Every fundamental approach to corrosion must take into account the properties of the metal, of the environment, and of the metal – environment interface.
Metal: composition, structure, heterogeneity, stress, etc.
Environment: chemical composition, impurities, temperature, hydrodynamic conditions
Interface: reaction kinetics, the nature and distribution of corrosion products, speed of creation and destruction of films.
The mechanisms of corrosion are complex, and an understanding of them calls upon knowledge from several disciplines, ranging from physics to bacteriology. However, many cases can be resolved by the simple application of concepts that are relatively straightforward, taking into account the impact of the solution applied on all the other characteristics of the workpiece or the installation. The best solution to a corrosion problem is not usually the most high-performance remedy in terms of anticorrosion, but rather the best compromise between the behaviour of the workpiece in relation to its environment, as well as its overall performance within a given technical-economic context.
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