USE OF SURFACE-ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES TO DETERMINE THE MECHANISMS OF METAL CORROSION IN ANIMAL BUILDINGS

Recognizing the severity of metal corrosion problems in animal buildin gs has prompted an attempt to finally determine the fundamental causes of corrosion. Based on a two-year field test, this paper investigated the corrosion mechanisms of various metal products exposed in three a nimal buildings by analyzing the composition of corrosion products, us ing advanced material surface analysis techniques, including energy di spersive X-ray (EDX:) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analy ses. Data from these analyses showed that the corrosion products were mainly iron oxides (Fe2O3, Fe3O4, and FeO) on uncoated 1010 carbon ste el and zinc oxides, sulfides, and carbonates on galvanized steel and g alvalume (ZnO, ZnS, Zn(CO)(3), and Al2O3) Thus, it could be concluded that the fundamental mechanisms of metal corrosion in animal buildings are similar to the classic corrosion mechanisms and the high corrosio n rates of metal products in animal buildings are due to the presence of high moisture levels. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Limited.