Análisis de la tasa de corrosión en ambientes controlados mediante equipo de integridad superficial en la estación de investigación Milagro (ADELCA) y laboratorio Espoch

Abstract

In the industrial field, the lack of data on the correlation between corrosion speed and surface roughness variation in structural steel in real environments has generated the need to investigate this relationship. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the corrosion rate in controlled environments using surface integrity equipment at the Milagro research station (ADELCA) and the surface integrity laboratory at ESPOCH. The objectives included collecting experimental data at both stations, preparing comparative samples, analyzing the collected data on the mass and roughness of the samples, and developing an operational manual for the surface integrity equipment. The methodology employed observational techniques and an experimental approach, using data from four groups of American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) A36 steel samples: one without anti-corrosive protection (black steel) and the remaining three with surface coating, galvanization, and cathodic protection by sacrificial anode. Roughness data were measured with a portable roughness meter. At the same time, corrosion rates were determined using mass loss data for each steel up to 6000 hours of investigation for the Milagro samples and up to 2400 hours for the laboratory samples. As a result of this experiment, a correlation with R² values of 0.808 and 0.8303 was established for galvanized steel and black steel with surface coating, respectively, suggesting that in more than 80% of cases, the corrosion rate can be determined from the surface roughness variation in these steels. A suitable mathematical model was not defined for the other two sample groups. Finally, an operation manual for the roughness meter was developed, serving as a guide for replicating academic practices and future research.