Different types of material failure, like corrosion or embrittlement, in harsh environment leads to around £2.1 trillion in damage to global gross domestic product every year. Owing to an unstable global economy, the use of suitable alloys to minimise failure in these environments has never been more important. Here, Copper Alloys’ Engineering Director Scott Pears looks at the importance of understanding material failure and how metallurgical advances help to prolong the life of harsh environment components.
Materials used in environments where demands are high are liable to a variety of issues causing component degradation. Seawater, extreme temperatures, exposure to chemicals and high stress can all combine to cause rapid and unexpected material failure.
The extensive demands of harsh environments make the performance of standard metals limited. In helping prolong the lifespan of components, custom-made metal manufacturers look to understand the entirety of each environment’s demands.
