Year 2024 marked a momentous milestone for the corrosion science community—the centenary of the publication of The Corrosion of Metals by Ulick Richardson Evans in 1924. This pioneering work laid the foundation for modern corrosion science, transforming it from a fragmented collection of empirical observations into a rigorous, quantitative discipline.
Ulick Richardson Evans was described in the Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society as the “Father of the modern science of corrosion and protection of metals”. Evans was born in Wimbledon. He dedicated his life to research and prolific writing on the corrosion and oxidation of metals. His keen intellect, innovative experiments, and commitment to advancing the field quickly earned him international recognition. Published at a time when the scientific understanding of corrosion was in its infancy.
The Corrosion of Metals was revolutionary. It was the first textbook to comprehensively explain the mechanisms of corrosion, with a particular focus on the electrochemical nature of metal deterioration. Evans’ insights provided engineers and scientists with the tools to address real-world corrosion challenges systematically, heralding a new era of research and practical applications.
Editor’s Note: The complete article was previously published in the November/December 2024 issue of Corrosion Management on page 33. We apologise for the incorrect picture of U.R. Evans included in the publication. Readers are kindly requested to refer to the current article for the accurate image of U.R. Evans.
Photo: U. R. Evans (Source: https://www.npg.org.uk/)
