Aluminum alloys 5052, 3004 and Alclad 3003 and 3004 were exposed to flowing sea water at 2.44 m/s (8 fps) at the Seacoast Test Facility on the Island of Hawaii. One-year data for warm surface water and three-month data for cold water from 600 m depth are reported for free fouling, chlorinated and sponge ball cleaned conditions.

The alloys all pit in the cold, deep ocean sea water but show no pitting in the warm surface water. The uniform corrosion in the warm water is initially quite rapid but after 25-30 days the corrosion rate becomes much slower and extrapolated 30-year material losses are in the 125-215 μm range.

Chlorination at a level of 0.05 ppm for one hour per day has only a minor effect on corrosion rates, while sponge ball cleaning results in rapid corrosion-erosion for the Alclad surfaces and has virtually no effect on alloy 5052.

The need for additional testing in tropical sea water is pointed out, as well as the need for an improved understanding of the formation of inorganic scale films and their properties and effect on corrosion rates and heat transfer.

Subject
Pits, Brushing, Water, Corrosion rate, Metal surfaces, Sponges, Corrosion loops, Corrosion data, Pitting, Aluminum alloys, Alloys, Fouling, Cleaning
© 1983 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1983
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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