A new experimental method for in situ corrosion monitoring under alternate wet-dry conditions.
A new experimental method was applied in in situ corrosion monitoring of mild steel Q235 under alternate wet-dry conditions. The thickness of the electrolyte film during the wet cycle was monitored by a high-precision balance with a sensibility of 0.1 mg. At the same time, an electrochemical impedance technique was employed to study the effect of film thickness on corrosion rates. Experimental results showed that there was a critical electrolyte film condition for which the corrosion rate reached a maximum during wet-dry cycles. For the substrate, the critical condition could be described by a film thickness of about 17 μm. For the rusted specimen, the critical condition could be described by an electrolyte amount of about 0.038 g, which is equivalent to a film thickness of 38 μm. This monitoring system was very useful for studying atmospheric corrosion of metals covered by corrosion products.
State Key Laboratory for Corrosion and Protection of Metals, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Science, Shenyang 110015, China; E-Mails:  xxfu@imr.ac.cn  (X.F.);  ehhan@imr.ac.cn  (E.H.);  kewei@imr.ac.cn  (W.K.).
Xinxin
X
Fu
Junhua
J
Dong
Enhou
E
Han
Wei
W
Ke