THE CORROSION BEHAVIOR of carbon
steel weldments produced by fusion welding is
dependent on a number of factors. Corrosion
of carbon steel weldments can be due to metallurgical
effects, such as preferential corrosion
of the heat-affected zone (HAZ) or weld metal,
or it can be associated with geometrical aspects,
such as stress concentration at the weld toe, or
creation of crevices due to joint design. Additionally,
specific environmental conditions can
induce localized corrosion such as temperature,
conductivity of the corrosive fluid, or thickness
of the liquid corrosive film in contact with the
metal. In some cases, both metallurgical and
geometric factors will influence behavior, such
as in stress-corrosion cracking. Preferential
weldment corrosion of carbon steels has been
investigated since the 1950s, commencing with
the problems on ice breakers, but the problem
continues today in different applications.