Metal Deterioration
Matthew Stuart, P.E., S.E., F.ASCE
Course Outline
A. General discussion of metal deterioration.
B. Discussion of the different types of metal deterioration according to appearance and extent to which it can be readily observed.
1. Deterioration that can be identified by visual examination.
2. Deterioration that may require supplementary means of visual examination.
3. Verification of the presence of deterioration requires inspection via microscope.
C. Summary of nondestructive
methods of evaluation and inspection used to detect the presence of metal deterioration.
This course includes
a multiple choice quiz at the end,
Learning Objective
At the conclusion of this course, the student will be able to:
Intended Audience
This course is intended for engineers (structural, mechanical, forensic and process) and architects.
Benefit to Attendees
This course will enable a design professional to avoid situations that provide the most potential for the deterioration of metals and the subsequent corrosion of an otherwise usable structure or building component.
Course
Introduction
The deterioration or corrosion of metal structures is recognized as a serious problem in the building and construction industry because it results in the loss of hundreds of billions of dollars each year. This problem exists because metals have a natural tendency to revert to their oxidized form given the proper environment and opportunity. As a result metals degrade and deteriorate through a number of different corrosion mechanisms. The corrosion of metals can be categorized into three main types according to appearance and the extent to which the deterioration can be readily observed. To aid in the evaluation of metal corrosion there are a number different methods of nondestructive inspection of deteriorated metals.
The
course content is in a PDF file (331 KB) Metal
Deterioration. You need to open or download this document to study this
course. Please click on
the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your
study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the
file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target
As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you still experience
any difficulty in downloading or opening this file, you may need to close some
applications or reboot your computer to free up some memory.
Course Content
If you have trouble reading any of the material on line, it is recommended that the course material be printed out for better resolution.
Course Summary
The deterioration
of metal structures is recognized as a serious problem in the building industry
because it results in the loss of hundreds of billions of dollars each year.
This problem exists because metals have a natural tendency to revert to their
oxidized form. Metals degrade and deteriorate via a number of different corrosion
mechanisms. The deterioration of metals can be categorized into three main types
according to appearance and the extent to which the corrosion can be readily
observed. To aid in the investigation of metal corrosion there are six primary
methods of nondestructive evaluation and inspection of deteriorated metals.
Related Links
For additional information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:
Corrosion Information -
InterCorr International
National Association of Corrosion
Engineers - NACE International
Prevention
of Corrosion on Structural Steelwork (a PDF file)
Quiz
Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.