Application of in-Air PIXE for Corrosion-Erosion Studies of Metal Surfaces

Two methods are presented to demonstrate the usefullness of In-air PIXE for studying enviromental corrosion and erosion of metal surfaces. (1) Surface adsorption of corrosive vapors on gases in the ppm range is detected with the In-air PIXE technique. The adsorbed chlorine and Argon can be pumped away with moderate (200°C) heating of the metal surface. Therefore such investigation can only be done with the In-air PIXE. (2) Airborne particulates with high velocity, such as sands in the desert wind, can erode metal surface. They can also imbed foreign materials into the metal surface. Those foreign materials may lead to surface corrosion. Metal surface and the glass beads of a sand-blaster, before and after sandblasting, were examined with In-air PIXE to show its sensitivity and the ease with which it can detect minute quantities taken off or imbedded into the metal surface after just a short blasting time.