A number of common alloys were exposed in parallel in slowly flowing Hawaiian surface seawater and cold deep seawater pumped from 590 m depth for periods of 1 - 10 months. The cold water has relatively low pH and oxygen content and was found to be much more aggressive than the warm surface water towards zinc, copper, lead and galvanized steel and much less aggressive towards carbon, low alloy, and stainless steels.

The cold water corrosion rates compare quite closely with data for tests conducted in situ at various depths in the Pacific Ocean off Port Hueneme in Southern California, showing the possibility of conducting future tests with pumped water in convenient on-shore locations.

All samples, except aluminum in cold water, show corrosion rates which decrease rapidly with time during the early stage of exposure. For the warm water the decrease is more rapid than reported from other sites, possibly because these locations were not similarly sheltered from the actions of waves, currents, and macrobiofouling. After 1-3 years most data from around the world trend towards similar values for individual alloys.

Subject
Steel surfaces, Water depth, Water, Materials, Corrosion rate, Seawater, Film formation, Steel, Corrosion data, Pitting, Ports and harbors, Zinc, Corrosion potential
© 1988 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).
1988
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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