The Secant Rate of Corrosion: Correlating Observations of the USS Arizona Submerged in Pearl Harbor

Authors

• Donald L. Johnson, National Park ServiceFollow
• Robert J. Deangelis, Niceville, FL
• Dana J. Medlin, EAG Laboratories
• Jon E. Johnson, Dow Water and Process Solutions
• James D. Carr, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
• David L. Conlin, National Park Service

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2018

Citation

JOM, Vol. 70, No. 5, 2018

Comments

© 2018 The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society

This document is a U.S. government work and is not subject to copyright in the United States.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-018-2797-0

Abstract

Contrary to previous linear projections of steel corrosion in seawater, analysis of an inert marker embedded in USS Arizona concretion since the 7 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor reveals evidence that the effective corrosion rate decreases with time. The secant rate of corrosion, or SRC correlation, derived from this discovery could have a significant impact on failure analysis investigations for concreted shipwrecks or underwater structures. The correlation yields a lower rate of metal thinning than predicted. Development of the correlation is described.