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A36 Steel corrosion rate with water

Hello my name is Dave and I'm a May 2007 ME grad from The University of Akron. I'm currently working for a company that builds and sells waterjets for cutting a wide range of material. As a fresh grad I was asked a question dealing with the corrosion of A36 steel in contact with water (since it should be fresh in my mind) but would really appreciate some assistance.
My currents situation is this, We have a A36 Steel tank (looks just like your normal fish aquarium) and this is filled about 3/4 of the way with normal room temp water. I was asked if the tank would corrode faster underneath the water (100% submerged section) or if the corrosion rate would be faster at the air/water interface where the side walls will be continually splashed but not submerged.
My initial thought was the corrosion rate would be increased at the air/water interface due to the presence of air to react with the steel.
I'm looking for opinions on the matter and also wondering if the corrosion rate is even significant enough to worry about between the two conditions.
Thanks for your time and consideration.

Dave Papania
student/engineer - Akron, Ohio
2007

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The tank should be stainless or plastic or plastic lined, Dave. Normal hot rolled steel is not adequate for fresh water unless the water supply is abnormally high pH. It may rust most at the solution level, but it will rust everywhere :-)

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2007

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October 17, 2008

Thank you for your comments regarding A36 Hot Roll Plate Steel.

Do you have any corrosion rate in city water condition?

Thanks Again.

Cliff Xu
- Edmonton, Alberta, Canada