Tribo-corrosion of materials: Interplay between chemical, electrochemical, and mechanical reactivity of surfaces

An attempt is made to link experimental potential variations noticed during tribo-corrosion tests performed at laboratory scale, with a well known mapping tool used in corrosion, namely Pourbaix diagrams also known as E-pH diagrams. Backgrounds of E-pH diagrams and electrochemical kinetics are briefly recalled. Some explanations and/or work hypotheses concerning the effect of test parameters on the potential variation during tribo-corrosion tests are presented. The complex interplay between mechanical, chemical, and electrochemical interactions during tribo-corrosion test is discussed. It demonstrates that further research towards the development of appropriate mapping tools for tribo-corrosion is most indicated. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.