ASTM G82-98 (R2021)e1 PDF Download

4.1 When two dissimilar metals in electrical contact are exposed to a common electrolyte, one of the metals can undergo increased corrosion while the other can show decreased corrosion. This type of accelerated corrosion is referred to as galvanic corrosion. Because galvanic corrosion can occur at a high rate, it is important that a means be available to alert the user of products or equipment that involve the use of dissimilar metal combinations in an electrolyte of the possible effects of galvanic corrosion.

4.2 One method that is used to predict the effects of galvanic corrosion is to develop a galvanic series by arranging a list of the materials of interest in order of observed corrosion potentials in the environment and conditions of interest. The metal that will suffer increased corrosion in a galvanic couple in that environment can then be predicted from the relative position of the two metals in the series.