Four advanced courses will be offered in this short course program:

1. Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Corrosion

In this module, the basic aspects of corrosion thermodynamics and kinetics will be presented in detail. It will start with fundamentals of electrochemistry, electrolytes, electrodes, and electrochemical interfaces. Thermodynamics will then be discussed, including the Nernst equation and Pourbaix diagrams. The kinetics of corrosion will be developed in detail, including the Butler-Volmer equation and activation overvoltage, mixed potential theory, galvanic corrosion, ohmic potential drops, and linear polarization. The influence of mass transport effects on corrosion will then be presented. This module will help you better understand the controlling processes in the measurements you make.

2. Passivity and Localized Corrosion

The critical phenomena of passivity and localized corrosion will be discussed in detail in this module. First, the phenomenology of passivity will be discussed. Then various models of passive film growth will be presented in detail and contrasted. Measurements of current transients will be presented and analyzed. Surface analysis is a critical tool for the study of passivity, and various surface science techniques will be described, both scanning probe microscopy techniques, and spectroscopic techniques based on photon, electron, or ions beams. Localized corrosion will then be addressed, starting with pitting corrosion. The phenomenology of pitting will be presented, followed by a discussion of various models describing pitting. Metastable pitting will be addressed in detail, as will transport considerations. Finally, the various theories developed for crevice corrosion will be presented.

3. Environment Assisted Cracking

In this module, an introduction to the fascinating and critically important field of environment assisted cracking (EAC) of metals will be presented. To begin the discussion, the major classes of EAC and their underlying mechanisms will be reviewed. Cracking mechanisms to be discussed include: dissolution-dominated processes, film rupture, and hydrogen-assisted processes. The cracking susceptibility of major classes of materials and the environments that embrittle them will be surveyed. Finally, a comparative presentation of EAC test methods will be given with the aim of providing the attendee the information important in designing successful EAC evaluation programs.

4. Treatment of Data from Corrosion Measurements

In many engineering materials corrosion is localized. This fact introduces significant complications to the interpretation and utility of corrosion data obtained by electrochemical means. In this module, we will discuss the application of electrochemical tests such as potentiostatic and potentiodynamic testing, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and electrochemical noise measurements to the characterization of localized corrosion on coated and uncoated metal and alloy surfaces. Special attention will be given to the use of statistical methods to treat corrosion data. We will also examine methods for relating short term electrochemical corrosion data to long-term exposure test data via models based on correlation, artificial neural networks, and constitutive relationships.

The date of the next Short Course has not yet been determined.