Corrosion fatigue occurs.

Corrosion Fatigue
Corrosion fatigue is mechanical degradation of a combined effect of corrosion and
fatigue under a dynamic or cyclic stress, usually is environmentally assisted into a
material. Corrosion fatigue cracks are frequently instigated at the surface, and subsurface cracks begin at areas of stress concentration where material defects are
located near the surface.
Corrosion fatigue cracks are characteristically transgranular with a small region
denoted and some are similar to the fatigue mechanism, where corrosion fatigue
cracking is frequently characterized by striation patterns (shown in Figure 11), which
are perpendicular to the crack propagation direction. The final stage of failure
occurrence of the material is purely a mechanical degradation with no intervention
from corrosion and becomes exactly the similar mechanism of fatigue failure.
Corrosion fatigue is a possible cause for the failure modes of a number of types of
metals and alloys in different types of environments. Decrease in fatigue strength
due to corrosion fatigue is influenced by the effects of degradation from corrosive
environment. In a corrosive environment crack growth rate may have higher rates
than in a non corrosive environment, as result can shortened the fatigue life-cycle of
a material exposed to a corrosion and fatigue mechanism simultaneously.
There are several factors that influence growth rate of corrosion fatigue. These are
as follow:

Corrosion damage, e.g. pitting origins stress raisers in the materials

surrounding area of the pit, similar to notch effects. As this drives to crack
initiation at a stress below that a material in a non-corrosive conditions. As
soon as corrosive elements go into crack, then crack propagates at faster

rate.
Temperature; Metal composition, strength and fracture toughness

Strength and fracture toughness are important material properties when taking into
consideration for how to control/protect against corrosion fatigue.

REFERENCES
[1] Corrosion Testing Laboratories, Inc. (http://www.corrosion lab.com/)
[2] Corrosion Technology Test bed, NASA Kennedy Space Centre,
http://corrosion.ksc.nasa.gov/
[3] E.B. Bieberich and R.O. Hardies, TRIDENT Corrosion Control Handbook, David
W. Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Centre, Naval Sea Systems
Command, DTRC/SME-87-99, February 1988; DTIC Doc.: AD-B120 952
[4] M.G. Fontana, Corrosion Engineering, 3rd Edition, McGraw-Hill, 1986
[1] Environmentally Induced Cracking, ASM Handbook, Vol.13: Corrosion, 9th
Edition, ASM International, 1987, pp.145-189
[2] Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, Materials Engineering Laboratory,
http://www.nawcwpns.navy.mil/r2/fs/MatEngr.htm
[3] Metallographic/Microstructure Evaluation, Metallurgical Technologies Inc.,
http://www.met-tech.com/metal.html
[4] Environmentally Induced Cracking, ASM Handbook, Vol. 13: Corrosion, ASM
International, 1987, pp. 145-189
[5] G.H. Koch, Stress-Corrosion Cracking and Hydrogen Embrittlement, ASM
Handbook, Vol. 19: Fatigue and Fracture, ASM International, 1996, pp. 485-506
[6] M.G. Fontana, Corrosion Engineering, 3rd edition, McGraw-Hill, 1986
[7] W. Glaeser and I.G. Wright, Mechanically Assisted Degradation, Metals
Handbook, Vol. 13: Corrosion, 9th Edition, ASM International, 1987, pp. 136-144
[8] Kennedy Space Centre Corrosion Technology Test bed, NASA Kennedy Space
Centre, http://corrosion.ksc.nasa.gov/faticor.htm
[9] P.S. Pao, Mechanisms of Corrosion Fatigue, ASM Handbook, Vol. 19: Fatigue
and Fracture, ASM International, 1996, pp.185-192
[10] J. Pearce, Metallic Corrosion Stress Corrosion Cracking, Azom.com,
http://www.azom.com/details.asp?ArticleID=102

[11] Evaluating Corrosion Fatigue, ASM Handbook, Vol. 13A: Corrosion:

Fundamentals, Testing and Protection, ASM International, 2003, pp. 625-638
[12] P.R. Roberge, Handbook of Corrosion Engineering, McGraw-Hill, 2000