Corrosion of fibrous silicates in electrolyte solutions

Numerous investigations on the in vitro corrosion of Man-made Mineral Fibres (MMMF) were carried out in the course of an extended study. The corrosion tests were performed as continous flow experiments at constant temperature (37 xC) and flow rate with two model electrolyte solutions. The corroded fibres were characterized in terms of dissolution velocities and the appearance of corroded surfaces. The majority of investigated fibres maintained their typical shape and reached constant velocities with time. For these cases, dissolution velocities were a decisive criterion to compare the dissolution behaviour of different fibres. For several other cases, two types of corrosion damage were identified beside the dissolution process, i.e. corrosion layer formation and pitting corrosion. Both effects were probably due to the production process, and lead to a loss of cylindric geometry during corrosion. For the latter cases, the criterion of dissolution velocities could be applied with some r eservations only.