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Research Article
The effects and economic impact of
Corrosion
Kushal Jain
B.Tech. Student at Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore
CORROSION is a natural process. Just like water flows to the lowest
level, all natural processes tend toward the lowest possible energy states.
Thus, for example, iron and steel have a natural tendency to com- bine
with other chemical elements to return to their lowest energy states. In
order to return to lower energy states, iron and steel frequently combine
with oxygen and water, both of which are present in most natu- ral
environments, to form hydrated iron oxides (rust), similar in chemi- cal
composition to the original iron ore. Figure 1 illustrates the corro- sion
life cycle of a steel product.
Finished Steel Product
Smelting &
Refining
Air &
Mois ture
Corr ode
Steel &
For m
Rust
Adding
Energy
Giving Up
Energy
Mining Ore
Iron Oxide (Ore & Rust)
Fig. 1 The corrosion cycle of steel