Based on the ferrous material to be protected, the function of the component and the environmental conditions, the ideal anti-oxidation solution must respect specific characteristics and thus requires a precise formulation studied in detail.
Do you want to determine all the properties that a good lubricant must have to protect against oxidation? Download the guide and find out all the details.
Remedies against atmospheric oxidation
The oxidation of metals is the main enemy of the most common ferrous materials used for the manufacture of mechanical devices. It is an inevitable phenomenon but the effects can be reduced through appropriate measures during the production process and during transport, including the use of an anti-oxidation/anti-corrosion protective lubricants.
Oxidation leads to inevitable corrosion of the metal. Here, we will deal with wet or atmospheric corrosion under which a metal tends to oxidize due to the atmospheric conditions of the environment in which it is located, being the presence of an aqueous film that dissolved oxygen in the medium.
The atmospheric oxidation process requires the following elements for its development:
Ferrous alloys are subject to atmospheric oxidation and must be protected during their normal operation by coatings of various types and compositions. Depending on the production phase within which the semi-finished or finished products are located, and according to the needs, two types of coatings can be distinguished:
These consist in the application of removable protective barriers and are recommended when subsequent passivation operations (coating or painting) are envisaged.
This type has the objective of preventing the formation of iron oxides for the entire temporal exercise of the device, divided into galvanic treatments (thin passivating compound layers such as phosphating, zinc plating) and painting (definitive coatings applied before the device is put into operation).
It is thus important to apply very effective temporary protective solutions to ferrous metal surfaces, with the main requirements for superior protection being:
The main temporary protective solutions can be classified into:
Based on the ferrous material to be protected, the function of the component and the environmental conditions, the ideal anti-oxidation solution must respect specific characteristics and thus requires a precise formulation studied in detail.
Do you want to know about all the properties that a good lubricant should have to protect against oxidation? Download the guide to find out all the details.