Reproduction of fissure corrosion and mechanism for fissure formation on ductile cast iron

On some cast iron pipes corroded under tensile stress, corrosion with a characteristic surface appearance, known as “fissure corrosion,” was occasionally observed. Because fissure corrosion on ductile cast iron pipes has been rarely studied, the detailed conditions and mechanism for fissure formation are still elusive. In this study, the levels of tensile stress and anodic current density causing fissure corrosion on ductile cast iron were investigated through laboratory experiments to reproduce fissure corrosion and elucidate its mechanism. Fissure corrosion was reproduced at bending tensile stresses ≥200 MPa. The depth difference between the peak and valley of fissures increased with increasing anodic current density, and the fissure corrosion was attributed to the difference between the anodic current densities of the peak and valley due to plastic deformation by stress concentration. Fissure corrosion was likely to be suppressed by reducing the anodic current flowing out of ductile cast iron surface.