Copper Marine Corrosion: I. Corrosion Rates in Atmospheric and Seawater Environments of Peruvian Port

Abstract

The initial stages of copper corrosion behavior were studied during one year in different zones of Peruvian seawater and marine atmosphere. Several relevant factors control the development of copper corrosion process, such as oxygen content, chloride salinity, periodical cycles of drying-wetness, time of metal wetness and some specific for the region of Salaverry Port. The highest annual corrosion rate was observed in the half line of tide-water boundary (0.071 mm/year), while the lowest one was in the atmospheric zone (0.016 mm/year). The splash zone (0.025 mm/year) and full immersion (0.032 mm/year) are less aggressive for copper. The extent of copper corrosion, expressed as mass loss (C) in the marine atmospheric environment, with respect to the metal time of wetness (t), obeys the power law C = A t n.