Abstract
This thesis investigated how steel, brass, and zamak corrode, with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the formation and composition of the corrosion layers that developed on these materials. These metals were selected because they were commonly used in the construction of German grenades in the First World War studied within the DISARM-project. Data were used from X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), collected on corroded steel, brass, and zamak samples that had been exposed to corrosion over multiple years as part of that same project. The analysis showed that the composition of the corrosion layers was influenced by the immediate environment of the metals, and that the XRF results provided insight into the presence of calcite in these layers. It was found that, in this study, calcite did not act as a protective layer against corrosion.
Although the average XRF values, which represent the elemental presence in the corrosion layers, cannot be used as fixed reference values, they provide valuable insight into the layer composition, contributing to a better understanding of material behaviour in various environments.