Abstract
The construction and operation of an electrochemical sensor capable of monitoring the corrosion performance of zinc alloy coated steel under controlled atmospheric conditions are described. Sensors were fabricated from zinc and zinc alloy coated steel sheet with and without chromate conversion treatments. Corrosion behaviour was monitored by measuring the potential and polarisation resistance of the coating and the galvanic current flowing between the coating and a gold cathode. It has been shown that this sensor is sufficiently sensitive to detect different corrosion rates for different types of zinc alloy coating in a similar environment, changes in the corrosion rate associated with changes in environmental conditions, and increases in corrosion activity associated with defects in the coatings. The sensor has potential for development as a simple and inexpensive method of assessing relative long term performance of a wide range of zinc alloy and other metallic coating systems, in a range of environments.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.