Does rust prevent a pipe from corroding any further?
Rust is a thermodynamically, unstable material and therefore does not offer any protection from corrosion. • My stainless steel tank has rust spots all over it. Why? If your stainless steel tank is in a chloride or salt environment or oxygen has been deprived from the surface, the oxide coating on the tank has been compromised. Once the oxide coating has been compromised stainless steel will “rust” much like carbon steel. • What is the electromotive force series? The electromotive force series, EMF for short, is a listing of metals indicating their relative electrical potential to corrode. The closer the metal is to the top or active end of the EMF the more likely it is to corrode. The closer the metal is to the bottom or passive end of the EMF the less likely it is to corrode. • Why is aluminum used so much if it is so active on the EMF series? Because of the inherent property of aluminum to create a tightly adhering oxide layer on the surface, it becomes very passive and therefore is
