Disaster-generated contaminants challenge operational integrity of electrical and mechanical equipment. Under “normal” conditions, equipment experiences environmental degradation as well as functional wear and tear. Corrosive contaminants that may emanate from a fire, water event, or certain fire extinguishing effluents (ABC dry chemical), compromise protective coatings on printed circuit boards (PCB’s) and deteriorate components/metal surfaces.
This paper provides information and analysis on why certain metals corrode, the types of corrosion, protecting metals from natural degradation, effects of corrosion on PCB’s, ways to slow the rate of corrosion post-loss, passivation, and addressing surfaces with accelerated oxidation.
