SEM/EDS ANALYSIS OF CORROSION PROCESS OF INDUSTRIAL ALLOYS IN MARINE ENVIRONMENT

This work presents a monitoring corrosion process occurred on 1045 carbon steel, 316 stainless steel and bronze coupons exposed in natural seawater during twelve months at the Bay of San Francisco de Campeche City (Campeche, Mexico). During the experimental stages, the growing of protective films, their morphology and elemental composition were analyzed by using SEM/EDS. The measurement of loss mass in all coupons indicate a diminution in corrosion rate along the time, consequence of the protective behavior demonstrated by corrosion products formed over the surfaces of the metallic samples. On the other hand, the results allowed the identification of elemental species associated to marine environment that had influenced the corrosion process suffered by the alloys and its influences on type of attack occurred over the surface of the alloys. In this order, while carbon steel showed generalized attack, bronze presented overlapping corrosion films over its surface, that were cracking periodically. On the other hand, although the stainless steel showed less corrosion rate, pitting of high depth were the form of attack, which is of very high risk for the integrity of the alloy.