Introduction to Corrosion & Its Prevention
Focussing on the fundamentals of corrosion and how it can be prevented
It would be difficult to identify anything that we use that either isn't made from metal or hasn't involved metal somewhere in its manufacture. Metals play a crucial role in everything we do and it is important to understand their structure and properties and how these relate to processing in order to choose the right one and predict how it will operate in service.
Our suite of nine courses highlight key aspects of the application of metals. The courses are delivered in an accessible and engaging way and are very much focussed on practical side of things.
Earn the IOM3 Certificate in Metallurgy in Practice by completing three of the nine courses in the suite within 12 months or earn the IOM3 Diploma in Metallurgy in Practice by completing six of the nine courses in 12 months. Book all of your courses at once to receive a discount on the course fees.
Who are the courses aimed at?
The IOM3 Certificate and Diploma in Metallurgy in Practice are aimed at anyone working in engineering, production or design, and those who manufacture or supply components. They are also a useful introduction for new starters and graduate engineers, in particular those that don't have a materials background.
How is the programme structured?
There are nine courses in the Metallurgy in Practice suite and all are delivered virtually using Zoom.
- Introduction to Corrosion & Its Prevention
Corrosion and how it can be prevented are issues which impact on every industry and understanding how materials will react in their service environment and how problems can be mitigated are key parts of the design process. This course features modules on the fundamentals of corrosion, corrosion-resistant alloys, and methods for mitigating corrosion. - Introduction to Engineering Metallurgy
This course provides an introduction to engineering design using metals and explores the structure, properties and processing of this large and varied group of materials. In particular, this course focusses on fundamentals of metallurgy, processing and properties of steels, non-ferrous metals, and special processes. - Introduction to Ferrous Metallurgy NEW for 2025
Steels and cast irons are used everywhere around us and this course will improve your understanding of the manufacture, fabrication and metallurgy of these invaluable materials, including the effects of alloying and heat treatment on the properties and application of different grades. - Introduction to Fracture & Fatigue Failure Analysis
Failure analysis is a crucial tool for developing new, improved components and is important to understanding the factors leading to fatirgue and eventual fracture. This course starts with an introduction to fracture and fatigue and how these failures may be investigated and then goes on to cover the metallurgical, mechanical and environmental factors affecting fracture and fatigue processes, the fractography of fracture surfaces, investigation techniques, and finally a number of case studies. - Introduction to Material Certificates NEW for 2025
This course will improve your understanding of what to look for in a material specification for steels and stainless steels and how to evaluate deviations. - Introduction to Materials Selection
Materials selection is at the heart of the design and development process for engineering components. This course explores the principles of materials selection, processing and properies, ferrous & non-ferrous alloys, and materials selection for specific applications. - Introduction to Mechanical Testing
- Mechanical testing is an important part of understanding how materials behave and how they perform in service. This course covers the principles of mechanical testing, tensile, hardness & toughness testing, special test methods, and evaluating test results.
- Introduction to Oilfield Metallurgy
- This is a specialist sector involved in understanding the requirements and performance of materials used in the challenging environments of the oil and gas sector. The course explores the challenges of the oilfield environment, basic metallurgy relating to materials used in the sector and a deep dive into the chief corrosion-resistant alloys used, and concerns relating to corrosions and sour service.
- Introduction to Stainless Steels NEW for 2025
This course will explore the different grades of stainless steels and improve your knowledge and understanding of the effects of alloying and heat treatment, corrosion mechanisms in stainless steels and how to select the most appropriate grade.
Complete three courses in 12 months and receive the IOM3 Certificate in Metallurgy in Practice.
Complete six courses in 12 months and receive the IOM3 Diploma in Metallurgy in Practice.
How much does the programme cost?
The fee to attend three courses leading to the IOM3 Certificate in Metallurgy in Practice is £1620 + VAT at 20% where applicable. This represents a 5% discount compared to booking three courses separately.
The fee to attend six courses leading to the IOM3 Diploma in Metallurgy in Practice is £3078 + VAT at 20% where applicable. This represents a 10% discount compared to booking six courses separately.
IOM3 members and subscribers to our Business Partner Programme are entitled to an additional discount of 10% on the course fees.
Special rates for Student, Apprentice and Early Career members of IOM3 of £255+VAT and £450+VAT for three and six courses respectively are availble.
Upcoming Course Dates:
- Introduction to Corrosion & its Prevention 24 September or 5 February 2026
- Introduction to Engineering Metallurgy 11 June or 10 December
- Introduction to Ferrous Metallurgy 21 May or 3 October
- Introduction to Fracture & Fatigue Failure Analysis 3 April or 5 November
- Introduction to Material Certificates 24 April
- Introduction to Materials Selection 15 October or 12 March 2026
- Introduction to Mechanical Testing 10 September or 15 January 2026
- Introduction to Oilfield Metallurgy 7 May or 26 November
- Introduction to Stainless Steels 27 March or 13 November
Your trainer - Dr Clayton Thomas MMet ARSM MICorr
Clayton studied metallurgy at Imperial College and gained a PhD from the University of Sheffield looking at offshore corrosion fatigue. After working for British Steel Technical as a metallurgical investigator and then corrosion test laboratory manager, he joined Cameron (now called One Subsea) in 1990. He eventually became senior metallurgist and worked on major topside and offshore projects for operators such as BP, Shell, AGIP, Total, and Conoco. He also had responsibility for the material selection and corrosion prevention for topside and subsea projects and for the metallurgy and welding of equipment including wellheads, BOPs, flowlines, choke valves, risers, manifolds, Christmas trees and associated items.
Since 2000 Clayton has been director of Lloyd-Thomas Consultancy Ltd, providing metallurgical support and training. He has continued to work in oil and gas as well as other engineering sectors, such as power engineering, aerospace and biomedical, has carried out numerous failures investigations and has acted as an expert witness in litigation cases.
He has run over 250 metallurgy courses on various aspects of metallurgy and has been working with IOM3 since 2020.
