Corrosion Testing: Methods, Results & Interpretation

It is often necessary to predict the performance of a specific material in a particular environment to determine the inherent corrosivity of the system. Such tests are often substantially different from those used for corrosion inhibitor qualification, particularly in the case of the corrosion testing of corrosion resistant alloys. Predicting corrosivity is especially important when designing subsea equipment, most of which is extremely challenging to repair or replace once it is installed. Corrosion testing is a widely used method of evaluating a material’s ability to withstand specific environmental conditions. Corrosion in field conditions can be extremely slow, thus accelerated test methods have been designed to enable evaluation and prediction of long-term corrosion behavior. In general, corrosion testing is conducted by exposing small samples of a material to the desired environment for a relatively short period of time, then evaluating the type and severity of corrosion in order to select materials or chemicals that will maximize the life of the part in question.

Click here to read more about corrosion test methods and how to interpret the results.