Name: Jamie
Status: other
Grade: other
Location: PA
Country: USA
Question:
Hello, I am looking into salt water erosion. How many miles
(approximately) can salt water travel through the air causing
erosion?
Replies:
There is no way I know of to tell. Salt aerosols can travel from a few feet
to global miles. My recommendation to you is to re-think
your project, because there is an important factor -- salt water -- over
which you have no control.
Vince Calder
Are you asking about soil erosion or electrical erosion?
And the answer to the question will also depend a lot on location.
In Lompoc, Ca, sometimes transformers in the electrical power distribution
grid
Get coated with salt and short out.
But that is because there are strong winds that blow onshore.
The land in the California desert heats up, rises and sucks in the air
from the Pacific ocean creating winds at about 3 or 4 PM at 45 to 50 MPH.
Salt Water can cause cathodic or galvanic erosion of metals.
Please see the following article for a more in-depth explanation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathodic_protection
Salt water can cause an erosion of metals through electrical action
Which is a special problem for ships that float in the sea or
aircraft on the ships at sea.
Aircraft metal fatigue from galvanic erosion from airborne salt water
is a huge problem for the Navy and can have deadly results.
So fresh water washdowns of aircraft at sea is a routine.
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