Biological Influences on Hydrogen Effects in Steel in Seawater

Abstract

Abstract Conditions conducive to the enhancement of corrosion-fatigue crack growth and of hydrogen embrittlement can be generated by the activity of sulphate-reducing bacterial. However, while the presence of bacteria encourages more hydrogen entry into susceptible metals when compared to similar levels of sulphide generated abiotically, corrosion-fatigue crack growth rates are slower in biological environments than the equivalent abiological environment. These results are discussed in the light of recent findings on the enhancement and inhibition of surface corrosion by bacterial biofilms.