Chemistry to Tame the Power of Steam
It is difficult for us in the 21st century to imagine some of the hazards and dangers that were associated with the Industrial Revolution as it spread across the developed...
5th June 2019
Where Corrosion Science and Cathodic Protection Commenced
Not far from Piccadilly Circus in London’s West End, stands the impressive Royal Institution building, opened in 1799 for the advancement of science. In this building, two of the most...
30th May 2019
Epoxy—A Coating for All Seasons
If you work in corrosion control, you will undoubtedly come across epoxy coatings. They are used wherever steel has to be protected against corrosion— offshore platforms, onshore oil and gas...
28th May 2019
A Rock-Like Coating That Can Protect for Decades
At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Australian government decided to build a blast furnace and shipyard near the then main source of iron ore at Whyalla in...
26th May 2019
The Humble Building Material that Shelters Millions Across the Globe
Corrugated iron is a widely used building material whose importance is rarely acknowledged. It is used in all climates, all terrains, is cheap and easily fabricated into all sorts of...
23rd May 2019
Stainless Steel Creates an Art Deco Masterpiece
With the Delhi Pillar (Delhi, India), improved corrosion resistance was achieved through alloy additions to the iron, but this was the result of luck with the ore used. It was...
21st May 2019
Desert Dryness Preserves Aircraft
The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (309 AMARG) at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (Tucson, Arizona, USA), commonly known as “The Boneyard,” is probably one of the strangest airfields...
16th May 2019
Buried Nails Resist Corrosion for 2,000 Years
In about 88 AD, a remote Roman legion at the Inchtuthil fortress on the north bank of the Tay River was ordered back to the European mainland. Unable or unwilling...
13th May 2019
King Tut’s Meteoric Treasure
Of the many wonderful things that Howard Carter found in the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, a small iron dagger may seem insignificant compared to the numerous gold, silver, and...
9th May 2019
Outer Space—The Ultimate in Benign Locations
Corrosion, being a reaction between a material and its environment, can be minimised by creating a benign environment rather than looking at expensive materials such as iridium. And, in theory, it is not hard to find a very benign environment—simply head upwards for 100 km or so into space.
7th May 2019
Iridium—The Ultimate in Corrosion Resistance
Rust — your nontechnical friends and family will probably think this is all you deal with in your work in the corrosion industry. But we all know our work involves...
5th May 2019
Rust-Free Iron from Ancient India
In the courtyard of a ruined mosque at the Qutub Minar complex not far from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport in northern India, stands a pillar of iron that has...
5th May 2019