Corrosion resistant alloy CRA

Corrosion is the gradual destruction of materials (often metals) due to natural processes such as oxidation. It occurs when materials are exposed to the environment and are attacked by liquids or gasses whose actions instigate chemical reactions.

Corrosion resistance is the ease with which materials react to potentially corrosive conditions. Corrosion resistant materials are generally able to withstand deterioration and chemical breakdown.

There are some pure metals (known as corrosion resistant metals) such as gold and platinum that have some natural resistance to corrosion. There are also corrosion resistant alloys (CRAs) created to have corrosion resistance, such as a different types of stainless steel.

An alloy is an impure substance (admixture) comprising a mixture of metals, or a metal to which small additions of other metals and non-metals have been added to give it desired properties. The result is a compound that is likely to be superior in performance to pure metal and may be more economical.

CRAs are particularly important in the gas and oil industries and can be created by combining substances such as chrome, cobalt, iron, nickel, stainless steel, titanium and so on.

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