In shipping, corrosion damage can be a significant factor in claims, with corrosion of steel cargo, hull corrosion and wire rope damage being some of the common types of incidents investigated by Hawkins. Materials Expert, Dr Philippa Moore, is the latest Hawkins investigator featured in the Marine Insurer Journal, as she explores the common themes in steel corrosion investigations.
Philippa’s article Not Just Rust discusses the different causes of corrosion and damage to steels, and the ways that a forensic materials engineer will look for clues from the appearance of the corrosion products and the corroded surface, as well as details of the exposure conditions, to identify when the damage could be something more significant.
Philippa explains that the thermodynamics of corrosion depend on a large number of variables such as:
- Exposure to moisture
- Exposure to oxygen
- Enviornmental temperature
- Steel surface roughness
- Condition of paints and coatings
- Exposure to chemicals that can accelerate corrosion such as salt water
She advises that each of these variables can present a challenge to the question “How long something has been corroding” and that it may not be possible to quantitatively say whether that pre-existing damage has been there for two weeks, six months, or even longer before failure occurred.
Philippa graduated from the University of Cambridge with MA and MSci degrees in materials science and metallurgy, and subsequently completed her PhD, researching the microstructures and properties of laser and laser/arc hybrid welds in pipeline steels. She has over 20 years of experience and has provided expertise on topics related to welding engineering, materials science & metallurgy, failure modes in metals, and structural integrity.
Philippa’s article can be read in full on page 40 of The Marine Insurer.
