This name is specifically given to corrosion caused by uncontrolled corrosion which originates from electrical railways, signalling systems, DC motors, DC welding, and general DC equipment.

Consider a DC transmit system as shown in the following figure. 

The current which leaks passes through the soils and picked up by a pipe in one area and discharges from another area which would be subjected to corrosion. The most appropriate solution in such a case would be to introduce a metallic band between the pipe and the negative terminal of the DC source.