The 8 Most Common Forms of Metal Corrosion

Corrosion impacts our society on a daily basis. Automobiles, buildings, infrastructure, appliances and energy distribution systems are examples of some of the components negatively affected by this phenomena.

Corrosion is defined as the deterioration of a material as a result of chemical reactions between it and the surrounding environment. Although corrosion affects a variety of materials including polymers and ceramics, the term is most often associated with the degradation of metals.

In a 2016 study conducted by the NACE (formerly known as the National Association of Corrosion Engineers) and outlined in their publication “The International Measures of Prevention, Application and Economics of Corrosion Technology (IMPACT),” corrosion incurs a global cost of $US 2.5 trillion dollars. This figure represents roughly 3.4 percent of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Click here to read about all eight types of corrosion in detail.