Corrosion protection assessment of sacrificial coating systems as a function of exposure time in a marine environment

The present investigation assessed the corrosion protection performance of 17 different Zn and Al sacrificial coating system configurations during marine atmospheric exposure at Kure Beach, NC. The coating systems incorporated several conversion coating layers, primers and organic topcoats. Visual observations and electrochemical measurements (including electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, EIS) were made on six different occasions throughout the 20-month exposure time. Milled scribes on each of the coating specimens allowed for defect protection as well as barrier protection to be investigated. A novel corrosion analysis technique utilizing a specialized conducting agar (SCAR) cell enabled impedance measurements to be made on both intact and defect areas. Visual observations, E_oc's, and EIS as a function of atmospheric exposure time provided complementary results. Impedance results were found to be useful in determining a coating's barrier protection and scribe damage analysis accurately represented defect protection.