The Role of Rust Layers on the Corrosion Process of Steels in the Atmosphere

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Abstract
An electrochemical investigation has been made of the corrosion process of the steels rusted in the atmos-phere, in order to reveal the role of the rust in the atmospheric corrosion. The cathodic reaction of the rusted steel is found to be mainly consisted of the reduction of FeOOH (brownrust) to Fe3O4 rather than the reduction of dissolved oxygen, and the anodic reaction is the dissolution, of iron. In the case of low alloy steels alloyed suitably for atmospheric corrosion resistance, both anodic and cathodic reactions are remarkably suppressed by the formation of protective rust layer after exposure to the atmosphere for more than about 3.5 years. Ancdic reaction is prevented due to masking of active sites on the steel surface by the formaticn of dense arnorplicus iron oxide layer and cathodic reaction is suppressed by increasing difficulty in the reduction of FeOOH.

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