Erosion Corrosion
Metal loss where flow velocity strips the protective film faster than it can reform, usually at bends and inlets.
Copper alloys depend on a surface film for corrosion resistance, and that film has a velocity limit. Exceed it and the attack concentrates where the flow is most turbulent — tube inlets, the extrados of bends and downstream of partly closed valves — producing the characteristic horseshoe-shaped pits. The fixes are hydraulic rather than metallurgical: respect the alloy's velocity limit, fit inlet ferrules, and avoid sharp bends immediately after a pump.
Related terms
Where this applies
cupro-nickel-tubes-pipes
Need help applying this?
Stancor Copper engineers answer specification questions directly. Contact us.