Course Description

This course introduces you to the fundamental principles of aqueous corrosion, to the most common corrosion mechanisms, and to the most common corrosion protection measures.

It is suitable for anyone who would like to learn about corrosion, either as a part of their job, as a part of their research, or as a student that is just getting started in corrosion.

The course is organized in four sections. In the first section, we will consider what happens on a corroding surface, looking at the electrochemical reactions involved, and at the changes induced into the environment. In the second section, we will go briefly through the most important concepts of electrochemistry, that are needed for understanding any corrosion process. In section three, we will discuss the most common corrosion mechanisms (general corrosion, galvanic corrosion, crevice corrosion and pitting), the key factors that affect them, and what can be done to reduce their impact. In section 4, we will discuss the most common corrosion protection measures, such as cathodic protection, paints, corrosion inhibitors, and inorganic coatings.

By the end of this course, you should have an overview of the most common topics that are related to corrosion, and you should be able to start looking independently for specific knowledge to address the particular corrosion problem that you may be facing.