Corrosion in Water

Seawater tends to be a pretty stable environment. Its temperatures, densities, acidity, and concentrations rarely fluctuate. As a result its corrosiveness is virtually uniform. However, seawater in harbors and industrialized rivers can be a very different story. Oddly, in these environments, corrosion can be less severe.

The salt and other solvents in seawater make it an excellent electrolyte. Galvanic and crevice corrosion are the two most common types of corrosion. Seawater's oxygen content, velocity, temperature, and biological content affect its ability to corrode. Biological organisms are of particular interest to boat builders who have to go to considerable lengths to block "fouling," the growth of such organisms on their vessels.

Cathodic Protection

With corrosion being such a powerful and damaging force, a lot of time and resources have been put into its prevention. The most common means of prevention is simply selecting the right metals. Some metals corrode faster than others, and some combinations of metals corrode faster than others. Other means of prevention include: alteration of the environment, addition of inhibitors to slow the corrosion rate, adherence to certain strategic design