Fighting Rust

Engineers use multiple strategies to prevent corrosion, each exploiting different chemistry. Galvanization coats iron with zinc, which corrodes preferentially — sacrificing itself to protect the iron underneath.

Stainless steel adds at least 10.5% chromium to iron, forming a thin self-healing oxide layer that seals the surface. Cathodic protection connects iron to a more reactive metal like magnesium that corrodes sacrificially instead.