University of Utah General Chemistry lecture on Corrosion

At the recent PGMSC conference held by Plymouth Tube Co., owner of a Metals and Materials Consulting Engineers, explains various methods which will help metals achieve corrosion resistance.

Corrosion-Resistant Turkey

This steel turkey weathervane is zinc plated and then powder coated with a satin black top coat and baked on in an oven. Happy Thanksgiving!

Preventing Corrosion in Dissimilar Water Pipes by Electrical Isolation

Connecting copper and galvanized water pipes can cause corrosion due to dissimilar metals, or galvanic corrosion. A solution is to use a fitting called a dielectric nipple (bottom photo). A plastic liner (3 in. long) inside the fitting increases the resistance between the pipes and reduces the corrosion rate.


From The Family Handyman.

Preventing corrosion on buses by treating wash water

To save expensive low-floor buses from corrosion, the Delhi Transport department is going to install reverse osmosis (RO) plants for washing the new buses with treated water. Delhi Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said the water used for cleaning the low-floor buses in DTC depots is hard and saline and it causes corrosion. Therefore, the Government has decided to install RO plants at depots. RO plants remove salts and other impurities and improve water quality. To cleaning one bus, approximately 25 gallons of water is needed. At present, the DTC uses re-cycled water for washing its fleet of 3,200 buses.

From the New Delhi Pioneer.

Bridge inspection prompts closure due to corrosion

Indiana Department of Transportation closed the Cline Avenue bridge in East Chicago due to corrosion found on a bridge inspection. Cline carries almost 36,000 vehicles a day at that spot. An inspection found the combination of the region's weather, air pollution and extensive use of road salt hastened the corrosion. In July 2008, an Indiana Associated Press review of structurally deficient bridges in the state named Cline Avenue over the Indiana Harbor canal -- the same spot were the worst corrosion has been found.


The photo shows a portion of the Cline Avenue Bridge that collapsed during construction, as the concrete deck was being placed on one span. See the Wikipedia page for the Cline Bridge here.

The bridge on Indiana 912 (Cline Avenue) is closed to all traffic between U.S. 41 (Calumet Avenue) in Hammond and Michigan Avenue in East Chicago.

From the Post-Tribune of Northwest Indiana.

Corrosion to blame for LA water pipeline ruptures

A panel of experts reported Tuesday that corrosion was to blame for an increase in water pipeline failures. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power released a report developed by experts from the University of Southern California, Cornell University and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory which blamed the breaks on corroded portions of the aging system. See the full report here (PDF, 215k).

The city has seen a spate of major water breaks this year, several highly publicized ruptures, including one in Valley Village that opened a sinkhole that engulfed a firetruck. DWP officials said the panel determined that the city's conservation program, which limits lawn watering to Mondays and Thursdays, was not to blame for the pipeline problems. Some experts had theorized that the watering restrictions overburdened the system on the allowed days and may have contributed to the breaks.

From Contra Costa Times and NACEtweet.

IFMA Names Tony Keane President and CEO

The International Facility Management Association, headquartered in Houston, announced the appointment of Anthony "Tony" J. Keane as IFMA’s new president and CEO effective Jan. 18, 2010. His appointment will coincide with the retirement of current IFMA president and CEO David J. Brady. Keane served for four years as executive director of NACE International. From IFMA's website. NACE's announcement of Keane's resignation here. Del Doyle, P.E., NACE Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives, will be the Interim Executive Director while the NACE Board of Directors conducts a global search for a permanent replacement. The Board Search Committee chaired by past president Dr. Louis D. Vincent is being organized, and the search will begin immediately.

Corrosion of Navy Ship Exibition Models

The Curator of Navy Ship Models reports here:

In the ship modeling community there has been considerable speculation about what causes lead to corrode severely, how to arrest the process in pieces already installed, and how to prevent corrosion in the future.

The conclusion of the report is that outgassing from wood display cases (particularly hardwoods) creates a corrosive atmosphere to lead in sealed cases. More discussion here.

Other Corrosion Blogs

http://gblogger-corrosionofmaterials.blogspot.com/

Gold Protects Astronauts from Radiation

The $1.5 billion Hubble telescope has been protected by gold coatings to provide corrosion resistance and electrical connections. Nearly 41Kg of gold was used in the construction of the US Columbia space shuttle, especially in brazing alloys, fuel cell fabrication, for coated plastic films or in electrical contacts.

If you thought NASA projects were gold-plated, now you have your proof here.

Corrosion-Resistant Materials Solution for Salt Mines

Morton Salt has giant salt mines 40 miles west of Salt Lake City. They had been using aluminum fenders on their T900 Kenworth Trucks for years and were consistently disappointed. The aluminum fender could not withstand the cold, heat and corrosive environment of the Utah salt mines.

For more info, see here.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/water-heater2.htm

http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/

Corrosion and Subway Trains

A report commissioned by the Metro Boston Transit Authority (MTBA) raises safety concerns about dozens of delayed maintenance projects at the MBTA that have been deemed critical to public safety. The report states that corrosion and damage on the tracks between the Alewife and Harvard Square stations could lead to a train derailment.

From boston.com.

Russian military plane crashes

Russian heavy-lift military cargo plane crashed on takeoff Sunday in Siberia, killing all 11 crew members on board, officials said. More from the Associated Press here. Earlier this year, the Russian air force announced that it had grounded its fleet of Mig-29 fighter jets and had to carry out costly repairs to make them safe to fly. The move followed a crash in December that occurred when a plane lost part of it tail section. Officials said the accident had been caused by corrosion.

More about aircraft corrosion here and here.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG

The new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG at Mercedes-Benz blog.

Um, it has the word corrosion in it.

How to Check a Car Battery for Corrosion

Corrosion and Bridges

Wikipedia has a list of bridge failures here, many of them caused by corrosion. One of the most well-known bridge failures is the Silver Bridge, between Point Pleasant, West Virginia and Kanauga, Ohio, that failed in 1967 and inspired the book Mothman Prophecies and the film of the same name. On Tuesday two tension rods and a crossbeam from a recently installed repair collapsed during the evening commute, causing the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge to be closed. The cause is not yet known. More information here.

EDIT: Bay Bridge re-opens.

Retired NTSB investigator Charles Batten dead at 72

Charles Hershel Batten, 72, died at his residence in the Lake of the Woods community, Locust Grove, Va., on Oct. 24, 2009.

from Energy Pipeline News

Corrosion in the House that Ruth Built?

Will the new $1.5B Yankee Statium explode¹ due to corrosion problems? Read more here.

¹ No.

Cathodic Protection in Your Home

Every month tens of thousands of hot water tanks burst prematurely due to corrosion causing severe water damage to property both indoors and outdoors, yet this can easily be avoided. There is one simple thing you can do NOW to protect your hot water tank from the destructive effects of corrosion on your tank. Following a schedule of timely replacement of the sacrificial anode in your hot water tank will double, or even triple, its life.

See here for full article.

[Editor's note: Here is the online parts list for The Official Corrosion Blog Water Heater (er, the one at my house). It has a six year warranty. Coincidently it is about five and a half years old, it was installed when I bought my house (The Official Corrosion Blog House) in March 2004. The anode rod is part number 7, and screws into the top of the heater. A new anode only costs $25.99, and probably will extend the life of my heater by another 6 years or so. A new heater of this size costs around $400. I just ordered a new anode. I'll post pictures when I swap the old one out.]

What does WD-40 Stand For?

WD-40 literally stands for Water Displacement, 40th attempt. That's the name straight out of the lab book used by the chemist who developed WD-40 back in 1953. The chemist, Norm Larsen, was attempting to concoct a formula to prevent corrosion-a task which is done by displacing water. Norm's persistence paid off when he perfected the formula on his 40th try.

From wd40.com.

[Editor's note: WD-40 prevents corrosion by eliminating one of the four components required for a corrosion cell, the electrolyte, by displacing the water]

Many uses of WD-40 here.

Many of the many uses rebutted on snopes.com.

PHMSA Approves Kinder Morgan's Alternative MAOP

Pipeline transportation and energy storage company Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP said on Oct. 8 that it has received authorization from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to increase the maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) on selected segments of three major natural gas pipelines that it operates from 72 to 80 percent of design.

See full story at Energy Pipeline News here.

NACE is conducting a seminar on alternative MAOP in Houston, Texas in January 2010. More information on the event "Pipeline Integrity Management Seminar: Investigating the 80% Rule" can be found on NACE's website here.

The final rule can be found here. PHMSA has a frequently-asked questions page regarding the new rule here.

Corrosion of World Monuments

The World Monuments Fund announced the 2010 World Monuments Watch, a list of 93 sites in 43 countries termed “at risk.” The list includes nine sites in the U.S. and 15 dating from the 20th century. One of the sites is the Gothic Revival, an all-steel basilica of San Sebastian in Manila. After earthquakes in 1645, 1762, and 1863 destroyed the first three stone and brick churches erected on this site, the Spanish Insular government recommended a new church be built of steel. Since its completion in 1891, San Sebastian has continued to play a significant religious and social role as the community parish and through its involvement in outreach programs. The innovative steel construction remains unique and reflects the daringness of the design and the skill of local craftsmen. Persistent corrosion, leaks, and material loss threaten the Basilica, but its most pervasive threat remains invisible: the structural bracing within cavity walls is severely deteriorating, potentially rendering the stability and continued functionality of San Sebastian precarious.

Extending the Life of a Highway Bridge by Corrosion Control

Galvanic cathodic protection used to extend the life of a highway bridge in Oregon here.

At one time the state had planned to replace the bridge with a wider bridge, but the cost of a new bridge expanded to nearly $10 million from an initial estimate of $1.8 million because of environmental concerns with the creek it crosses. The cost of the reconstruction of the existing bridge is estimated at about $1 million.

Joint corrosion terminology standard developed by ASTM International and NACE International

A joint corrosion terminology standard has been developed by ASTM International and NACE International. The new standard is NACE/ASTM G193, Terminology and Acronyms Relating to Corrosion.

“The new NACE/ASTM joint terminology standard will be used by not only ASTM and NACE, but also by other corrosion organizations worldwide to prevent confusion in corrosion testing and in the interpretation of corrosion standards,” says Harvey Hack, senior advisory engineer, Northrop Grumman Corp., Undersea Systems, and chair of J01.02.

TO download the standard from nace.org, click here. (PDF, NACE Member Price: $0.00, Non-Member Price: $42.00)

From ASTM's Twitter site.

Elemental Corrosion

Honda Element owner complains of filiform corrosion on wheels. See more information about filiform corrosion here.

A wee bit of corrosion

A wee bit of corrosion.

160 Days and Counting Till the World’s Largest Corrosion Conference!

The numbers don't lie! The excitement is building about CORROSION 2010 The exhibit hall is already over 80% sold A record setting 748 abstracts were submitted during the conference call for papers Over 850 hours of symposia, forums, tutorials/workshops, and technical meetings Over 20 different networking events throughout the week Over 350 exhibiting companies featuring products, and services specifically for your corrosion needs Join over 5,000 corrosion professionals from around the world for the world's largest corrosion conference in San Antonio, Texas on March 14-18, 2010 at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center. Reserve your hotel today! Book your room from the 15 beautiful hotels located along the famous San Antonio Riverwalk, near the historic Alamo, or within walking distance of the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center. Click here for information on reserving your hotel today. Register Today What's new for 2010? Corrosion Management Conference: Pipeline Corrosion Product Showcase Nuclear Coatings Forum Maintenance Painting in Electric Utility Generation, Transmission, and Distribution Systems Forum A Complete Overview on Powder Coatings Forum Future Challenges of Deepwater and Arctic Offshore Corrosion and Integrity Management Forum DoD Product Introduction Workshop-New processes to presenting products to the military Fiesta Two-Step NACE Foundation event Toast from Your Host reception Customize your conference Build your personal schedule with My Itinerary to stay informed on the 500+ papers, 350 technical committee meetings, and 20+ events at CORROSION 2010. CORROSION 2010: Deep in the heart of Texas! San Antonio's old world Spanish flair and blend of cultures make it one of America's most picturesque cities. It is the seventh largest city in the U.S. and one of the most visited destinations in Texas. While in San Antonio visit the historic Alamo, walk the popular Riverwalk, or taste delicious Tex-Mex food that can be found on almost every street corner. Click here for more information on San Antonio's history, attractions, and restaurants. Register now and save $100 on the full conference registration fee Thank you to our CORROSION 2010 sponsors:

Bayou to Purchase Canadian Pipe Coating Plant

The Bayou Companies, Inc. (Bayou), a subsidiary of Insituform Technologies, Inc., who also recently aquired Corrpro Companies, announced an agreement to acquire Garneau's pipe coating and insulation facility and associated assets in Camrose, Alberta, Canada. For more information, see here.

From PaintSquare News.