Corrosion Rate Trajectories of Concreted Iron and Steel Shipwrecks and Structures in Seawater—The Weins Number

Abstract

The Weins number (Wn) concept is proposed to predict the long-term corrosion rate of wrought iron and steel in seawater for variable marine environments. Plotted as a function of reciprocal absolute temperature, Weins numbers generate a linear plot from which the corrosion rates are calculated when temperature, oxygen concentration, and concretion thickness are known. Application of the theory of absolute reaction rates is described.

The influence of concretion on the long-term corrosion rate of steel shipwrecks in the Belgian North Sea

“…That piece of chain was salvaged during UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) surveys in March 2018, recovered in an area between Oostdyck and Akkaertbank at a depth of approximately 30 m and was buried approximately 50 cm in mainly sands and shells. Based on the thickness of the concretion layer ( Figure 3) and the characteristics (diameter and length/width ratio) of the link [13] the chain was dated as being from the first half of the twentieth century. This corresponds closely with the age of the shipwrecks used in this study ( Table 2).…”

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

“…Future work should address those and other factors, including the role of seaside convection, particularly during rapid earlystage metal loss, and the effect of concretion morphology upon subsequent rates of corrosion. 15…”

Enhanced Decision Making through Probabilistic Shipwreck Risk Assessment: Focusing on the Situation in Greece

“…Hafiz (2010) used experimental data from 84 specimens to construct a Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN) model and validate the predictions. Johnson et al (2011) proposed the use of the Weins number, which is a dimensionless ratio of calculated to estimated corrosion rate and is based on temperature, concretion thickness and oxygen concentration. Another interesting approach is the work by Foecke et al (2010), who incorporated corrosion rate data into a Finite Elements Model (FEM) that was applied to the USS Arizona for predicting the future deterioration of the ship's structure.…”

“…The corrosion rate for each shipwreck was estimated using Wein's number, as described by Johnson et al (2011). According to this approach, the corrosion rate can be estimated provided temperature, oxygen concentration and concretion thickness are known for a specific location.…”