Effect of Vibration on the Corrosion Rate of Mg, Al, and Zn Cathodes Protection in Freshwater and the Arab Gulf Seawater

Abstract

The vibration of a ship significantly influences its operational efficiency, safety, and the overall comfort of crew members while on board. This study presents a laboratory setup for a vibration corrosion apparatus, which is utilized to assess the impact of vibration and temperature on the corrosion rates of three types of sacrificial anodes: Al, Mg, and Zn, employing the mass loss method in freshwater and seawater environment. The findings indicate that the corrosion rate increases under vibrational conditions in comparison to a static environment. Specifically, in the seawater of the Arab Gulf, Al sacrificial anodes exhibit greater corrosion losses than zinc anodes. Furthermore, vibration corrosion tests conducted on magnesium anodes in freshwater reveal an increase in corrosion rates by 11.5% relative to static corrosion tests. The corrosion rate of Al anodes rises by 8.67% due to vibrational effects when compared to the static state, while Zn anodes experience a 7.52% increase in corrosion rate under similar conditions.