Erosion Corrosion

Erosion corrosion is a form of attack resulting from the interaction of an electrolytic solution in motion relative to a metal surface. It has typically been thought of as involving small solid particles dispersed within a liquid stream. The fluid motion causes wear and abrasion, increasing rates of corrosion over uniform (non-motion) corrosion under the same conditions. Erosion corrosion is evident in pipelines, cooling systems, valves, boiler systems, propellers, impellers, as well as numerous other components. Specialized types of erosion corrosion occur as a result of impingement and cavitation. Impingement refers to a directional change of the solution hereby a greater force is exhibited on a surface such as the outside curve of an elbow joint. Cavitation is the phenomenon of collapsing vapor bubbles which can cause surface damage if they repeatedly hit one particular location on a metal.