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Corrosion Monitoring and Control -
History:
A very early mention of the corrosive effects of sea water. From Plato (Greek philosopher and student of Socrates, 427-347 BC), in Phaedo: "For this earth, and the stones, and the entire region which surrounds us are spoilt and corroded, like the things in the sea which are corroded by the brine ..." Reference: W.G. Hime "Chloride-Caused Corrosion of Steel in Concrete: A New Historical Perspective", Concrete International, May 1994. The first article on corrosion was reportedly published by Robert Boyle* in 1675 (!). Source: Akron Chemline (Newsletter of the Akron Section of the American Chemical Society), April 1996. * Robert Boyle (1627-1691, chemist and philosopher) reportedly challenged the concept of four elements (earth, air, fire, and water) rooted in alchemy. He developed theory based on primary particles which by coalition produce "corpuscles" - a groundbreaking step towards modern particle chemistry. Boyle was a founding member of the famous Royal Society. An early theoretical electrochemical corrosion publication is a paper attributed to W.H. Wollaston in 1801, "The Electrochemical Theory of Acid Corrosion". First corrosion papers within the famous Electrochemical Society reportedly delivered in 1903. Source: H.S. Isaacs: "Aspects of Corrosion from the ECS Publications", Journal of the Electrochemical Society", Vol. 149, No.12, pp.S85-S87, 2002. (An ECS Centennial Series Article). It was estimated that prior to 1904, not more than half a dozen persons were (significantly) involved in the subject of corrosion, in the USA. Source: attributed to F.N. Speller in the article "A Diamond Anniversary" (overview of the history of NACE International) by G.A. Jacobson published in Materials Performance, February 2003. This fascinating article is available on the web site of NACE International. The first text book on corrosion has been attributed to Ulick Richardson (U.R.) Evans, "Corrosion of Metals", in 1924. 1943 - NACE (National Association of Corrosion Engineers, now NACE International) was founded by eleven corrosion engineers (B. Bond, R.A. Brannon, D. Holsteyn, F.J. McElhatton, M.C. Miller, O.C. Mudd, W.P. Noser, G.R. Olson, W.F. Rogers, J.A. South and H.W. Wahlquist). The association was legally incorporated in 1945 (Texas). Source: Article "A Diamond Anniversary" (overview of the history of NACE International) by G.A. Jacobson published in Materials Performance, February 2003. This fascinating article is available on the web site of NACE International. |
