DC stray current can cause severe corrosion on buried pipelines. In this study, firstly, we deduced the equation of DC stray current interference on pipelines. Next, the cathode boundary condition was discretized with pipe elements, and corresponding experiments were designed to validate the mathematical model. Finally, the numerical simulation program BEASY was used to study the corrosion effect of DC stray current that an auxiliary anode bed generated in an impressed current cathodic protection system. The effects of crossing angle, crossing distance, distance of the two pipelines, anode output current, depth, and soil resistivity were investigated. Our results indicate that pipeline crossing substantially affects the corrosion potential of both protected and unprotected pipelines. Pipeline crossing angles, crossing distances, and anode depths, our results suggest, have no significant influence. Decreasing anode output current or soil resistivity reduces pipeline corrosion gradually. A reduction of corrosion also occurs when the distance between two parallel pipelines increases.

In order to improve the corrosion resistance of zinc-rich epoxy coatings and reduce the amount of zinc used, first, graphene oxide (GO) was modified by sulfonated multiwall carbon nanotubes (SMWCNTs) to obtain the modified graphene oxide (SM-GO). The samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. Then, four kinds of coatings were prepared, namely pure zinc-rich coating (0-ZRC), graphene oxide-based zinc-rich coating (GO-ZRC), sulfonated multiwall carbon nanotube-based zinc-rich coating (SM-ZRC) and SM-GO-based zinc-rich coating (SG-ZRC). The corrosion resistance of the above coatings was studied by open circuit potential (OCP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), a salt spray test, 3D confocal microscope, and electron scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results indicate that GO is successfully non-covalently modified by SMWCNTs, of which the interlayer spacing increases and dispersion is improved. The order of the corrosion resistance is GO-ZRC > SG-ZRC > SM-ZRC > 0-ZRC. The addition of GO, SMWCNTs, and SM-GO increases the shielding effect and increases the electrical connection between Zn particles and metal substrates, which improves the corrosion resistance. However, SMWCNTs and SM-GO also strengthen the galvanic corrosion, which decreases the corrosion resistance to some extent.

In this work, nickel-based composite coatings were deposited using ultrasonic electrodeposition under pulse current condition at different current densities, temperatures and concentrations of Y₂O₃ and/or ZrO₂ dispersed in the plating solution. The morphology and electrochemical properties were investigated. The electrochemical test methods (such as chronopotentiometry, potentiodynamic polarisation and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy) were used to investigate the stability of electrode potential during deposition and the corrosion resistance of Ni-based coating reinforced using Y₂O₃ and ZrO₂. It was demonstrated that, when the deposition current density was 1.5 A dm⁻², the temperature was 60°C and the added amount of Y₂O₃ and ZrO₂ nanoparticles was 10 g L⁻¹ each, the coating was compact, stable and free of cracks. The results of electrochemical tests showed that, under the optimal deposition parameters, the deposition process was stable, while the corrosion current density decreased by an order of magnitude compared to Ni–W alloy.

In the current study, the effect of hydrogen atoms on the intergranular failure of α-iron is examined by a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The effect of hydrogen embrittlement on the grain boundary (GB) is investigated by diffusing hydrogen atoms into the grain boundaries using a bicrystal body-centered cubic (BCC) model and then deforming the model with a uniaxial tension. The Debye Waller factors are applied to illustrate the volume change of GBs, and the simulation results suggest that the trapped hydrogen atoms in GBs can therefore increase the excess volume of GBs, thus enhancing intergranular failure. When a constant displacement loading is applied to the bicrystal model, the increased strain energy can barely be released via dislocation emission when H is present. The hydrogen pinning effect occurs in the current dislocation slip system, {112}. The hydrogen atoms facilitate cracking via a decrease of the free surface energy and enhance the phase transition via an increase in the local pressure. Hence, the failure mechanism is prone to intergranular failure so as to release excessive pressure and energy near GBs. This study provides a mechanistic framework of intergranular failure, and a theoretical model is then developed to predict the intergranular cracking rate.