Pitting Action of Metals

• Uniform • Galvanic • Crevice • Pitting • Intergranular • SSC • LME • MIC • SCC • HB-HE-HIC-HMx • Fatigue • Erosion • Stray Current
• Index
Different Types of Corrosion

- Recognition, Mechanisms & Prevention
Pitting Corrosion
Recognition
What is pitting corrosion? Pitting Corrosion is the localized corrosion of a metal surface confined to a point
or small area, that takes the form of cavities. Pitting corrosion is one of the most damaging forms of
corrosion. Pitting factor is the ratio of the depth of the deepest pit resulting from corrosion divided by the
average penetration as calculated from weight loss. The following photo shows pitting corrosion of a
SAF2304 duplex stainless steel after exposure to 3.5% NaCl solution.

Pitting corrosion is usually found on passive metals and alloys such aluminium alloys, stainless steels and
stainless alloys when the ultra-thin passive film (oxide film) is chemically or mechanically damaged and
does not immediately re-passivate. The resulting pits can become wide and shallow or narrow and deep
which can rapidly perforate the wall thickness of a metal.

ASTM-G46 has a standard visual chart for rating of pitting corrosion.

The shape of pitting corrosion can only be identified through metallography where a pitted sample is
cross-sectioned and the pit shape, the pit size, and the pit depth of penetration can be determined.

Mechanisms
What causes pitting corrosion? For a defect-free "perfect" material, pitting corrosion is caused by the
ENVIRONMENT (chemistry) that may contain aggressive chemical species such as chloride. Chloride is
particularly damaging to the passive film (oxide) so pitting can initiate at oxide breaks.

The environment may also set up a differential aeration cell (a water droplet on the surface of a steel, for
example) and pitting can initiate at the anodic site (centre of the water droplet).

For a homogeneous environment, pitting IS caused by the MATERIAL that may contain inclusions (MnS is
the major culprit for the initiation of pitting in steels) or defects. In most cases, both the environment and
the material contribute to pit initiation.

The ENVIRONMENT (chemistry) and the MATERIAL (metallurgy) factors determine whether an existing pit
can be repassivated or not. Sufficient aeration (supply of oxygen to the reaction site) may enhance the
formation of oxide at the pitting site and thus repassivate or heal the damaged passive film (oxide) - the
pit is repassivated and no pitting occurs. An existing pit can also be repassivated if the material contains
sufficient amount of alloying elements such as Cr, Mo, Ti, W, N, etc.. These elements, particularly Mo, can
significantly enhance the enrichment of Cr in the oxide and thus heals or repassivates the pit. More details
on the alloying effects can be found in the
technical paper on "Stainless Steels and
Alloys: Why They Resist Corrosion and How
They Fail".

A material's resistance to pitting corrosion is
usually evaluated and ranked using the
critical pitting temperature (CPT) in
accordance with the ASTM Standard
G48-03: Standard Test Methods for Pitting
and Crevice Corrosion of Stainless Steels and
Alloys by Use of FeCl3. The critical pitting
temperature is the minimum temperature
(°C) to produce pitting corrosion and CPT is
usually higher than the critical crevice
temperature (CPT).

Prevention
How to prevent pitting corrosion? Pitting corrosion can be prevented through:
 Proper selection of materials with known resistance to the service environment
 Control pH, chloride concentration and temperature
 Cathodic protection and/or Anodic Protection
 Use higher alloys (ASTM G48) for increased resistance to pitting corrosion
For more details
More details on pitting corrosion are included in the following corrosion courses which you can take as in-
house training courses, course-on-demand, online courses or distance learning courses:
Corrosion and Its Prevention (5-day module)
API 571 Damage Mechanisms Affecting Fixed Equipment in the Refining and Petrochemical Industries (5
days)
Corrosion Inspection, Testing and Monitoring: Techniques and Applications (5 days)
Corrosion, Metallurgy, Failure Analysis and Prevention (5 days)
Marine Corrosion, Causes and Prevention (2 days)
Materials Selection and Corrosion (5 days)
Stainless Steels and Alloys: Why They Resist Corrosion and How They Fail (2 days)
Corrosion in Fire Protection Systems (FPS): Detection, Mitigation and Prevention (1 day)
Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC): Recognition, Mitigation and Prevention (1 day)
Corrosion Control and Prevention in Seawater Desalination Plants (1 day)
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• Uniform • Galvanic • Crevice • Pitting • Intergranular • SSC • LME • MIC • SCC • HB-HE-HIC-HMx • Fatigue • Erosion • Stray Current

Different Types of Corrosion

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