CIVN 4000

Metallurgy and Corrosion

Presented by Esina T Ndoro
 Metallurgy
• Metals and alloys are used in the construction industry as
reinforcement, frames, pipes etc. because of their durability
and strength.
– Steel (carbon steel and stainless steel), aluminium and copper are the
most commonly used.

• Steels are alloys of iron and other elements primarily carbon

and are widely used in the construction industry because of
their high tensile strength and low cost.
– Carbon and elements act as hardening agents that prevent the movement of dislocations that
occur in the crystal lattices of iron.
– Carbon steel is an alloy of iron and carbon prized in the construction industry for its hardness
and strength.
• It is typically used to make beams for structural framework, plates for highway construction, and
rectangular tubing for welded frames trailer beds, and bridges.
• It is classified on a scale of “mild” to “very high,” depending on how much carbon is present in the
metal.
 Metallurgy

Thermo Mechanically Treated (TMT) rods Wire

Billets Beams
Source:http://robuststeels.com/products.html
 Metallurgy
Alstom Steel Structure –Midvaal Steel

Source:http://www.steelstructures.co.za/gallery-alstom.htm
 Metallurgy
– Stainless steel is an alloy of iron and chromium, and it is one of the oldest
known construction materials .
• It is corrosion and stain resistant and is used to make roofing, drainage components,
handrails, architectural cladding etc.

• Aluminium is a metal and it is commonly used in the construction industry

because it is resistant to corrosion, highly conductive and ductile.
– It is used to make windows, doors, wire , sheets, tubes , castings, heating
ventilation and air conditioning ducts, roofing, walling etc.

• Copper is a metal and it is a desirable construction material because it is

ductile, malleable, resistant to corrosion and easy to recycle.
– It is used to make piping for drainage systems, refrigerant lines in HVAC
systems, heat pumps etc. .
 Metallurgy
Iron production

Source:http://mrongslovelystudents.blogspot.com/2009/08/iron-extraction-
method_13.html
 Metallurgy
Iron and Steel production

Source:http://www.jfe-21st-cf.or.jp/chapter_2/2a_1_img.html
 Corrosion
• Economic loss to corrosion
globally is estimated at over US $
1.8 trillion per year, and in South
Africa it costs the economy over
R130 billion per year (over 5% of
the GDP).
– More than 50% of unplanned power
outages globally are due to corrosion
– It is estimated that between 25-30% of
water is lost in the supply chain is due
to corrosion.
– For every tonne of iron used 50% is
used to replace corroded infrastructure.
– 25% of the effects and costs can be
prevented by applying known
technology.
– Indirect costs include property damage,
environmental contamination,
increased energy consumption etc.
http://www.european-coatings.com/Raw-materials-
technologies/Raw-materials/Coatings-additives/Corrosion-
protection-of-enclosed-spaces
 Corrosion
• A study conducted in the US
between 1999 to 2001 on the
direct costs of corrosion
showed
– It was approximately 3% of the
Gross Domestic Product (GDP),
or over US$300 billion.
– The loss to corrosion was
attributed
• to inadequate state and federal
infrastructure maintenance
budgets,
• structures being used well
beyond their intended design
lifetimes,
• and lack of maintenance.

Source:http://www.electrawatch.com/Bridges.html
 Corrosion
• Corrosion is the degradation of metals as they are oxidised
when the react with various elements in the environment e.g
oxygen, water etc.
– It is a natural process, as metals naturally occur in an oxidised state they tend
to strive towards a stable state (i.e. an oxidised state/lower energy state) and
hence refined metals undergo corrosion e.g. rusting ,
• high amounts of energy are used in the extraction process to reduce metal cations
bound in minerals to a metallic state (high energy state)
– materials change their physical and chemical properties including strength,
hardness, appearance ,permeability etc.
• these changes are not unique to metals and alloys, and also occur in other materials e.g.
ceramics or polymers and in this regard it is termed degradation.

• There are 2 main types of corrosion dry/chemical corrosion

and wet/ electrochemical corrosion.
– Dry corrosion - metal oxidation occurs in the absence of water and/or moisture i.e.
between the metal and gases in the atmosphere.
– Wet corrosion – metal oxidation occurs in the presence of water and/or moisture
through electron transfer, involving two processes, oxidation and reduction.
 Corrosion
Air contains, on average, 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen,
and 1% argon. It can also contain water vapour,
ozone, and carbon dioxide.

Oxidation of iron at points of stress in the crystal

lattice: 2Fe(s) 2Fe2+(aq) + 4e-
Reduction of water at the site of carbon impurities:
O2(g) + H2O(l) + 4e- 4OH-(aq)
Overall equation: 2Fe(s) + O2(g) + H2O(l) Fe(OH)2

Water is very commonly aerated which again means

there is oxygen for reaction

Source: http://www.infovisual.info/01/002_en.html
Source:www.femoranshs.com
 Corrosion of Steel
• Bimetallic corrosion/galvanic corrosion is process where 2 metals with
different electromotive force (emf) when in contact act as an electrochemical
cell resulting in the corrosion of the metal with the lower emf.
– Electromotive force/emf is developed as the metal with higher emf acts as a cathode
and the one with the lower emf an anode (the anode oxidised).
– The susceptibility of a metal to corrosion depends on its natural emf.
– Some metals such as aluminium and chromium are covered with an film of oxide
making them passive to corrosion .
• Passive metal - a metal with an oxide film that prevents further attack of the metals by agents of
corrosion.

• Steel is liable to corrosion when

– it is in contact with metals/ alloys with a higher emf such as copper, lead, tin,
chromium, passive aluminium, alloys bronze(Cu>Sn) and brass (Cu>Zn>Pb). This
occurs when the surface area of exposure of steel is small, steel is galvanised,
two steels of a different composition are joined, new and old sections are joined
and when it is in contact with ash and soil.
– exposed to differential aeration, at an air-water interface, electric currents,
stress or strain resulting in a phase change, and some bacteria e.g. vibro
desulphuricans can reduce sulphates to sulphides through absorption of
hydrogen from steel surfaces changing the environmental chemistry.
Corrosion
Galvanic corrosion table
 Corrosion
Galvanic corrosion in water pipes
Source:http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/118-a202/
• When lead and copper plumbing
pipes are connected, a galvanic
cell is created.
– Metallic lead serves as the anode
and is oxidized (corroded) and the
copper pipe serves as the cathode.
– The drinking water flowing through
the joined pipes serves as the
electrolyte.
– The use of a short brass connector
may alleviate the very high
corrosion rate that can occur when
lead is connected directly to
copper.
• Although some brass (contains
varying percentages of copper, zinc,
lead, and other metals) can be
cathodic to lead.
 Corrosion
Galvanic corrosion in water pipes

Source:http://www.anzor.com.au/blog/the-dos-and-donts-
of-using-stainless-steel-fasteners/

http://www.tundraheadquarters.com/blog/aluminum-2015-f150-
problems/

Source:http://www.rustbullet.com.au/technical/how-it-
works/introduction-to-corrosion-and-process/
 Corrosion of Steel
• Corrosion protection
– Active corrosion protection - influences the reactions which proceed during
corrosion through the development of corrosion-resistant alloys and the
addition of inhibitors to the aggressive medium.
– Passive corrosion protection – through isolation from the aggressive
corrosive agents e.g. protective layers, films or other coatings. If the
protective layer, film etc. is destroyed at any point, corrosion may occur
within a very short time (tin plating, galvanization, coating, enamelling and
plating.

• The corrosion of steel in reinforced concrete is a result of bimetallic

corrosion, differential aeration and that concrete is not a homogenous
material.
– Steel in concrete is contact with water, dilute salt solutions, reactive
minerals etc.

• In the early life of concrete the steel acts as passive metal/ alloy and is
protected from corrosion by a layer of ferric oxide.
– the pores of the concrete contain a saturated salt solution mainly calcium hydroxide
and relatively high pH is maintained.
– Over time the pH decrease to levels that do not support passivation as the pore
solution changes to calcium carbonate promoting corrosion.