A Finite Element Method for Modeling Localized Corrosion Cells Available to Purchase

A finite element method of modeling localized corrosion cells is described in this paper. The geometry of the cell is modeled using an element mesh, and the polarization curves of the materials in the cell are assigned as the boundary conditions to calculate the cell current distributions. A time marching procedure is used to calculate the current as a function of time. Chemical changes in the localized environment caused by ionic transport and hydrolysis are calculated in a subroutine between time steps. The modeling method was evaluated by comparing numerical results with experimental measurements of an artificial crevice corrosion cell of Ag in a 0.1M KNO₃ solution. The agreement between the calculated results and experimental measurements indicates that the method is valid.