In July 2019, the Australasian Corrosion Association (ACA) held an international symposium, “Advances in Corrosion Science and Corrosion Engineering,” to celebrate the many contributions made to Australasian corrosion science and engineering by Bruce Hinton, Les Boulton, Brian Martin, Brian Kinsella, Greg Moore, and David Nicholas. The structure of the symposium, held in Melbourne, Australia, was geared to invite keynote papers and presentations from five international and nine Australian distinguished corrosion science and engineering researchers and practitioners in the fields to which those gentlemen have largely dedicated their life works, namely: corrosion inhibition, engineering alloys, corrosion-resistant alloys, corrosion modeling and prediction, cathodic protection, oil and gas corrosion, and water and wastewater corrosion.
Some of the keynote papers included in the Symposium Proceedings (ISBN: 978-0-9875650-3-7) have been updated and amended for publication in this special issue of CORROSION, the Journal of Science and Engineering. The seven manuscripts selected for this issue cover topics including the progress toward corrosion-resistant metallic alloys development, the role of particular intermetallic particles in the localized corrosion of Al alloys, galvanic corrosion interactions between fastener and panel assemblies, duplex stainless steels: the versatile alloys, new understandings and insights regarding the mechanisms of cathodic protection, and water pipelines corrosion in terms of predictive modeling and condition assessment advances. For example, Gerard, et al., discuss some of the factors responsible for good corrosion resistance of select alloys in chloride solutions, and take us on a journey from binary corrosion-resistant alloys to metallic glasses and high entropy alloys, with a goal of providing some perspective on the current status and future directions of research in these areas. The article by Kairy and Birbilis herein investigates the role of Mg2Si and Si particles in the localized corrosion of Al alloys. The study both clarifies and provides new insights into the characteristics of Al alloy physical manifestation of corrosion associated with Mg2Si and Si at the nanoscale.
Galvanic corrosion is common in applications involving fastener and panel assemblies. Often, the fastener is made from a more noble metal and the panel is made from a less noble metal, selected for their respective mechanical properties. The ability of the more noble metal to galvanically couple to the panel’s surface as a function of distance is referred to as “throwing power,” and is the main subject of the research by Marshall, et al.
Francis has reviewed the range of modern duplex stainless steels and their use in three industries common in Australia and New Zealand: oil and gas, mineral processing, and desalination. The corrosion resistance in the relevant fluids is also reviewed and some case histories highlight both successes and potential problems with duplex alloys in these industries.
The mechanism of cathodic protection and its implications on criteria including AC and DC interference conditions are explored by Büchler. The article summarizes the present state of knowledge, more recent developments and their implications with respect to the cathodic protection criteria, together with relevant aspects in association with interference conditions. Future approaches with respect to the assessment of the effectiveness of cathodic protection are also highlighted.
Finally, advances in predictive modeling of water pipeline corrosion and condition assessment are explored by Melchers. He has considered models for the long-term prediction of corrosion of cast iron water mains buried in wet soils. Interpretation of data from actual cast iron pipes buried in a variety of soils for up to 129 years shows that two critical factors governing depth of local corrosion penetration are the type of soil and the compaction of that soil around the pipe. Microbiologically influenced corrosion has no influence unless essential nutrients continue to be available. These new views on an old subject permit the development of corrosion penetration models for longer-term corrosion.
Advances in the condition assessment of water pipelines are presented by Vince. Condition assessment forms an important component of prudent asset management. Information gained through condition assessment contributes to good decision making and optimizing asset life. Methodologies for inspecting pipelines are presented including screening techniques and more detailed techniques. Advances in technology have opened opportunities for new methods of inspection and evaluation of results.
Bruce Hinton, Brian Kinsella, and I are most honored to have been afforded the opportunity to be guest editors of CORROSION and greatly appreciate the support and work of the editors and staff which was critical in the assembling of this special issue. We would also like to thank the reviewers who contributed with their time and expertise. We hope you enjoy the great work of the authors highlighted in this issue and may we continue to celebrate the contributions made to Australasian corrosion science and engineering by Bruce Hinton, Les Boulton, Brian Martin, Brian Kinsella, Greg Moore, and David Nicholas. Cheers!
