The red brown powdery flakes on the surface of metal are not merely an eyesore but reduce its structural strength. If not reversed in time, rusting and corrosion will reduce the metal to a chunk of useless scrap. How does this actually take place?
Rust
– Is the corrosion of iron and steel a common name for Iron oxide
or ferrous oxide. Iron readily combines with oxygen and moisture to
form this oxide. This happens even though atmospheric oxygen is not a
very pure form of gas. Moisture in the air acts as a catalyst to
speed up the rusting reaction.
Corrosion
is an electrochemical process that involves the anode and cathode of
metal along with an electrolyte. When a piece of metal starts to
corrode, the electrolyte (liquid that helps electrons to move, in
this case water) helps in providing oxygen to the anode of the metal.
As oxygen comes in contact with the metal, electrons become free.
When they float through the electrolyte to the cathode, the metal of
the anode becomes thinner, swept away by the electrical flow or
conversion into metal cations in the form of rust.
The
oxide of a metal is weaker in comparison to pure metal - this
explains why rusted metal becomes useless in a short period of time.
Use of a safe and effective rust and corrosion inhibitor goes a long
way in keeping metal rust free.
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