CORROSION RESPONSE OF LOW CARBON STEEL IN TROPICAL ROAD MUD

Abstract

Corrosion damages in Steel and Cast- Iron frequently occur in automobile and other vehicle undercarriage parts as a result of regular road mud and other dirt deposits on those components on those vehicles operating on the poorly maintained roads in the developing countries. These ultimately result in Deposit and Pilling Corrosion damages which perforate the metal structure if left unattended. Cathodic Protection and the use of Corrosion Inhibitors are not practical in this problem. Other steel structures, as buildings, petroleum, gas, water and sewage pipelines exposed to soil and mud are frequently attacked and extensively damaged by corrosion; however these can be protected using Corrosion Inhibitors or Cathodic Protection. This report presents a summary of experimental investigations on Corrosion Mitigation efforts using readily available anti- corrosion coatings to protect low carbon steel test coupons against the corrosive effects of tropical road mud and dirt deposits. The following protective coating devices were effective: aluminization by hot-dipping, zinc galvanization by hot- dipping, hand brush-painting using special enamel paints, and special coatings with thermosetting phenol-formaldehyde and fibre re-inforced resins. The results show that provided the coatings are carefully applied without cracks or openings, they provide excellent protection against corrosion due to road mud and dirt deposits.