Advanced method for the development of an empirical model to predict time-dependent corrosion wastage

In this paper, an advanced method for the development of an empirical model to predict time-dependent corrosion wastage is proposed. It is well recognised that the statistical scatter of corrosion wastage at any exposure time is generally very wide, and the reliability of a corrosion model thus relies on how accurately such scatter is measured. In the proposed method, the statistical scatter of corrosion wastage at any exposure time is analysed in a refined manner and formulated using the Weibull function. Both the shape and scale parameters of the Weibull function are determined as a function of time through the curve fitting of a corrosion measurement database. An application of the proposed method's use in the development of an empirical model for the seawater ballast tank structures of aged ships is presented. Its ability to generate an empirical corrosion model is confirmed, thus making it possible to predict time-dependent corrosion wastage more accurately. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.