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Chapter 18: Problem 120

In 1973 the wreckage of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor was discovered near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. [The Monitor and the CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimack) fought the first battle between iron-armored ships.] In 1987 investigations were begun to see if the ship could be salvaged. It was reported in Time (June 22,1987 ) that scientists were considering adding sacrificial anodes of zinc to the rapidly corroding metal hull of the Monitor. Describe how attaching zinc to the hull would protect the Monitor from further corrosion.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Attaching zinc sacrificial anodes to the hull of the USS Monitor would protect it from further corrosion by creating a situation similar to galvanic corrosion. Since zinc is more reactive than iron or steel, it would act as the anode and preferentially corrode instead of the hull, thereby preventing any further corrosion of the ship's hull. As long as there is zinc present, the hull remains protected, with the zinc anode being consumed in the process.

Step by step solution

01

Understand Galvanic Corrosion

Galvanic corrosion occurs when two different metals or alloys, in contact with each other and an electrolyte, experience a flow of electrical current resulting in one metal corroding preferentially. In this process, the less noble (more reactive) metal acts as an anode and gets corroded, while the more noble (less reactive) metal acts as a cathode and remains protected.
02

Learn About Sacrificial Anodes

Sacrificial anodes are highly reactive metals that are used to prevent corrosion of a less reactive metal it's connected to. They work by intentionally corroding instead of the protected metal due to their higher reactivity. Once the sacrificial anode corrodes, it stops the protected metal from further corrosion.
03

Identify the Protected Metal and the Anode Material

Here, the protected metal is the hull of the USS Monitor which is most likely made of iron or steel. The sacrificial anode material is given as zinc. Since zinc is more reactive than iron/steel, it would act as an anode and corrode preferentially, thereby protecting the hull from corrosion.
04

Describe the Protection Process

By attaching zinc sacrificial anodes to the hull of the USS Monitor, we create a situation similar to galvanic corrosion. The zinc, being more reactive, serves as the anode and corrodes in place of the iron/steel hull, which serves as the cathode. The zinc anode gets consumed in the process, and as long as there is still zinc present, the hull will remain protected from corrosion. This way, the hull of the USS Monitor is protected from further deterioration.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

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