Corrosion resulting from electric current flow between dissimilar metals is called what?

Study for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Element 3 Test. Use flashcards and multiple choice questions with hints and explanations. Get prepared for your exam today!

Galvanic corrosion occurs when two dissimilar metals are in electrical contact in the presence of an electrolyte, leading to the flow of electric current between them. This electrical current can accelerate the corrosion process for one of the metals, usually the more active metal, while the other metal is protected. This phenomenon results from the electrochemical potential differences that exist between the metals, where the more noble metal (the one with a higher corrosion resistance) acts as a cathode and the less noble metal (the one that corrodes faster) acts as an anode.

The term electrolytic corrosion mostly refers to corrosion processes induced by electrical currents from an external source, rather than the galvanic interaction between metals. Cathodic corrosion generally relates to protecting the metal surface through methods such as cathodic protection, and oxidative corrosion isn't a formal term typically used in the context of dissimilar metal interactions. Thus, the specific term describing the corrosion resulting from electric current flow between dissimilar metals is indeed galvanic corrosion.

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