Corroded machinery, buildings, and equipment can cost companies thousands of dollars per year in repair and replacement costs. Corrosion is a common—and costly—problem. Understanding the root causes behind it and taking steps to mitigate it can protect the integrity of your equipment and prevent safety hazards down the line. Let’s look at some ways to protect metal surfaces from corrosion so that you can keep your equipment and supplies safe from corrosion.
What’s Corrosion?
Corrosion is the steady deterioration of certain materials. It’s usually caused by the materials’ interaction with environmental factors such as oxygen, hydrogen, dirt, and bacteria. Corrosion requires moisture, a metallic surface, and an oxidizing agent known as an electron acceptor. The corrosion process converts the reactive metal surface into a stable form, such as oxide hydroxide or sulfide. Rust is one common form of corrosion.
Corrosion can negatively affect metal by making it unsafe. Corroded metal is more likely to crack, dent, or outright break. Even a minor amount of corrosion requires immediate repair.
How Do I Prevent It?
Most corrosion is inevitable. Still, you can prevent premature corrosion by taking certain precautions and using suitable protection methods.
Use the Right Type of Metal
One way to prevent corrosion is to use a corrosion-resistant metal, such as aluminum, stainless steel, brass, or copper. Depending on the application, these metals will reduce the need for additional corrosion protection.
Apply Protective Coatings
Another way to protect metal surfaces from corrosion is to use protective coatings. Applying paint coating is a cost-effective way to prevent corrosion. It acts as a barrier, preventing the transfer of electrochemical charge from the corrosive solution to the metal underneath. You can also apply a powder coating. After the dry powder coating is applied, the metal is heated. This fuses the powder into a smooth, unbroken film.
Metalizing is another way to protect metal surfaces against corrosion. It might seem pointless to cover metal with even more metal, but applying a durable metal coating on top of the existing metal can actually prevent corrosion, wear, and weathering.
Make Design Modifications
By making a few design modifications to your equipment, buildings, and other corrosion-prone surfaces, you can reduce corrosion and improve the durability of any existing anti-corrosion coatings. Your design should avoid trapping dust and water, encourage the movement of air, and avoid open crevices, among other things.
