A survey of the extent of corrosion of motor vehicles has been carried out in two British counties of markedly different usage of de-icing salt. The method used was to circulate a questionnaire to a selection of private car owners. The two counties were Derbyshire with an annual rate of salt usage of 7.3 tons/mile and pembrokeshire where salt usage was negligible. It has been established that there is a much greater amount of corrosion damage to Derbyshire vehicles than to those kept in pembrokeshire, despite the fact that much of pembrokeshire is a coastal area with a natural saline environment. The results indicate that, for example, silencer/exhaust replacements are carried out at least twice as frequently in Derbyshire as in pembrokeshire. The cost of this increase in silencer/exhaust replacement is estimated at 1 pound per annum per private car. The use of salt for de-icing roads is increasing. If salt were used generally at the same rate as in Derbyshire it is estimated that by 1970 the salt-induced element of the cost of silencer replacement will involve a national expenditure of about 14 million pounds. To this must be added the cost of repairing other salt induced corrosion of motor vehicles. Practical trials are proposed to establish whether corrosion inhibitors would effectively reduce corrosion under u.k. Conditions. It is estimated that, if in practice an inhibitor reduced that salt-induced corrosion by 50 per cent the potential saving on silencers alone might be of the order of 6 million pounds. /RRL/author/.
Abstract