Corrosion Science Chemistry Research Article | Page 3

The Effects and Economic Impact of Corrosion
usually result in detrimental or costly corrosion problems. The combi-
nation is a natural combination to provide good corrosion service.
Unnatural combinations, on the other hand, are those that result in se-
vere corrosion damage to the metal because of exposure to an undesir-
able environment. Examples of unnatural combinations include copper
in ammonia solutions, stainless steel in chloride-containing environ-
ments (e.g., seawater), and lead with wine (acetic acid in wine attacks
lead). It has been postulated that the downfall of the Roman Empire can
be attributed in part to a corrosion problem, specifically the storage of
wine in lead-lined vessels. Lead dissolved in the wine and consumed by
the Roman hierarchy resulted in insanity (lead poisoning) and contrib-
uted to the subsequent eventual downfall. Another anecdote regarding
lead and alcoholic beverages dates back to the era of Benjamin Frank-
lin. One manifestation was the “dry bellyache” with accompanying pa-
ralysis, which was mentioned by Franklin in a letter to a friend. This
malady was actually caused by the ingestion of lead from corroded lead
coil condensers used in making brandy. The problem became so wide-
spread that the Massachusetts legislature passed a law in the late 1700s
that outlawed the use of lead in producing alcoholic beverages.
The Effects of Corrosion
The effects of corrosion in our daily lives are both direct, in that corro-
sion affects the useful service lives of our possessions, and indirect, in
that producers and suppliers of goods and services incur corrosion
costs, which they pass on to consumers. At home, corrosion is readily
recognized on automobile body panels, charcoal grills, outdoor furni-
ture, and metal tools. Preventative maintenance such as painting pro-
tects such items from corrosion. A principal reason to replace automo-
bile radiator coolant every 12 to 18 months is to replenish the corrosion
inhibitor that controls corrosion of the cooling system. Corrosion pro-
tection is built into all major household appliances such as water heat-
ers, furnaces, ranges, washers, and dryers.
Of far more serious consequence is how corrosion affects our lives
during travel from home to work or school. The corrosion of steel rein-
forcing bar (rebar) in concrete can proceed out of sight and suddenly (or
seemingly so) result in failure of a section of highway, the collapse of
electrical towers, and damage to buildings, parking structures, and
bridges, etc., resulting in significant repair costs and endangering pub-
lic safety. For example, the sudden collapse because of corrosion fa-
tigue of the Silver Bridge over the Ohio River at Point Pleasant, OH in
1967 resulted in the loss of 46 lives and cost millions of dollars.
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