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DOI:10.21884/IJMTER.2017.4373.XJS1E 1
CORROSIVITY OF DIFFERENT MEDIA ON BRASS
Anima Upadhyay1 and Chandrakala M2
1Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Sir MVIT, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
2Research and Development Centre, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, TN, India.
Abstract- A study of rate of corrosion on brass plates was conducted at room temperature under
uniform conditions in different aqueous media of acids and salts such as: sulphuric acid,
hydrochloric acid, acetic acid and salt solutions (ammonium chloride and potassium iodide acidified
by adding 2-3 drops of glacial acetic acid ). A brass sheet was used for this purpose and cut into
small pieces with same dimensions. These pieces were immersed over a known period of time in the
solutions prepared for conducting the corrosion studies and weight loss was recorded periodically to
measure the corrosive effect. Through the studies it is concluded that the rate of corrosion in the
solutions is of the following order hydrochloric acid > ammonium chloride > sulphuric acid > acetic
acid > acidified potassium iodide.
Keywords- Brass sheet, Corrosion rate, Weight loss method, Different media, corrosive
environment.
I. INTRODUCTION
Corrosion is a natural process and can be defined as a slow oxidation of metal / alloy by the
environment leading to its deterioration. Rate of Corrosion is influenced by 1) nature of the metal
and ii) the environment surrounding it. Another important determining factor in the rate of corrosion
is the surface of the material. Presences of air, salts, free ions, moisture and gases all these lead to
intense corrosion. Formation of galvanic cells is the major cause of corrosion in metals and can be
explained well with the help of electrochemical theory. Brass finds wide variety of applications both
domestically and in industries. It is used in devices made for heat exchange and condensers due to its
good thermal and electrical properties. It is also used in grillwork, jewelry, decoration pieces,
badges, door handles, marine hardware, pen, electrical terminals, plugs and lamp fittings, locks,
name plates, hardware, clock components, gear meters etc. All these applications make brass a
commercial alloy. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc and chances of formation of galvanic cells in
brass is very high as the electrode potential of copper (0.34 V) and zinc (-0.76 V) are greatly distant
apart. Zinc starts dissolving as it becomes anode and copper becomes cathode in the corroding
medium. Brass is a useful alloy and finds various applications, therefore its corrosion behavior in
different acids and salts has received much research attention in the past [1 - 14].
II. MATERIALS AND METHODS
2.1 Sample Preparation:
Small rectangular pieces (3cm × 4cm) of Brass sheet was made and used as samples. The
brass plates were subjected to pretreatment before their immersion in the corrosive media.
The pretreatment involved cleaning of the plates to remove the dust and grease. This was
achieved by cleaning it with acetone followed by double distilled water and then air dried [15].
2.2 Test solution
1% solutions of H2SO4, HCl, CH3COOH, NH4Cl, and acidified KI (2-3 drops of glacial acetic
acid were mixed with KI solution) were prepared using double distilled water.
The reagents used for the study were of analytical grade.
International Journal of Modern Trends in Engineering and Research (IJMTER)
Volume 04, Issue 12, [December– 2017] ISSN (Online):2349–9745; ISSN (Print):2393-8161
@IJMTER-2017, All rights Reserved 2
2.3 Weight loss measurements
Rate of corrosion was studied using the weight loss method. The brass plates of rectangular
size (12 sq.cm) were made from brass sheet and immersed in small beakers containing 50ml of
corrosive solutions. The pre weighed plates of brass were immersed and exposed to the corrosive
environment for a definite period of time at room temperature. The plates after definite hours were
taken out from the solution. They were washed with double distilled water followed by acetone,
dried and weighed again to calculate the loss in weight due to corrosion.
2.4 Weight Loss Method
It is a simple, accurate and reliable method to determine the corrosion. It has been used by
many authors [16 - 20] in studying the corrosive behavior of various metals. In this method the metal
/ alloy of known area is exposed to the environment for a specified time. The difference in the weight
before and after the immersion is calculated. The rate of corrosion is calculated as follows:
Weight loss (W) X Constant (K)
Corrosion rate (mmpy) = ───────────────────────────────────────
Exposed area (A) X Density of the specimen (D) X Exposure time (T)
Where,
K = 8.76 X 10 4 (constant),
W = weight loss in g,
A = area in sq.cm and
D = 8.520 gm / cm3 (density),
T = exposure time in hours.
Table 1: Weight loss method in various solutions
Immersion
time in
hours
Loss of weigh in grams
H2SO4
HCl
CH3COOH
NH4Cl
KI
24
0.0014
0.0048
0.0042
0.0004
0.0032
48
0.0074
0.0221
0.0093
0.0183
0.0046
96
0.0176
0.0878
0.0169
0.0387
0.0065
120
0.0227
0.1302
0.0201
0.0481
0.0070
144
0.0278
0.1672
0.0241
0.0558
0.0072
168
0.0324
0.1818
0.0282
0.0658
0.0076
192
0.0402
0.2035
0.0385
0.0818
0.0079
216
0.0501
0.2305
0.0482
0.0958
0.0081
240
0.0551
0.2424
0.0511
0.1038
0.0082
International Journal of Modern Trends in Engineering and Research (IJMTER)
Volume 04, Issue 12, [December– 2017] ISSN (Online):2349–9745; ISSN (Print):2393-8161
@IJMTER-2017, All rights Reserved 3
Figure 1 Graphical representation of % of weight loss in various solutions
Figure 2 Graphical Representation of rate of corrosion in various solutions
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
24 hrs 48 hrs 96 hrs 120 hrs 144 hrs 168 hrs 192 hrs 216 hrs 240 hrs
H2SO4
HCl
CH3COOH
NH4Cl
KI
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
24 hrs 48 hrs 96 hrs 120 hrs 144 hrs 168 hrs 192 hrs 216 hrs 240 hrs
H2SO4
HCl
CH3COOH
NH4Cl
KI
International Journal of Modern Trends in Engineering and Research (IJMTER)
Volume 04, Issue 12, [December– 2017] ISSN (Online):2349–9745; ISSN (Print):2393-8161
@IJMTER-2017, All rights Reserved 4
III. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The results obtained from the study are tabulated for weight loss at a time interval of 24 hrs
recorded up to 240 hrs for the materials under study in table 1 and it is clear from the data that the
maximum weight loss was recorded by immersing in HCl whereas immersion in KI resulted into
minimum weight loss due to corrosion. The difference in percent weight loss due to different
corroding environments emerged much more pronounced and clear only after 96 Hrs of immersion
(Figure 1). This suggests that a brief immersion in these corroding medium does not have significant
corrosive effect. However, there were marked differences in rate of corrosion due to different
corroding medium right from the beginning (Figure 2). The percentage weight loss and rate of
corrosion was maximum in hydrochloric acid followed by ammonium chloride. In sulphuric acid and
acetic acid the % loss in weight was almost comparable. However action of sulphuric acid was more
corrosive compared to acetic acid. Least corrosion was observed in acidified potassium iodide
(Figure 1 & 2). In the present study the rate of corrosion in the solutions is of the following order
hydrochloric acid > ammonium chloride > sulphuric acid > acetic acid > acidified potassium iodide.
The rate of corrosion of the alloy brass is mainly due to chloride ions present in hydrochloric and
ammonium chloride. The chloride ions attack zinc to dissolve from the alloy forming zinc chloride
which is also referred to as dezincification. Sulphate and acetate ions also showed high rate of
corrosive action but their corrosive action was slow compared to the chloride ions. Thus the
corrosion rate is higher in the electrolytes containing chloride ions.
IV. CONCLUSION
The study suggests that the objects made of brass should be prevented from exposure to the
chloride ions in the atmosphere to minimize the corrosion and to improve the life span.
V. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Authors extend thanks to the institution for providing infrastructure to conduct the study.
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