Seawater is an aggressive, complex fluid that affects nearly all common structural materials to some extent. There are two competing processes that operate simultaneously in seawater environments" (1) the chloride ion activity tends to destroy the passive film, and (2) dissolved oxygen, which acts to promote and repair the passive film on metallic materials of construction. Metals and alloys that develop protective films by the formation of thin metal oxides can have the formation of passive films
be delayed or have films destroyed by chloride ions in seawater. The type of corrosion testing required depends on the extent and type of information desired and the environmental conditions expected in service for the alloy component. Seawater corrosion is dependent on a number of factors such as alloy composition, water chemistry, pH, biofouling, microbiological organisms, pollution and contamination, alloy surface films, geometry and surface roughness, galvanic interactions, fluid velocity characteristics and mode, oxygen content, heat transfer rate, and temperature. Understanding how these factors may affect experimental results can help the design of seawater corrosion testing to minimize experimental variations and best simulate service conditions.
Keywords: seawater, testing, marine corrosion, corrosion mechanisms, accelerated testing, field testing