Design and experimental evaluation of a test rig for ultrasonic monitoring of accelerated corrosion

The design of a test rig for ultrasonic monitoring of corroding steel samples and results of its experimental evaluation are presented. In order to accelerate and quantify corrosion, the monitored sample acts as an anode in a typical constant current electroplating setup. An Arduino-powered microcontroller is used to log the relevant voltage and current values on an SD card, and a high accuracy ultrasonic waveform acquisition instrument is employed to record the ultrasonic waveforms reflected form the corroding surface. Experimental assessment of the designed rig confirmed that it met the design objectives and could be used for experimental studies of accelerated corrosion in steel samples.