This article describes the allotropic modification and atmospheric corrosion of pure tin. Corrosion of pure tin due to oxidation reaction, and reaction with the other gases, water, acids, bases, and other liquid media, is discussed. The article provides information on corrosion behavior on soft solders, pewter, bearing alloys, tin-copper alloys, and tin-silver alloys. It reviews the influence of corrosion on immersion tin coating, tin-cadmium alloy coatings, tin-cobalt coatings, tin-copper coatings, tin-lead coatings, tin-nickel coatings, and tin-zinc coatings. The general properties and corrosion resistance of tinplate are summarized. The article also describes the methods of corrosion testing of coatings; these include an analysis of coating thickness measurements, porosity and rust resistance testing, solderability test, and specific special tests.

This article discusses the environmental influences on protective coating films that can result in deterioration. These environmental factors can be classified into four groups: (1) energy: solar, heat; (2) permeation: moisture, solvent, chemical, and gas; (3) stress: drying and curing-internal stress, and vibration-external stress; and (4) biological influences such as microbiological, mildew, and marine fouling.

Copper can be electrodeposited from numerous electrolytes. Cyanide and pyrophosphate alkalines, along with sulfate and fluoborate acid baths, are the primary electrolytes used in copper plating. This article provides information on the chemical composition, plating baths, and operating conditions of electrodeposition processes for chromium plating, nickel plating, iron plating, cadmium plating, zinc plating, indium plating, lead plating, tin plating, silver plating, gold plating, brass plating, bronze plating, tin-lead plating, zinc-iron plating, and zinc-nickel plating. The article also discusses selective plating, electroforming, and other processes and where they are typically used.

Painting is a generic term for the application of a thin organic coating to the surface of a material for decorative, protective, or functional purposes. This article provides a detailed account of the types and selection factors of paints and the various application methods, including conventional air atomized, airless, and electrostatic spray; roller coating; dip coating; flow coating; curtain coating; tumble coating; electrocoating; and powder coating. Surface preparation methods and prepaint treatments for coating systems are also discussed. The article includes information on quality control procedures, causes of paint film defects, cost calculation, and safety and environmental precautions. The composition and characteristics of organic coatings, coating system selection factors, the types of paints for structural steel, and the applications of paint on structural steel are also reviewed.

This article discusses the classifications, compositions, properties, advantages, disadvantages, limitations, and applications of the most commonly used methods for surface engineering of carbon and alloy steels. These include cleaning methods, finishing methods, conversion coatings, hot-dip coating processes, electrogalvanizing, electroplating, metal cladding, organic coatings, zinc-rich coatings, porcelain enameling, thermal spraying, hardfacing, vapor-deposited coatings, surface modification, and surface hardening via heat treatment.

Corrosion of metals is defined as deterioration caused by chemical or electrochemical reaction of the metal with its environment. This article provides information on corrosion of iron and steel by aqueous and nonaqueous media. It discusses the corrosive environments of carbon and alloy steels, namely atmospheric corrosion, soil corrosion, corrosion in fresh water and seawater. The article describes the corrosion process in concrete, which tends to create conditions that increase the rate of attack. The focus is on the stress-corrosion cracking of steels; an environmentally induced crack propagation that results from the combined interaction of mechanical stress and corrosion reactions. The article tabulates a guide on corrosion prevention for carbon steels in various environments. It also discusses protection methods of steel from corrosion, including coatings, such as temporary protection, cleaning, hot dip coating, electroplating, thermal spray coatings, conversion coatings, thin organic coatings, and inhibitors.

There are various coating techniques in practice to prevent the deterioration of steels. This article focuses on dip, barrier, and chemical conversion coatings and describes hot-dip processes for coating carbon steels with zinc, aluminum, lead-tin, and other alloys. It describes continuous electrodeposition for steel strip and babbitting and discusses phosphate and chromate conversion coatings as well. It also addresses painting, discussing types and selection, surface preparation, and application methods. In addition, the article describes rust-preventive compounds and their application. It also provides information on weld-overlay and thermal spray coating, porcelain enameling, and the preparation of enamel frits for steels. The article closes by describing methods and materials for ceramic coating.

This article provides a general technical description of thermal spray coatings used for corrosion protection in atmospheric and aqueous environments. It further discusses two basic coating approaches of corrosion protection, namely, the sacrificial coating of thermal spray aluminum (TSA) and thermal spray zinc (TSZ), and the barrier-type coating of corrosion-resistant materials. The emphasis is on sacrificial coatings. The article describes the steps involved in the application of TSA and TSZ: surface preparation, coating deposition, and postspray treatment. It discusses their field exposure tests and application history. The article also contains helpful information on the dense barrier coatings by high-velocity spraying processes along with their corrosion performance.

Tin is a soft, brilliant white, low-melting metal that is most widely known and characterized in the form of coating. This article discusses the primary and secondary production of tin and explains the uses of tin in coating, namely tinplating, electroplating, and hot dip coatings. It presents a short note on pure (unalloyed) tin and uses of tin in chemicals. The article also covers the compositions and uses of tin alloys which include solders, pewter, bearing alloys, alloys for organ pipes, and fusible alloys. It goes on to discuss the other alloys containing tin including battery grid alloys, type metals, copper alloys, dental alloys, cast irons, titanium alloys, and zirconium alloys. Finally, it presents a short note on the applications of tin powder and corrosion resistance of tin.

This article describes the four major conditions that can cause beryllium to corrode in air. These include beryllium carbide particles exposed at the surface; surface contaminated with halide, sulfate, or nitrate ions; surface contaminated with other electrolyte fluids; and atmosphere that contains halide, sulfate, or nitrate ions. The article provides information on the behavior of beryllium under the combined effects of high-purity water environment, stress and chemical environment, and high-temperature environment. The compositions of the structural grades for intentionally controlled elements and major impurities are tabulated. The article discusses in-process problems and procedures with beryllium and aluminum-beryllium composites to prevent corrosion during processing, handling, and storage. It also describes the types of coatings used on beryllium and aluminum-beryllium. These include chemical conversion coatings, anodized coatings, plated coatings, organic coatings, and plasma-sprayed coatings.

Electroless nickel plating is used to deposit nickel without the use of an electric current. This article provides an overview of the solution composition and characteristics of the electroless nickel bath. It focuses on the metallurgical, mechanical and physical properties of electroless nickel-phosphorus coatings and electroless nickel-boron coatings. The effect of electroless nickel coatings on the fatigue strength of steel is also described. The article includes information on the recommended pretreatment procedures for different ferrous alloys, aluminum alloys, and copper alloys. It presents a detailed account of the equipment and various processes—including bulk and barrel plating—involved in electroless nickel plating, and discusses hydrogen relief methods. The article includes a comprehensive table on nickel plating applications, and concludes with information on electroless nickel coatings on composites and plastics.

This article discusses surface engineering of nonferrous metals including aluminum and aluminum alloys, copper and copper alloys, magnesium alloys, nickel and nickel alloys, titanium and titanium alloys, zirconium and hafnium, zinc alloys, and refractory metals and alloys. It describes various techniques to improve functional surface properties and enhance the appearance of product forms. The article discusses various cleaning and finishing techniques such as abrasive blast cleaning, polishing and buffing, barrel burnishing, chemical cleaning, pickling, etching and bright dipping, electrochemical cleaning, mechanical cleaning, and mass finishing. It also examines coating processes such as plating, anodizing, chemical conversion coating, and thermal spray, and concludes with a discussion on oxidation-resistant coatings for refractory metals.

This article provides information on the properties, compositions, designations, and applications of zinc and zinc alloys. It discusses the principal areas of application of zinc: in coatings and anodes for corrosion protection of irons and steels; in zinc casting alloys; as an alloying element in copper, aluminum, magnesium, and other alloys; in wrought zinc alloys; and in zinc chemicals. The zinc coating applications of hot dip galvanizing, electrogalvanizing, plating, and thermal spray are presented. The use of zinc alloys in both gravity and pressure die castings is discussed as well as the three main types of wrought products: flat-rolled products, wire-drawn products, and extruded and forged products. The article also provides a section on the corrosion resistance of zinc and zinc coatings in various atmospheres.

Zinc is one of the most used metals, ranking fourth in worldwide production and consumption behind iron, aluminum, and copper. This article commences with an overview of the applications of zinc that can be divided into six categories: coatings, casting alloys, alloying element in brass and other alloys, wrought zinc alloys, zinc oxide, and zinc chemicals. It discusses the corrosion and electrochemical behavior of zinc and its alloys in various environments, particularly in atmospheres in which they are most widely used. The article tabulates the corrosion rates of zinc and zinc coatings immersed in various types of waters, in different solutions in the neutral pH range, and in soils at different geographic locations in the United States. It concludes with information on the forms of corrosion encountered in zinc coatings, including galvanic corrosion, pitting corrosion, and intergranular corrosion.

The use of zinc in corrosion-protective coatings is due to its higher galvanic activity relative to that of steel. Pure zinc dust provides the best sacrificial protection to steel in a galvanic couple. Zinc-rich coatings can be subcategorized according to the type of binder material used, namely, inorganic and organic zinc-rich coatings. Common inorganic binders such as post-cured water-based alkali metal silicates, self-cured water-based alkali metal silicates, and self-cured solvent-based alkyl silicates, are reviewed. The article also compares inorganic and organic zinc-rich coatings, and discusses the concerns regarding zinc-rich coatings.

The selection of surface treatments for copper and copper alloys is generally based on application requirements for appearance and corrosion resistance. This article describes cleaning, finishing, and coating processes for copper and copper alloys. These processes include pickling and bright dipping, abrasive blast cleaning, chemical and electrochemical cleaning, mass finishing, polishing and buffing, electroless plating, immersion plating, electroplating, passivation, coloring, and organic coatings.

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.

The process of coating plastics with metals for functional purposes is called metallizing of plastics. This article discusses the metallizing of plastics, provides information on its history, and gives a short note on applications and adhesion properties of metallic coatings. It also discusses the selection of plastics for plating. This article also describes metallizing techniques, including plating (electrolytic or electroplating), vacuum metallizing and thermal spraying, and environmental considerations. The article discusses the quality assurance procedures for metallized plastic parts which include tests that assess the quality of the finish, coating thickness, adhesion, and corrosion resistance, and gives a short note on service performance, which includes service condition classifications.

This article commences with a description of the applications of galvanized coatings and provides information on metallurgical characteristics, such as coating thickness and alloying elements. It examines the effect of galvanizing process on the mechanical properties of steels and briefly describes the cleaning procedures of iron and steel pieces, before galvanizing. The article discusses the different types of conventional batch galvanizing practices. Information on the galvanizing of silicon-killed steels is also presented. The article concludes with helpful information on batch galvanizing equipment and galvanizing post treatments.

Although stainless steel is naturally passivated by exposure to air and other oxidizers, additional surface treatments are needed to prevent corrosion. Passivation, pickling, electropolishing, and mechanical cleaning are important surface treatments for the successful performance of stainless steel. This article describes the surface treatment of stainless steels including abrasive blast cleaning, acid pickling, salt bath descaling, passivation treatments, electropolishing, and the necessary coating processes involved. It also describes the surface treatment of heat-resistant alloys including metallic contaminant removal, tarnish removal, oxide and scale removal, finishing, and coating processes.