CORROSION FATIGUE: ITS PREVENTION BY ZINC COATINGS

Abstract

The first example of the use of zinc coatings in the solution of a problem of corrosion fatigue arose when wires for towing paravanes in sea‐water failed after comparatively short periods of service. These failures were caused by vibrations which set up cyclic stresses in the presence of sea‐water from which the wires were not adequately protected. Later research revealed that the joint effect of repeated stresses and corrosion acting together far exceeds the sum of the two effects taken singly. Not all cases of corrosion fatigue can be dealt with by zinc protection, but most would benefit from such a coating. This article explains the principles of corrosion fatigue, discusses the cathodic protection offered by zinc, and compares results obtained by electroplating, hot‐dip galvanizing, spraying, and painting with heavily zinc‐pigmented paints.

Citation

Fitzgerald‐Lee, G. (1959), "CORROSION FATIGUE: ITS PREVENTION BY ZINC COATINGS", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 6 No. 11, pp. 330-341. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb019649