One of the chief characteristics of the electrical manufacturing industry is its great diversity of products. Some of its products, of course, are not usually exposed to a corrosive environment, but in the manufacture and use of many of them, corrosion problems of all kinds are encountered. The design engineer is expected to anticipate such problems, and to select the most suitable materials. It is, therefore, important that useful information on the corrosion-resistant properties of materials be available to him.
In designing any structure, he must consider all known factors affecting its useful life and also try to make some provision for unforeseen circumstances. He uses the existing data on the properties of materials and computes the size and shape of the parts, allowing a safety factor to provide for uncertainties in the accuracy of the data and for abnormal conditions of use, such as overloading, accidents and abuse. Insofar...
