51313-02770-Corrosion and Biofouling Performance of Copper Alloys Investigated in the North Atlantic Ocean

Available for download

Product Number: 51313-02770-SG

ISBN: 02770 2013 CP

Author: Andrew Drach

Publication Date: 2013

Member Price: $0.00

Non Member Price: $20.00

Price: $20.00

Qty:

A field testing of corrosion and biofouling behavior of nine copper alloys was carried out in a one year deployment at the Portsmouth Harbor USA (North Atlantic Ocean). The plate specimens were arranged in tensioned and untensioned configurations to investigate the effect of seawater exposure under the loaded and unloaded conditions. Untensioned specimens were divided into two sets to evaluate the effect of intermittent corrosion layer removal (three-month periods) vs. continuous exposure with undisrupted surface layer. Corrosion behavior was characterized as uniform corrosion rates through weight measurements and as localized corrosion attack through analysis of surface micrographs. Biofouling behavior was quantified in terms of the biomass accumulation.
It was found that the corrosion rates of untensioned specimens with intermittent removal of corrosion layer were approximately two times higher than those with intact surface. Presence of tensile load led to a 40% increase in the corrosion rates for eight alloys and to a 100% increase for one of the alloys. The biofouling resistance of eight alloys was found to be excellent: less than 1% increase in the dry weight over the whole exposure period. However one of the alloys demonstrated poor resistance (~45% increase in weight). We speculate that such a behavior is due to the presence of aluminum additions in that alloy. The corrosion data obtained in the field study was compared with the results of lab testing in artificial seawater.