Galvanic Corrosion^[1]

This chapter provides a brief account of galvanic corrosion, which occurs when a metal or alloy is electrically coupled to another metal or conducting nonmetal in the same electrolyte. It begins by describing the galvanic series of metals and alloys useful for predicting galvanic relationships, followed by a brief section on polarization of metals or alloys. The effects of area, distance, and geometric shapes on galvanic-corrosion behavior are then discussed. Various alloys susceptible to galvanic corrosion are briefly reviewed. The chapter also discusses various modes of attack that lead to galvanic corrosion, along with methods for predicting and controlling galvanic corrosion.