Interaction of mechanical and electrochemical factors in erosion-corrosion of carbon steel

The interaction of mechanical and electrochemical factors in the erosion-corrosion process of carbon steel A1045 was investigated in Na2SO4 solution/silica sand slurry with a rotating cylinder electrode system. In line with the mechanism associated with material wastage, the synergism due to the interaction of erosion and corrosion was divided into corrosion-enhanced erosion and erosion-enhanced corrosion. The electrochemical experimental results indicated that the carbon steel showed active dissolution behavior, and the corrosion process was not controlled by the mass transfer when the rotating velocity is high enough. Scratching electrode tests and tensile tests were conducted to simulate the effect of sand impingement on corrosion process. Results showed that the impingement of the solid did not affect the corrosion behavior significantly in the present system. For the effect of corrosion on erosion, a half-logarithm relationship was found between weight loss due to corrosion-enhanced erosion and the applied anodic current density. According to a chemo-mechanical model, this effect can be attributed to the hardness degradation in metal surface with corrosion current.