Sustainability of corrosion-induced degradation of marine engineering structures: A bibliometric analysis based on...

Multiple coupling effects induce multi-scale damage in marine engineering materials, concurrently undermining both the microstructural integrity and the macroscopic mechanical properties. This damage mechanism in harsh environments has become a critical scientific bottleneck limiting the long-term service life of major marine infrastructures. However, existing research predominantly focuses on single-scale analyses or specific material systems, lacking systematic understanding of the cross-scale evolution of corrosion damage, particularly evident in deficiencies regarding multi-field coupling mechanisms, long-term environmental response data accumulation, and cross-regional collaborative research. To address these gaps, this study systematically maps and analyzes the scientific knowledge network in the field of marine engineering material durability and corrosion behavior using two complementary bibliometric tools, CiteSpace and VOSviewer, based on 2,878 publications (1972-May 2026) from the Web of Science Core Collection. Key findings include: (1) In the global academic collaboration landscape, China is the largest contributor in terms of research output, followed by the United States and India.The Indian Institute of Technology exhibits the highest betweenness centrality of 0.11.; (2) Research focus has shifted from macroscopic performance evaluation to microscopic mechanisms such as pore structure evolution, interfacial transition zone (ITZ) damage mechanisms, and ion transport models; (3) Green geopolymer materials, machine learning-driven service life prediction, and life cycle assessment (LCA) are emerging as three major frontier trends. Based on these findings, we propose three priority directions for future research: first, establishing a unified theoretical framework for material damage under multi-physics coupling effects; second, enhancing the acquisition and sharing of long-term in-situ monitoring data to bridge the gap between laboratory studies and real-world conditions; third, promoting cross-regional and interdisciplinary collaborative innovation to accelerate knowledge integration and technology transfer. Through the construction of a multi-dimensional knowledge graph, this research systematically clarifies the cognitive logic underlying marine corrosion damage to offshore engineering materials from a data-driven perspective. It lays a theoretical foundation for extending the durability limits of marine engineering structures, enhancing life cycle performance, and facilitating resilient structural design. Furthermore, it delineates specific avenues for future scientific inquiry and engineering applications.