Analysis of corrosion
In everyday parlance, the term corrosion is often equated with the rusting of iron. The term corrosion, however, is much more comprehensive than this “simplified” description suggests. Corrosion is the deterioration of a material due to chemical reaction with its environment. Corrosive processes result in measurable changes in a material and often lead to functional impairments such as tears, cracks, or wear of entire components. DIN EN ISO 8044 defines various terms that are closely linked to the term corrosion (corrosion damage, corrosion appearance and corrosion protection) and describes a large number of different types of corrosion. These include, among others, galvanic corrosion, pitting corrosion or intergranular corrosion, which can often be observed at grain boundaries in chromium-containing steels. Typical corrosion processes are the tarnishing of silver, the embrittlement of steels due to hydrogen storage or, as already mentioned above, the rusting of iron. Learn more about corrosion, its causes and how to analyze corrosion below at Tascon.
What can cause corrosion?
The causes of corrosion can be diverse. Common causes include the presence of contamination in the form of electrolytes on the surface. These can lead to electrochemical oxidation processes between different metals. Another factor that can lead to corrosion is mechanical stress that can wear off passivation or protective layers.
How is corrosion analyzed?
The analytical methods in our laboratory can provide important information about the a corrosion process. Useful measures to avoid future corrosion events can often be derived from the data. In addition to Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM/EDX), our laboratory also offers Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS, also known as ESCA) for analyzing a wide variety of samples.
With the above-mentioned methods it is possible to investigate corrosion damage and its causes on various components and materials. In addition to the analysis of the chemical composition of corrosion deposits and corrosion residues, Tascon also deals with the damage pattern of different types of corrosion. This also includes the analysis of existing protective layers. We can advice you in the investigation of the cause and assist you to avoid corrosion processes in the future. Just get in contact with us.
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