Embedded wireless corrosion detection technology

The Department of Defense spends a substantial portion of their maintenance and sustainment budget on fault detection and repair for aircraft. The sustainment cost of corrosion repair for critical structures, mechanical systems, avionic components and wiring harnesses is in the hundreds of millions of dollars per year. The ability to detect corrosion early in the material deterioration process is a key factor in reducing the financial burden associated with corrosion damage repair. The greatest potential for addressing this problem is through implementation of wireless corrosion detection sensors that can be embedded between the substrate and protective coating, and placed in a number of different critical areas. The intent is to provide the capability to detect the on-set of corrosion/material degradation at the earliest possible time in the fault evolution with minimally intrusive sensor technology. A multidisciplinary Applied Research Laboratory and Pennsylvania State University team is developing a unique embedded wireless corrosion detection sensor that combines spray-on ultrasonic transducers and advanced passive RF wireless interrogation and/or signal transmission. This paper will discuss the development and performance of this sensors for early corrosion detection.