The Use of Electrochemical Corrosion Testing in a Corrosion Failure Investigation

As part of a corrosion failure investigation, it is not uncommon to be posed with the question whether corrosion can occur in a specific environment and, if so, how quickly (or slowly). In many instances, immersion corrosion testing can be used to answer these questions, but often take extended periods of time to conduct given the slow initiation process required to initiate corrosion making this methodology limiting. Instead, electrochemical corrosion testing can be utilized to evaluate the susceptibility to different modes of corrosion and/or evaluate the role of exposure conditions on the susceptibility or rate of corrosion. In this presentation, we will explore some of the basic theory, assumptions, and methodology utilized when using electrochemical corrosion methods illustrated through several case studies.