A Theoretical Model of Pitting Corrosion Using a General Purpose Finite Element Package

Pitting corrosion is one of the most destructive types of metal loss. This paper presents the mathematical model of the propagation of pitting corrosion using a commercial finite element program. In view of the chemical and electrochemical reactions inside a single pit in steel, a two dimensional model that allows the prediction of pit evolution is developed. The results are discussed in comparison to Pourbaix diagram of iron and also discussed in the light of results obtained from published work reported in literature.