Electrolytic corrosion of iron in soils

The paper deals with the fundamental laws governing electrolytic corrosion of iron in soils. Experimental data are given showing the effect of the different factors that are most likely to influence electrolytic corrosion of buried pipes under practical conditions, such as current density of discharge, moisture content of the soil, presence of oxygen, temperature, voltage, and other factors. The effects of earth resistance, polarization, and surface film resistances are also discussed briefly, and tables are given showing the results of specific resistance and corrosion tests on a large number of soils taken from widely scattered sources, which give an idea of the order of magnitude of the values of resistance and corrosion efficiency that may be expected under average practical conditions. A number of conclusions are presented showing briefly the effect of the different variables involved and their relation to some practical aspects of the subject of electrolysis.