Premium
Stress corrosion cracking and selective corrosion of copper‐zinc alloys for the drinking water installation
Author(s) -
Brandl E.,
Malke R.,
Beck T.,
Wanner A.,
Hack T.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
materials and corrosion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.487
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1521-4176
pISSN - 0947-5117
DOI - 10.1002/maco.200805079
Subject(s) - tap water , corrosion , brass , materials science , metallurgy , arsenic , ammonia , stress corrosion cracking , copper , zinc , alloy , corrosion fatigue , cracking , composite material , chemistry , environmental engineering , environmental science , organic chemistry
Despite a generally good corrosion resistance to tap and industrial water, many brass taps and fittings have failed in the past by stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and selective corrosion (dezincification or preferred removal of a phase). The experimental investigations of the present study clarify the influence of the ammonia concentration on the two types of corrosion. Notched specimens made of the alloys CuZn39Pb3, CuZn40Pb2, CuZn37, CuZn36Pb2As and CuZn21Si3P are polarized anodically in pure tap water and tap water with realistic ammonia concentrations (15 and 30 ppm) under a simultaneous mechanical loading condition. The influence of stress and of the third alloying elements lead and arsenic are investigated and evaluated. The experiments show that the ammonia additions significantly increase the risk of dezincification of the α‐β‐brasses. The arsenic in the CuZn36Pb2As alloy avoids dezincification, but enhances the risk of SCC. The rate of selective corrosion and SCC consistently increases with increase in tensile stress.