Abstract
Equations have been proposed which express corrosion rates (Y, mdd) of carbon steel in atmospheres as a function of atmospheric factors, i. e., temperature (T, °C), relative humidity (RH, %), amount of rainfall (P, mm) and sulfur dioxide (SD, mdd) and chloride (C, ppm) content. Data used for multiple regression analysis were based on atmospheric exposure test results in the first year at 43 locations carried out by the authors as well as by other investigators. The equations developed are Y=4.15+0.88T-0.073RH-0.032P+2.913C+4.921SD for inland and industrial atmospheres and Y=5.61+2.754C+6.155SD for marine atmospheres. The results clearly show that while the SO2 content is the most important factor, the effects of temperature and relative humidity can not be neglected in developing corrosion equations.
