THE ASSESSMENT OF CORROSION DAMAGE TO AUTOMOBILES IN THE EASTERN COAST AREA OF SAUDI-ARABIA

Corrosion of automobiles is a serious problem in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. To assess the magnitude of automobile corrosion, a survey was undertaken on different makes of automobiles. The survey shows that one car out of every seven cars has noticeable corrosion damage, with an average age of about 4.65 years. An empirical equation relating corrosion damage to automobile age is developed. The major forms of corrosion are observed to be pitting, crevice, bimetallic and general. The observations have been explained in the content of the hot and humid environment.