What Does
Corrosion Rate Mean?
The corrosion rate of a material is simply defined as the average speed at which a given material would deteriorate due to corrosion in a given environment. This rate is dependent on the material properties and the environmental conditions to which the material is exposed.
Corrosion rate is typically expressed in units of mpy (mils per year) or mdd (milligrams per square decimeter per day).
Trenchlesspedia Explains Corrosion Rate
For the corrosion rate of a material to be calculated, the following must be known:
- Decrease of weight of material
- The corresponding time period during the loss of material weight
- Cross-sectional area of the component under consideration
- Density of the material
Corrosion rates are essential in determining the serviceable life structures such as buried sewer pipelines. It is an instrumental tool used by engineers in determining the ideal choice of materials for different environments and the types of corrosion inhibitors to be applied (if needed). Corrosion rates are also used in developing maintenance schedules for various types of structures.