Why Does Steel Rust- know the important reasons?

Steel, despite being the most a popular and common material that is used for manufacturing various products around the world has always one common flaw that it rusts. You might have seen the red or brown color flaky material on the old buildings; bridges have been in the open atmosphere for a long time. Steel is not considered the only metal that often gets rust. There are other things like a coin when kept in the open area for a long time gets rust. But, have you ever thought why does steel rust and why other metals won’t get corrosion resistant?   Well, if you are searching answer for this question then this article is for you.

The article entails you all the reasons for steel getting rust and what makes it corrosion resistant. So, continue reading the article and know why steel gets rust.

Why does steel rust?

Any type of material that is made with iron and is exposed to both water and oxygen gets rust. The reason for its rusting is steel is completely made with iron and it is the man-made manufactured material which is often subjected to rust. However, to know why it gets rust it is important for you to know a bit of chemistry and the periodic table. In the periodic table, after helium, those elements that are having 8 electrons in their outer shell will borrow electrons from other nearby elements so as to achieve the same level of electrons.

For instance, water is made with an oxygen atom that has 6 electrons in the outer shell and 2 atoms of hydrogen that has one electron each. While sharing and borrowing the electrons in the reduction reaction rust (FeO(OH) is created.

How rust is formed?

When steel rusts, it often goes through a chemical reaction which is known as corrosion resistant. In this process steel is exposed to water and air, various types of rusts are formed where the most common one is Fe2O3. Basically, rust often forms on the outside surface of any metal because it needs exposure to water and oxygen to get rust. If you ever find any old metal steel rod that is kept outside for a long time, try to scrub it you will get a brown or red powder and that is what rust.

How fast a metal like steel rusts?

Steel gets rust immediately when it is being exposed to air and moisture. But, how fast it rusts often depends on how much the metal is exposed to water and air. The chemical reaction that mainly causes metal like steel to corrode often it happens instantly but it takes time for one to notice it. Rust will affect the outer surface of the steel while slowly corroding the steel surface.

Steel is also considered as corrosion resistant steel that gets corrode when it is exposed to the outside atmospheric condition. The resistance in steel varies as per their type and in different forms. Hence, we can say that steel gets rust when it is exposed to water and air.