Contribution of acoustic emission technique for monitoring damage of rubber coating on metallic surfaces: Comparison with electrochemical measurements

Chlorobutyl coatings are industrially applied on metallic inner walls of HCl storage tanks, in order to protect steel against corrosion. Rubber coating constitutes an efficient barrier against HCl penetration up to metallic surface; yet, traces of monochlorobenzene (MCB) into HCl solutions can locally damage the coating and induce both acid infiltration and rapid corrosion of steel under the coating. Acoustic emission (AE) technique, due to its non-intrusive feature and its sensitivity, is a potential technique for the detection of polymer coating damage as well as metallic corrosion under the coating. In that context, this technique was coupled and compared to electrochemical measurements at least for metal damage evaluation. AE signals produced by corrosion of bare metal in HCl solution were first characterized, and then AE and electrochemical results obtained during metal and/or coating damage were compared, in the case of physical or chemical deteriorations of the coating, in an HCl solution containing traces of monochlorobenzene. In case of physical coating damaging, AE and polarisation resistance measurements are in good correlation as soon as metallic corrosion starts. When polymer coating suffers a solvent impregnation, previously to HCl solution contact, acoustic activity increases as soon as corrosion under the coating occurs, whereas polarisation resistance measurements do not allow detecting corrosion of steel.