scope:

This standard deals with failures due to corrosion that occur in, for the most part, aqueous electrolytes at temperatures generally below their boiling points.

Most of the types of corrosion discussed are a result of electrochemical reactions. Most of these take place in the presence of ionically conducting phases (electrolyte solutions) and cause the electrolytic loss of metals or the impairment of the material's properties.

Corrosion reactions can also take place in the absence of ionically conducting phases. In such cases corrosion is the result of chemical or metal physical processes. This standard does not address this type of corrosion.

Types of corrosion caused by electrochemical corrosion reactions or by corresponding metal physical and chemical reactions at high temperatures are described in VDI 3822 Part 4.

In the case of the types of corrosion addressed in this standard we can distinguish between types that are initiated without mechanical stress and those for which mechanical stress on a component is a necessary precondition.

All types of mechanically initiated corrosion, failure, with the exception of tribochemical failures, which will be addressed in VDI 3822 Part 5, are considered in this standard.