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Specific cases of liquid metal corrosion

2026-07-21View Original

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Here, several typical practical cases of liquid metal corrosion are outlined, taking into account various industrial and domestic applications. In the context of electronic hardware cooling: there was a case of corrosion involving the Intel i9-14900K processor. Some DIY enthusiasts, in an effort to achieve optimal cooling, applied gallium-based liquid metal thermal conductive materials to this processor; as a result, the metal surface of the processor was corroded. Intel refused to provide warranty coverage, citing \"non-compliant cooling methods not recommended by the manufacturer.\" Essentially, this corrosion occurred due to the interdiffusion of gallium with the metal of the processor’s casing, thereby damaging the original metal structure. Civilian daily scenarios: Gallium liquid corroding aluminum cans. When liquid gallium is applied to aluminum cans whose surface oxide layer has been removed, and the cans are left at room temperature for several hours, the originally hard aluminum cans become as fragile as paper – they can break with even slight pressure. This occurs because gallium atoms penetrate into the crystal boundaries of aluminum, disrupting the bonds between aluminum atoms and causing the phenomenon of \"aluminum embrittlement\". Industrial hot-dip galvanizing applications: Abnormal corrosion of high-silicon steel components. In a hot-dip galvanizing plant, brackets used for the galvanizing tanks were made from steel with an excessive silicon content; in a molten zinc environment at 450–460°C, deep grooved localized corrosion occurred on the surface of these brackets, with a corrosion rate that was much higher than that of the tank walls made of low-silicon carbon steel. The reason for this is that the protective film formed on the surface of high-silicon steel in the zinc bath has very poor adhesion, and it is unable to prevent the zinc bath from continuously dissolving the steel substrate. Nuclear power industry scenario: Corrosion of structural steel by lead-bismuth alloys. In lead-based fast reactors, the high-temperature liquid lead-bismuth alloy used as a coolant can cause corrosion of structural materials such as T91 steel and 316 stainless steel found within the reactor. At temperatures of 550°C, the protective oxide layer on the surface of these materials is destroyed, allowing elements such as iron and chromium to dissolve continuously into the lead-bismuth medium. Prolonged operation can result in thinning of the tube walls, posing a threat to the safety of the reactor. Mechanical processing scenario: Cracking and failure of quenched and tempered cast steel after hot-dip zinc plating. After hot-dip zinc plating, a large number of surface cracks distributed along the grain boundaries were detected in a large I-shaped cast steel component; these cracks were filled with liquid zinc that had penetrated into them. This is a typical case of embrittlement caused by liquid metal. The reason for this phenomenon was that the zinc embrittlement sensitivity index of the steel used in the component exceeded the allowable limit, and under the tensile stress resulting from hot-dip zinc plating, the liquid zinc penetrated along the grain boundaries, leading to cracking.

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