Page 15 - Corrosion Engineering Principles and Practice

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Preface

hen I carried out my first corrosion investigation, some
25 years ago, on what turned out to be a 90-10 copper-nickel
Wtubing Type I pitting problem it never occurred to me that
this was indeed to trigger an important transition in my career. Well,
that seems to be how many corrosion engineers have stumbled onto
what was later to become a central focus of their work. There are many
reasons for this. One common factor that often attracts an investigator’s
attention is the drastic contrast that exists between the importance and
seriousness of a corrosion problem and the size of the damage itself.
In my first corrosion investigation a metallurgical microscope of
reasonable magnification was required to examine the tubing
samples provided. Yet, these microscopic pits were causing a major
havoc to the air-cooling system of a relatively modern facility where
my laboratory and office were located. Eventually the whole air-
conditioning system unit had to be replaced at a cost of over $200,000.
The precise root cause of the problem still remains a mystery since a
few other systems operating with a common water intake and of the
same design and vintage are still in operation today and never
suffered Type I pitting problems.
My first case also revealed another aspect of many corrosion
investigations that is quite fascinating. It has to do with the complexity
of the interactions that eventually culminate in a failure or a need to
repair. The belief was widespread at the time that many of the
corrosion problems could be alleviated with the help of well-designed
and calibrated expert systems. In many countries the development of
these systems was funded on the premise that these software tools
would artificially improve the level of expertise of technical personnel.
Of course, this optimistic view could not possibly consider many of
the hidden factors that are behind many corrosion situations:
unreported system changes, rapid and frequent changes in technical
personnel and many other factors that may remain invisibly at work
on a micro scale for years before giving the final blow to a system.
As with many of my predecessors and many colleagues, I have
come to the conclusion that the main line of defense against the multi-
headed foe we call corrosion is by increasing awareness through
education and training. In our modern world some of that training
can be provided by various routes that are readily accessible almost
anywhere via the Internet or the Web. However, textbooks and
reference documents remain as precious today as they were a century
ago when they were the main source of distributing information.

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