The statement 'In structural members where strength is the primary concern, pitting alone may not be as important as in fluid-containing service' is

• A. False
• B. True
• C. Not Enough Data
• D. Cannot Determine

Answer: (B)

Pitting is a localized form of corrosion, and its significance depends on how the component is used. When structural members are designed with strength as the primary concern, what matters most is how much load-bearing material remains. Pits reduce surface area locally, but they don’t automatically dictate failure unless they are deep enough or widespread enough to drop the remaining thickness below what’s required for the load, or to create critical stress concentrations under service loads. In fluid-containing service, however, pits can quickly become perforations or serve as initiation sites for accelerated crevice and galvanic corrosion, with flow and chemistry driving pit growth and potential leaks or catastrophic failure. So, in strength-focused structural applications, pitting is less dominant a failure mode than in fluid systems, making the statement true.