Fractal characteristics of AC corrosion morphology of X80 pipeline steel in coastal soil solution

Abstract

Purpose Pipelines are seriously corroded due to the close distance between pipelines and high voltage transmission lines. The purpose of this paper is to study the influence of alternating current (AC) on corrosion behavior of X80 pipeline steel in coastal soil solution. Design/methodology/approach The corrosion behavior of X80 steel under different AC densities in coastal soil solution was investigated by electrochemical measurements and image processing technology. Furthermore, a quantitative description model of AC corrosion through fractal dimension of corrosion image was established. Findings The results show that under low AC density the X80 steel is mainly uniform corrosion, and once AC density reaches 150 A/m2, the corrosion morphology gradually turns to pitting corrosion with irregular circle. For another aspect, the fractal dimension of corrosion images shows that the two/three-dimensional fractal dimension increase with the increase of AC density, presenting a linear and an exponential relationship respectively. In addition, the variation of the three-dimensional fractal dimension is the same as that of average corrosion rate. The threshold of the increasing trend of fractal dimension as well as corrosion type is 150 A/m2. Originality/value The investigation provides a quantitative method to describe AC corrosion morphology through fractal dimension. Furthermore, the method is of benefit to process corrosion images automatically.