28/01/2023, 10:58 The Key Steps in Corrosion Failure Analysis

How to Conduct a Corrosion-

Related Failure Analysis
By Steven Bradley | Reviewed by Martin Rodriguez
Published: August 18, 2021

KEY TAKEAWAYS
Conducting a root cause analysis to identify the exact cause of a corrosion failure - and
determine appropriate remedies - requires a detailed and thorough analysis.

Source: istock

Conducting a root cause analysis to identify the exact cause of a corrosion failure and
to determine the appropriate remedies to prevent future occurrences requires a
thorough and detailed failure analysis. Failure analysis specialists can be involved at
any point of a product life cycle, including during the design, manufacturing, service,
and ultimately, when a part fails. For the purpose of this article, we will only focus on
corrosion or environmentally related failures, which can include stress corrosion
cracking, corrosion fatigue, erosion corrosion, pitting corrosion, crevice

https://www.corrosionpedia.com/how-to-conduct-a-corrosion-related-failure-analysis/2/7364?utm_source=corrosionpedia&utm_medium=newslett… 1/4
28/01/2023, 10:58 The Key Steps in Corrosion Failure Analysis

corrosion, galvanic corrosion, under-deposit corrosion, microbial influenced

corrosion, hydrogen embrittlement and filiform corrosion.

The Key Steps in Corrosion Failure Analysis

The steps in a failure analysis often include:

1. Information gathering
2. Preliminary visual examination and documentation
3. Non-destructive testing
4. Characterization of material properties through mechanical, chemical and thermal
testing
5. Selection of samples for subsequent analyses
6. Macroscopic examination of fracture surfaces, secondary cracking and surface
condition
7. Microscopic examination
8. Selection, preparation and examination of cross sections
9. Identification of failure mechanisms
10. Testing to simulate failure
11. Data review, formulation of conclusions and reporting

The Information Gathering Stage

For a corrosion-related failure, information gathering is very critical in identifying the

service parameters and may include examination of process data and logs as well as
operational procedures. Such information is extremely helpful in developing an
analysis approach as well as a central part of the root cause determination. Requisite
information includes:

1. The application, use and function of the failed part

2. The specified material and, if it's welded, welded consumables specified along
with the welding procedures applied
3. Service life history and life of the failed component
4. Whether there have been previous failures (including the type and frequency of
failures).
5. Maintenance and inspection records
6. Operational temperature, including temperature excursions and service pressure
7. The number of shutdowns, including emergency shutdowns and their durations
8. Lay-up procedure (either wet or dry) if specified for outages
9. Startup and shutdown procedures
10. Service environment, both internal and external
11. Design and repair changes
12. Neighboring metallurgy
13. Design temperature and pressure

For example, temperature excursions can provide insight into high-temperature

corrosion, and unusual process conditions may indicate an unexpected presence of a
corrodent or a more corrosive operational environment, while the
maintenance/inspection log may show rapid metal loss or corrosion rate. Note that
design parameters may not reflect operational conditions; any deviations can be a
source of failure. Any cleaning procedures to remove hazardous chemicals must be
reported as these might have altered corrosion/chemical deposits. Upon shutdown,
corrosion scales such as sulfides can be oxidized, which might impact subsequent data
interpretation. In addition to start p and shutdown procedures, lay-up procedures are
https://www.corrosionpedia.com/how-to-conduct-a-corrosion-related-failure-analysis/2/7364?utm_source=corrosionpedia&utm_medium=newslett… 2/4
28/01/2023, 10:58 The Key Steps in Corrosion Failure Analysis

specified with the aim of excluding either moisture (dry lay-up) or oxygen (wet lay-
up) for some critical equipment during process outages. Corrosion processes during
outages are quite common, especially when chemical conditions are not
controlled. This information is the starting point for a root cause analysis.

The visual examination and documentation of the failed component is the cornerstone
of the failure analysis since the failure can be related to the overall component design
and operation. For field failures, the component can be quite large and photographic
documentation can be quite useful to illustrate and document observations; this is
particularly the case when the field investigator is not the analyst in the lab. The field
investigation may include a selection of samples to be forwarded to the lab and these
locations must also be documented.

If the failure is not visually obvious, non-destructive evaluation may be performed to

identify location(s) of leaking. The particular non-destructive method selected mainly
depends on the type of flaw to be found (a crack, a pit, a blister, etc.). Often dye
penetrants are used, but this procedure may leave residue on corrosion products,
which might complicate interpretation during the subsequent analysis.

Sample selection for analysis is often constrained. Samples may be sent to multiple
labs or only a small sample can be removed because of repair requirements. Scale
samples must be removed in such a manner as to prevent contamination, their
locations documented, and the sample from each location stored in a new and
different polyethylene bottle. Removal of the metallurgical samples should be done to
minimize elevated temperature exposure or damage to the sample. Where possible,
several inches to a foot should separate the failure from the cut metal. High
temperatures from cutting can modify the metallurgical microstructure (i.e.,
sensitization of stainless steel) and impact corrosion products. A sample far from the
failure location may be useful for comparative purposes and should be included in the
documentation process. Analysis of the process solution may also be useful for
determining the potential of unexpected corrodents. Again, glass bottles should be
avoided as they often break during shipment. For gases, silica coated metal cylinders
are useful.

Examining the Data

Once all of the samples are received in the laboratory and the documentation has
been reviewed and discussed with the field investigator, detailed examination under
optical microscopy will provide an initial understanding of the failure. One should start
with the unaided eye and advance to a stereoscopic optical microscope. Photographic
documentation of pits, cracks and the corrosion product location(s) and fracture
surface will assist in selecting samples for subsequent analysis as well as for further
understanding the cause of the problem. For example, pitting along the liquid/vapor
interface of a condenser tube can be indicative of dew point corrosion and is best
documented with a digital camera. When corrosion scales vary in color, documenting
the locations of samples for analysis can be very useful in determining the corrosion
progression.

Analysis of selected corrosion products is very informative of the corrosion species.

The most common analytical tools are the energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS)
associated with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) or by x-ray diffraction (XRD).
With EDS, the elements associated with the corrosion products are identified; with
XRD, the crystalline species are determined. Thus, for example, by XRD, Fe2O3 can be
distinguished from Fe3O4 and the process conditions to produce that species defined.

https://www.corrosionpedia.com/how-to-conduct-a-corrosion-related-failure-analysis/2/7364?utm_source=corrosionpedia&utm_medium=newslett… 3/4
28/01/2023, 10:58 The Key Steps in Corrosion Failure Analysis

Read: Analyzing Aqueous Corrosion Products

Metallographic analysis can be very useful for identifying stress corrosion cracking,
corrosion fatigue or microbial induced corrosion. Polishing a pit in cross-section and
analyzing the corrosion products at the base of the pit can provide insight into the
cause of the pitting. Such sample preparation should be done dry to avoid water
solubilizing the scale. Care in selecting the mounting media is critical so as to
minimize edge rounding during polishing and elemental interference. For example,
most epoxies contain chlorine and thus should be avoided if chloride corrosion is
suspected.

Fractography, arguably the most valuable step in the failure analysis of a fractured
component, has been used for centuries in the field of metallurgy. After examination
of the fracture surface by optical microscopy, the next step is to examine selected
locations in the SEM. Corrosion products on the fracture surface can be identified with
the EDS. At the crack tip, the fracture morphology can be identified as either
transgranular or intergranular, or the presence of fatigue striations can be
determined. Care must be taken in cleaning a fracture surface to prevent any damage
or when opening secondary cracks.

Finding the Root Cause of Corrosion

Once the failure mode has been established and the report written, the next step is to
use this information, along with the documentation of the operational conditions, to
conduct the root cause analysis and to determine how to prevent such future
occurrences. The root cause analysis team should cross functional boundaries in the
organization. The analysis is designed to identify the inter-relating causes of the
failure and to recommend appropriate corrective action(s) to prevent future
occurrences. This includes fully understanding how to fix the problem and potential
underlying issues. Prevention might include modifying designs or the core process
operation and not just changing metallurgy. Follow-up evaluations are a critical step to
determine whether the corrective action(s) actually solved the problem or created
additional issues.

https://www.corrosionpedia.com/how-to-conduct-a-corrosion-related-failure-analysis/2/7364?utm_source=corrosionpedia&utm_medium=newslett… 4/4