CLEANING AND

CORROSION
CONTROL
PRELIM
WHAT IS CORROSION?
• Corrosion is the inevitable result when metals are exposed
to water and air.
• This type of damage can take place internally, as well as
on the surface. As in the rotting of wood, this deterioration
may change the smooth surface, weaken the interior, or
damage or loosen adjacent parts.
• The corrosion process
involves two simultaneous
changes: the metal that is
attacked or oxidized suffers
what is called anodic
change, and the corrosive
agent is reduced and is
considered as undergoing
cathodic change.
FACTORS AFFECTING CORROSION
• Many factors affect the type, speed, cause, and
seriousness of metal corrosion. Some of these
factors that influence metal corrosion and the rate
of corrosion are:
• Type of metal
• Heat treatment and grain direction
• Presence of a dissimilar, less corrodible metal
• Anodic and cathodic surface areas (in galvanic corrosion)
• Temperature
• Presence of electrolytes (hard water, salt water, battery fluids, etc.)
• Availability of oxygen
• Presence of biological organisms
• Mechanical stress on the corroding metal
• Time of exposure to a corrosive environment
• Lead/graphite pencil marks on aircraft surface metals
TWO GENERAL CLASSIFICATIONS OF
CORROSION

•DIRECT CHEMICAL CORROSION - Direct

chemical attack, or pure chemical corrosion, is an attack
resulting from direct exposure of a bare surface to caustic
liquid or gaseous agents.
• The most common
agents causing direct
chemical attack on
aircraft are: spilled
battery acid or fumes
from batteries;
• ELECTROCHEMICAL CORROSION - is a natural
occurrence that attacks metal by chemical or
electrochemical action, converting it back to a metallic
compound.
The following four conditions must exist before electrochemical
corrosion can occur:
• A metal subject to corrosion (anode)
• A dissimilar conductive material (cathode) that has less
tendency to corrode
• Presence of a continuous, conductive liquid path (electrolyte)
• Electrical contact between the anode and the cathode (usually
in the form of metal to metal contact, such as rivets, bolts, and
corrosion)
• All metals and alloys are electrically active and
have a specific electrical potential in a given
chemical environment. This potential is commonly
referred to as the metal’s “nobility.”
• The less noble a metal is, the more easily it can be
corroded.
 ELECTROCHEMICAL SERIES FOR METALS AND
ALLOYS
• The metals listed above
are arranged in order of
electrode potential. Any
metal appearing in this
series is anodic to any
metal which follows it and
will corrode if subjected to
galvanic action.
FORMS OF
CORROSION
FORMS OF CORROSION

• Corrosion is a very general term and may appear in a

variety of forms, depending on the metal involved and the
corrosion-producing agents present. As an A&P technician,
you must be familiar with the different forms of corrosion
as well as how to identify each.
• OXIDATION - One of the simpler forms of corrosion is
"dry" corrosion or, as it is most generally known, oxidation.
When a metal such as aluminum is exposed to a gas
containing oxygen, a chemical reaction takes place on the
surface between the metal and the gas. Two aluminum
atoms join three oxygen atoms to form aluminum oxide
(AL2O3). If the metal is iron or steel, two atoms of iron join
three atoms of oxygen to form iron oxide, or rust (Fe2O3).
The best way to protect metal from dry corrosion is to
keep oxygen from coming into contact with its sur-
face. This is done temporarily by covering the surface
with oil or grease, or permanently with a coat of
paint.
• SURFACE CORROSION -
General surface corrosion (also
referred to as uniform etch or
uniform attack corrosion) is the
most common form of corrosion.
Surface corrosion appears as a
general roughening, etching, or
pitting of the surface of a
metal, frequently accompanied
by a powdery deposit of
corrosion products.
• FILIFORM CORROSION - Filiform corrosion is a special form of
oxygen concentration cell that occurs on metal surfaces having an
organic coating system. It is recognized by its characteristic worm-like
trace of corrosion products beneath the paint film.
• PITTING CORROSION -
Pitting corrosion is one of the
most destructive and intense
forms of corrosion. Pits form as
localized anodic areas, and
corrosive action continues until
an appreciable percentage of
the metal thickness is converted
into salts.
Types of pitting corrosion.
• CONCENTRATION CELL CORROSION - Concentration cell corrosion,
(also known as crevice corrosion) is corrosion of metals in a metal-to-
metal joint, corrosion at the edge of a joint even though the joined
metals are identical, or corrosion of a spot on the metal surface
covered by a foreign material.
• three general types of concentration cell corrosion.
• *Metal ion concentration cells
• *Oxygen concentration cells
• *Active-passive cells
• Metal Ion Concentration Cells -The solution may consist of water
and ions of the metal that are in contact with water.
• Oxygen Concentration Cells - The solution in contact with the metal
surface normally contains dissolved oxygen. Typical locations of
oxygen concentration cells are under gaskets, wood, rubber, and
other materials in contact with the metal surface.
• Active-Passive Cells - Metals that depend on a tightly adhering
passive film, usually an oxide for corrosion protection, are prone to
rapid corrosive attack by active-passive cells.
• INTERGRANULAR
CORROSION - This type of
corrosion is an attack along
the grain boundaries of an
alloy and commonly results
from a lack of uniformity in
the alloy structure.
• EXFOLIATION CORROSION - Exfoliation corrosion is an advanced form of
intergranular corrosion and shows itself by lifting up the surface grains of a
metal by the force of expanding corrosion products occurring at the grain
boundaries just below the surface. This type of corrosion is difficult to detect in
its initial stage.
• STRESS CORROSION - This form of corrosion involves a constant or
cyclic stress acting in conjunction with a damaging chemical environment.
The stress may be caused by internal or external loading.
Specific environments have been identified that cause stress corrosion
cracking of certain alloys:
*Salt solutions and sea water cause stress corrosion cracking of high-strength, heat-
treated steel and aluminum alloys.
*Methyl alcohol-hydrochloric acid solutions cause stress corrosion cracking of some
titanium alloys.
*Magnesium alloys may stress corrode in moist air.
• FRETTING CORROSION - Fretting corrosion is a particularly damaging form of
corrosive attack that occurs when two mating surfaces, normally at rest with
respect to one another, are subject to slight relative motion. The most common
example of fretting corrosion is the smoking rivet found on engine cowling and
wing skins.
• GALVANIC CORROSION - Galvanic corrosion occurs when two dissimilar
metals make electrical contact in the presence of an electrolyte. If the surface
area of the corroding metal is smaller than the surface area of the less active
metal, corrosion is rapid and severe. When the corroding metal is larger than
the less active metal, corrosion is slow and superficial.
CORROSIVE
AGENTS
WHAT IS CORROSIVE AGENT?
Substances that cause corrosion of metals are called
corrosive agents. The most common corrosive agents are
acids, alkalies, and salts. The atmosphere and water,
the two most common media for these agents, may also
act as corrosive agents.
ACIDS

Moderately strong acids severely corrode most of the alloys

used in airframes. The most destructive are sulfuric acid
(battery acid), halogen acids (hydrochloric, hydrofluoric,
and hydrobromic), nitrous oxide compounds, and organic
acids found in the wastes of humans and animals.
ALKALIES

as a group, alkalies are not as corrosive as acids.

SALT
Most salt solutions are good electrolytes and can promote
corrosive attack. Some stainless-steel alloys are resistant to
attack by salt solutions but aluminum alloy, magnesium
alloys, and other steels are extremely vulnerable. Exposure
of airframe materials to salts or their solutions is extremely
undesirable.
ATMOSPHERE
The major atmospheric corrosive agents are oxygen and
airborne moisture. Corrosion often results from the direct
action of atmospheric oxygen and moisture on metal, and
the presence of additional moisture often accelerates
corrosive attack, particularly on ferrous alloys.
WATER
Pure water reacts with metals to form corrosion or
oxidation, but water holding a concentration of salts or
other contaminants causes much more rapid corrosion.
One characteristic of water that determines its corrosiveness
is the conductivity or ability to act as an electrolyte and
conduct a current.