Effect Of Heat Treatment On Corrosion Of Mild Steel Weld Metal In Cassava Juice ~

INTRODUCTION

In west African and other tropical countries cassava tubers are a source of major staple foods. They are also used in the .manufacture of ethyl alcohol and the production of starch used as a binder in tablet making and as an animal feed, and are being proposed for use as an addition to wheat flour for bread making. Corrosion of mild steel machinery, storage facilities, and agricultural implements used in processing cassava roots has been widely reported by the processing industries. Though some work has been published on other aspects of corrosion in agriculture, l-4- there is no reported research outside our laboratory specifically concerned with corrosion by cassava juice. The present investigation examined the corrosion behaviour in cassava juice of various heat treated fusion zone samples from welded mild steel bars with the object of establishing the heat treatment procedure that gave the highest corrosion resistance. The knowledge thus gained should contribute to the control of corrosion in such conditions and the minimising of economic losses through improved welding fabrication processes.