Corrosion Analysis of Advanced Materials in Marine Engineering Applications

Abstract

Marine engineering environments are highly aggressive due to continuous exposure to chloride ions, seawater immersion, humidity variations, and biological activity, which collectively accelerate material degradation through corrosion. Ensuring long-term durability of engineering materials in such conditions is critical for the reliability and safety of offshore structures, ships, and coastal infrastructure. This study presents a comprehensive corrosion analysis of advanced materials used in marine engineering applications, focusing on their degradation mechanisms, electrochemical behavior, and protective performance. The methodology involves selecting advanced materials such as stainless steels, aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, and nickel-based superalloys, followed by exposure to simulated marine environments including salt spray chambers and artificial seawater solutions. Corrosion behavior is evaluated using electrochemical techniques such as potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and open circuit potential (OCP) analysis. Surface characterization is performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to examine corrosion morphology and oxide layer formation. The results indicate that titanium and nickel-based alloys exhibit superior corrosion resistance due to the formation of stable and adherent passive oxide films. Stainless steels show moderate resistance, with localized pitting corrosion observed in chloride-rich conditions, while aluminum alloys demonstrate susceptibility to pitting and intergranular corrosion. It is also observed that alloy composition and surface treatments significantly influence corrosion performance.