Prof. R.M. Latanision
Director, H.H. Uhlig Laboratory
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
e-mail lats@mit.edu
InterCorr/96 is really about frontiers. Frontiers in terms of
the first use of the Internet as the vehicle for conference
communication and publication in corrosion engineering.
It is also about frontiers in the sense of the chronological
turn-of-the-century that is fast approaching, and it is
interesting to consider the impact of 21st Century communications
on the direction of corrosion science and engineering.
The first point I would make is that while the Internet is a compelling
vehicle for information handling and communications, ultimately
we must individually read, comprehend, and critically assess what
is made available. Rapid communication is valuable, of course,
but what is communicated must be authenticated and assessed.
The Internet today suffers in that sense as does the explosion
of traditional publishing or, for that matter, a phone conversation.
Electronic communication has astronomical (to follow on
Professor Ives' metaphor) capacity, but quality control
and information filters are today's challenges.
An important question, actually a perennial question, from my
point of view, is how to make what is known about corrosion
engineering available and useful to those who would benefit
from such information (i.e., designers, plant operators,
etc.). Availability is not limiting: the Internet can handle
that. But, how do we induce people, other than ourselves,
to use what is known? Remember the economic analyses which have
been performed over the years which indicate that much of what
is lost due to corrosion each year could be saved if contemporary
understanding were implemented. It seems to me that one
approach, building on the motivation for InterCorr/96, is
the recognition that increasingly more young people grow
up with sophisticated electronics. The Internet is fast
becoming part of their culture, probably moreso than to
that of older generations in our society. To be truly useful,
I believe, we need to not only efficiently handle information,
but we must develop in our classrooms and R&D centers
the capacity for integrating (a) selected elements of that
information base into engineering design, (b) macroscopic
and microscopic simulation into research and development work,
etc., but not without and understanding of the fundamentals. In
essence, my point is that the next generation of scientists
and engineers are being conditioned to access information,
but we must keep a focus on the educational process and
compelling (not compulsive) avenues for the use of information
technologies.
Let me turn now to my second point having to do with elements
of the direction of corrosion research. Engineering involves
the management of risks. Some are technical. Others are
economic, political or social. Unlike the sciences, which
I consider to be value-free (not value-less, but value-free
in that it is only when one considers making use of some
new understanding of nature that risks and benefits are
crucial), engineering involves value judgments. A contemporary
example of the above, which reflects my sense of an important
element of the direction in which I see corrosion science and
engineering heading, is that of engineering system life
extension or residual life prediction. Because of long overdue
budget constraints (in my opinion), for example, many of
the military airframes that are in service today, some of
which have seen more than 25 years of service, are unlikely
to be replaced before the year 2020. While such aircraft were
designed to accommodate upgrading of engines and avionics during
their service life, it was not envisioned that service life
might extend to 50 years or more. The detection of corrosion,
or better still its prevention, are crucial in extending
the useful life of aging military and civilian airframes.
Similarly, commercial nuclear power plants are approaching
the end of their design lives and relicensing discussions must
include some realistic projection of residual life. In fact, the
same is true of virtually every engineering system: from
the infrastructure to integrated circuits, life prediction
and life extension are of interest. What is missing at this
point is the capacity to supply such predictions with confidence.
Perhaps we will never have that capacity. I am always impressed
by the breathtaking capacity that economists appear to have
for predicting the past, but not the future! Actually, past
experience (service experience in the context of engineering
systems) does provide guidance, of course, but the key may
be to take advantage of the enormous computing and information
handling power that is available to simulate this experience as
a basis for projection. Arrhenius plots just will not do, and
it seems to me that the formalism which might truly address
this issue has yet to be developed, although this has not
inhibited some very uncertain predictions from surfacing
from time to time.
Finally, it seems to me that in our increasingly technological
world all off us as members of that small segment of the
population which is identified with technology must become
technological statesmen. The public is increasingly skeptical
of technology (and, probably, technophobic) despite the
technological intensity of life on this planet. I believe
that we must, therefore, devote some of our energy, independently
or collectively, to make science and technology more understandable
and palatable to the public worldwide. People are, I believe,
anxious today about the risks associated with technology, and
I mean not just risks that involve public safety, but economic,
environmental and political risks as well. In a historical
sense, technologists have, by failing to communicate, been
their own worst enemy in the sense of the loss of public
trust. The operative word is communicate.
There are many communications vehicles, none of which have been particularly successful in engaging the public in the above context. Whether the Internet will serve corrosion engineers and others better in that regard remains to be seen, but it does seem that we have a virtual greenfield to work with. InterCorr/96 is an important step in that direction