Erosion corrosion is a degradation of material surface due to mechanical action, often by impinging liquid, abrasion by a slurry, particles suspended in fast flowing liquid or gas, bubbles or droplets, cavitation, etc. The mechanism can be described as follows:
The mechanism of erosion corrosion, the materials affected by it, and the conditions when it occurs are generally different than that of flow-accelerated corrosion, although the last one is sometimes classified as a sub-type of erosion corrosion.
Surface chemistry can play a role in erosion corrosion due to mechanochemical effects.
Erosion corrosion is the second most common cause of copper tube failure.