Abstract

This article presents the characterization of a gray cast iron with an austenitic matrix subjected to a simulated marine atmosphere. The corrosion process was carried out through the same accelerated corrosion tests which in 40 days evaluate long periods of corrosion (approximately 20 years) in steels. Corrosion products were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and gravimetric techniques, obtaining curves of corroded thickness over time. The results were compared with previously reported realtime corrosion data for cast austenitic steels and austenitic iron and they show that the corrosion products are consistent with what is reported in the literature, in addition to being comparable with data obtained in a mid-tide marine atmosphere. The experimental results also confirm that the corrosion mechanism is different from that described for steels.