October_AMP_Digital

A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7 3 0 T here is growing international inter- est in the effects of climate change on the environment, with sea lev- el rise (SLR) anticipated to be the most threatening facet of climate change. Sea level rise is expected to result in the great- est damage to infrastructure in coast- al regions around the world, leading to economic losses of up to $50 billion by 2050 [1] . This article discusses potential solutions andongoingefforts in themate- rials science and engineering community to counter SLRandprovides aphilosophi- cal outlookanddirection topush interdis- ciplinary collaborativematerials research to improve SLR preparedness for coastal areas. It also discusses advancements in *Member of ASM International current solutions and emerging environ- mentally friendly solutions to improve SLR preparedness. MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE A great need exists to develop both short-term and long-term solu- tions to mitigate SLR. Short-term ap- proaches should focus on solutions to counter SLR for the next three to four decades, while long-term approach- es should focus on mitigating climate change and SLR. Short-term approaches include corrosion protection of steel structures and reinforced concrete structures, as well as studying microbial-influenced corrosion and biocement for ground improvement. Corrosion protection of steel struc- tures. Protection and repair of infra- structure due to corrosion damage caused by chloride ions in seawater accounts for huge maintenance costs amounting to billions of dollars in de- veloped countries. Corrosion is the re- sult of an electrochemical reaction that occurs in the presence of a metal- lic substrate and electrolyte solution (Fig. 1), for example, the formation of ferrous oxides by corrosion of iron and steel products. The transport of ions highly influences the rate of chemical Fig. 1 — Classification of various corrosive environments and illustration of corrosion process in the presence of an electrolytic environment. THE ROLE OF MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING IN IMPROVING SEA LEVEL RISE PREPAREDNESS – PART I AL I E orts are underway in every sector of the scienti c community to explore and develop possible strategies and solutions to counter sea level rise and climate change. Harpreet Sidhar, Benjamin Boesl, and Arvind Agarwal, FASM,* Florida International University, Miami Rio-Niterói Bridge, Brazil. Courtesy of wikipedia.org/Juliana Swenson.