Effect of Cr and Zr Addition on the Corrosion Behaviour of Copper in the Chloride Solution

The corrosion behavior of CuCr, CuZr and CuCrZr alloys in NaCl solution is reported in this paper. The corrosion performance has been evaluated in NaCl solution atmosphere. The results show the corrosion resistance of pure copper decrease with the addition of the alloying elements initially. However, in the later exposure stages, the corrosion resistance of CuZr and CuCrZr alloy deteriorates significantly while the corrosion resistance of CuCr alloy is slightly better than that of pure copper. In addition, the results of the electrochemical experiments indicate that the different behavior for the element Cr and Zr in the base material and corrosion scales lead to the change of the corrosion resistance.