Corrosion of materials from a teaching point of view

Abstract

Corrosion can be defined as the deterioration of metallic components due to electrochemical reactions with the metal and its environment. In the fight against corrosion, research and new technological developments are oriented towards minimizing the effects of this phenomenon in order to delay its 'unavoidable appearance'.

Currently, the most common lines of research in this area focus on the knowledge of corrosion mechanisms and material protection systems. At the teaching level, in the Material Science area, theoretical knowledge about corrosion is well-documented but, is it correctly transmitted to the new generations of students taking into account the important economic losses caused by corrosion in the world of industry?.

There are several Standards that allow to study the behavior in service of certain materials, such as those applied to carry out corrosion studies by testing in salt spray chamber. This type of test allows to know easily, a material’s tendency towards its oxidation state. However, these type of test requires a relatively high exposure time to the aggressive environment; weeks, even months. In this respect, electrochemical techniques could take an important role since in a ‘few minutes’, material behavior could be determined in a corrosive environment. However, electrochemical corrosion tests, which are complementary to more conventional methodologies, require a much more complex analysis methodology.

In this regard, it is important contribute to the training of students, who are interested in the Material Science field, for the right implementation of this type of trials and mainly, for its appropriate analysis and data interpretation. Electrochemistry is an interdisciplinary field in which physical, chemical and mathematical knowledge is essential to accommodate the standardization of certain electrochemical tests that can complement the most conventional corrosion tests.

Definitely, at the teaching level, it is important to make students aware of the important problem that corrosion generates at the industrial level, since corrosion damage causes large economic losses, which are equivalent to 3.4% of the global GDP [1]. Are we aware of this problem?. At this point, it is essential to strengthen theoretical knowledge of corrosion through electrochemical laboratory practice, combined with the use of commercial simulation programmes, which can contribute to a better understanding of corrosion damage to try to 'mitigate' its appearance This work presents a new teaching methodology, based on the Finite Elements analysis, in order to understand corrosion problems from university teaching.