Combining the Ohmic Drop and Critical Crevice Solution Approaches to Rationalize Intermediate Attack in Crevice Corrosion

Crevice corrosion material loss is often most severe at intermediate distances into the crevice. This intermediate attack can be rationalized using the ohmic drop model of Pickering if and only if the material in question exhibits active/passive behavior in the crevice environment. Conventional theories that ascribe control of crevice corrosion to chemical changes exclusively cannot rationalize intermediate attack. The present work merges these two approaches, allowing rationalization of intermediate attack, even for materials that undergo active dissolution as might be expected in real crevices.