Corrosion of metals at indoor conditions in the electronics manufacturing industry

Purpose - Aggressive environments that enhance indoor corrosion in industrial plants decrease the yielding of electronic equipment, causing electrical failures. The purpose of the present paper is to evaluate corrosion rates in metals used in electronic devices as a function of temperature, humidity and the concentrations of some air pollutants in order to predict the optimal conditions preventing or minimizing corrosion.Design methodology approach - Atmospheric pollutants mainly sulphur oxides, penetrating through small crevices and holes into electronic plants in combination with climatic factors such as humidity and heat, promote corrosion. The corrosion rate of the five most used metals in the electronics industry: carbon steel, copper, nickel, silver, and tin, were studied gravimetrically as a function of variations in humidity, temperature and air pollutant concentrations from 2003 to 2005. The samples were exposed in an instrumented boot to indoor conditions and gravimetric measurements were performed together with measurements of the above-mentioned parameters. Mathematical simulation applying Math Lab software was carried out as well. The ternary diagrams for pollutants, temperature and relative humidity were applied as a useful tool to correlate these parameters in indoor conditions with the corrosion rate of metals applied in the electronics industry.Findings - The obtained results have shown that the presence of even small concentrations of air pollutants promoted corrosion processes when time of wetness conditions were reached.Practical implications - The study was carried out in order to minimize the corrosion losses of the electronic plants situated especially in Mexicali City located on a semi-desert zone in the Northwest of Mexico.Originality value - This paper establishes the relationship of variations of pollutants concentration, temperature and the relative humidity with the corrosion rate of metals in indoor conditions in the electronics industry located in the semi-arid zone of Mexicali. Design was characterized and simulated using the MathLab software.