Abstract

Carbon steel AISI 1020 was exposed to environmental conditions along a transect of the Atacama Desert to gather experimental evidence to identify the local atmospheric mechanism that triggers corrosion through a buildup of water layer formation on the metal surface in addition to corrosion evolution. Coupons initially left in selected sites were periodically collected to determine weight loss and surface attributes by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. In addition, meteorological conditions were measured in addition to a fog water collector in one site. During the study period, the predominant conditions were the absence of rain, clear skies, and large daily oscillations in temperature and relative humidity. The evidence indicates a water film formation on a metal surface either from a vertical water flux as fog water droplets and/or by the dew water harvesting mechanism. The uptakes of oxygen and chlorides during the corrosion process were highest in the coastal site P0 and gradually decreased with the increasing distance from the coast. This is attributed to both humidity and saline marine fog intrusion from the coast. The oxide layer evolved to form a compact layer with main constituents of lepidocrocite, goethite, and lesser amounts of akageneite. The corrosion depth can be modelled by a simple power function d=At-B with B < 1, indicating a deceleration process.