Influence of the alloy element on corrosion morphology of the low alloy steels exposed to the atmospheric environments

Morphology of the corroded surface of low alloy steels beneath rust after long-term exposure test in the atmospheric environment was analyzed. The form of the corroded surface was measured with the laser displacement sensor scanning the surface. The resultant height map was divided by the mesh and the maximum corrosion depth was calculated in each cell. The maximum depth was arranged by the extreme value analysis. From this analysis two kinds of corrosion patterns were distinguished; i.e., uniform corrosion and local corrosion. Electrolytic iron shows the only uniform corrosion pattern. The addition of Cu, Ni and Cr changed the form of the corroded surface from the uniform corrosion to the combined pattern (uniform corrosion + local corrosion). The addition of Cr has a marked effect in changing the corrosion pattern.