Modelling the relationship between microstructure of Galfan-type coated steel and cut-edge corrosion resistance incorporating diffusion of multiple species

Abstract This paper describes a considerable extension to a previously documented [S.G.R. Brown, N.C. Barnard, 3D computer simulation of the influence of microstructure on the cut edge corrosion behaviour of a zinc aluminium alloy galvanized steel, Corrosion Science 48 (2006) 2291–2303], first-order model used to simulate the localized degradation experienced in Zn–4.5 wt% Al steel coatings exposed to 5% NaCl aqueous solution. The temporal localization and intensity of discrete corrosion effects are predicted using established relationships and, in contrast to earlier models, the evolution of multiple concentration fields is included and calculated using straight-forward finite difference techniques. Changes in composition are included in the quantification of both anodic and cathodic processes involved in the corrosion of steel coatings in contact with aerated saline solutions. Reported [J. Elvins, J.A. Spittle, D.A. Worsley, Microstructural changes in zinc aluminium alloy galvanising as a function of processing parameters and their influence on corrosion, Corrosion Science 47 (2005) 2740–2759] and modelled performances of typical Galfan composition coated steels are evaluated for different coating microstructures undergoing so-called cut-edge corrosion. In summary, this latest model successfully matches measured rates of metal loss during localized corrosion. Additionally, the inclusion of multiple species diffusion functionality has greatly improved the simulation of the cathodic reaction in particular and the overall form of the current density distribution near the corroding surface.