The Use of Finite Element Methods (FEM) in the Modeling of Localized Corrosion

摘要

Localized corrosion is characterized by intense dissolution at discrete sites on the surface of a metal or an alloy, while the remainder of the surface corrodes at a much lower rate (about a billon times lower). Localized corrosion represents the primary corrosion failure mode for passive/corrosion resistant materials. This article describes the use of the finite element method to model localized corrosion, and presents examples including the prediction of inter-granular corrosion damage and the study of crevice corrosion scaling laws. The article concludes with some comments on the state-of-the-art and remaining challenges in the use of FEM methods to model corrosion processes.