CP) can be applied to pipe-type power transmission cables. These devices include the resistor rectifier, isolator-surge protector, polarization cells, and field rectifiers. The article describes the interference created by stray currents on CP and associated remedial actions.

This article is a pictorial guide to forms of corrosion that draws attention to common pitfalls or situations that have caused premature corrosion, sometimes with expensive consequences. The examples used are not exhaustive; they highlight the necessity to fully examine materials, conditions, and specific circumstances that together can reduce the anticipated service life of a component or plant. The color images in this article are categorized according to the type of corrosion following the general order that is adopted in Volume 13A of ASM Handbook. The first table of the article provides a categorization of the forms of corrosion. It also provides a reference to articles or sections of articles in Volume 13A that detail the particular corrosion form or mechanism. The second table is a guide listing the figures in this article by material and by the corrosion form or mechanism illustrated.

This article describes two principal methods for detecting well casing corrosion, namely, metal-loss tools and casing current measurement, as well as their limitations and advantages. It discusses the factors to be considered in designing well casing cathodic protection systems. These include the determination of cathodic protection current by the casing polarization and CPP tests or by mathematical models; calculation of casing-to-anode separation; isolation of the casing from other facilities; consideration of stray current interference from other dc power sources; and determination of the size and the location of the anode bed for effective current output for the desired life of the anode bed. The article concludes with a discussion on the commissioning and monitoring of cathodic protection systems.

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.

The rate and form of corrosion that occur in a particular situation depend on many complex variables. This article discusses the rate of corrosion of lead in natural and domestic water depending on the degree of water hardness caused by calcium and magnesium salts. Lead exhibits consistent durability in all types of atmospheric exposure, including industrial, rural, and marine. The article tabulates the corrosion of lead in various natural outdoor atmospheres and the corrosion of lead alloys in various soils. It explains the factors that influence in initiating or accelerating corrosion: galvanic coupling, differential aeration, alkalinity, and stray currents. The resistance of lead and lead alloys to corrosion by a wide variety of chemicals is attributed to the polarization of local anodes caused by the formation of a relatively insoluble surface film of lead corrosion products. The article also provides information on the corrosion rate of lead in chemical environments.