Atmospheric corrosion of carbon steel in Colombia

The corrosion behaviour of carbon steel at six test sites in Colombia and its relationship with exposure time and environmental characteristics of each site were investigated. The corrosion products were characterized by XRD, SEM and EDS. It was found that in Barranquilla, the most aggressive site, corrosion depends mainly on chlorides. Furthermore, in the more aggressive environments there was a greater tendency to formation of protective corrosion products. Lepidocrocite and goethite were found as major constituents of rust. A structure not reported in the literature was found, corresponding to strings of several hundred micrometers long and consisting of lepidocrocite plates.