The study on multi-factor causal correlation degree and its application in seawater corrosion behavior

Grey systems theory is a new type of systems theory which can give particular descriptions for some system with incomplete information and it also can make predictions and decisions or even impose controls for the system. Grey incidence analysis is one of its main contents, which accomplishes calculation and analysis with the aid of grey incidence degree. But, up to now, grey incidence degree can only be used to analyze two dataset´s close extent, and it needs further research for analyzing some dataset with complex causal correlations. Then, causal correlation degree dataset analysis model is proposed in this paper for analyzing the multiple-factor´s impetus strength to a main behavior´s increasing, and the factors can be ordered subsequently according to their impetus strength which can be expressed by using their analyzed causal correlation degrees. Thus, the main impetus factors can be found, and this can raise working efficiency and save time for industrial production and people´s daily life. In addition, the suitable application scopes of grey incidence degree and causal correlation degree are elaborated, moreover, we find that it is more convenient to analyze some dataset by using both of them. In the end, causal correlation degree is used to analyze the corrosion behavior dataset of 3C steel under different seawater environment. The corresponding environment factors are ordered according to their causal correlation degrees, and this order at the same time presents every factor´s influence extent for the 3C steel´s corrosion. This provides important reference for studying the long period corrosion law of metallic materials in seawater.