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Received Aug 10, 2017; Revised Nov 20, 2017; Accepted Nov 28, 2017
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1. Introduction
Galvanic corrosion can simply be defined as the corrosion that occurs as a result of one metal being in contact with another in a conducting, corrosive environment. The corrosion is stimulated by the potential difference that exists between the two metals: the more noble material acting as a cathode where some oxidizing species is reduced and the more active metal, which corrodes, acting as the anode. The anodic reaction is, by definition, some form of metal dissolution; the cathodic reaction is, in the majority of practical situations, either oxygen reduction or hydrogen evolution, or a combination of both. Many factors affecting galvanic corrosion are already discussed to determining whether or not galvanic corrosion will occur in a particular instance and if so at what rate; it is important when considering the theory of galvanic corrosion to be aware of these factors including electrode potential, reaction kinetics, alloy composition, protection film characteristics, bulk solution environment, total geometry, and type of joint [1].
There is a high incidence of past scientists taking an interest in corrosion to understand what causes it and what limits or accelerates the process. Numerous studies have been conducted; some take a more global outlook [2], whereas some take a more focused approach [3]. The study conducted in [2] looked at many different galvanic couples commonly used in seawater applications. The study focused on developing reasonable models for systems experiencing varying periods of exposure to the corrosive environment.
Simulation of galvanic corrosion between magnesium and aluminum has been performed by Lacroix et al. [4], Deshpande [5–7], Jia et al. [8], and Trinh et al. [9] who have studied the corrosion of magnesium alloys in contact to mild steel under static conditions. The publications of Murer et al. [10–12] and Shi and Kelly [13] in this...