Question

What is the corrosion rate of a copper metal in a seawater environment if the weight loss after 30 days of exposure is found to be 0.25 grams? (Assume a surface area of 10 cm2 and a density of copper as 8.96 g/cm3).

Answer 1

To calculate the corrosion rate, we will use the following formula:Corrosion Rate  CR  =  Weight Loss  K  /  Area  Time  Density Where:Weight Loss = 0.25 gramsK = a constant  3.45  10^6 for converting grams to mils per year Area = 10 cmTime = 30 days  converted to years: 30/365 = 0.0822 years Density = 8.96 g/cmNow, we can plug in the values:CR =  0.25  3.45  10^6  /  10  0.0822  8.96 CR =  862500  /  7.34624 CR = 117.4 mils per yearThe corrosion rate of the copper metal in a seawater environment is approximately 117.4 mils per year.