Several compounds have been identified which change their fluorescent behavior upon oxidation or reduction. These compounds have been investigated to determine the effects of temperature, pH, reduction conditions and re-oxidation behavior on their fluorescence. They have been incorporated into primer paint coatings for aluminum alloys and were found to fluoresce if the coating was scratched and exposed to air and moisture. Another compound was found to fluoresce with aluminum ions and its fluorescence behavior with varying conditions was also investigated. This compound, if added to a primer coating on an aluminum alloy, should fluoresce when aluminum ions begin to form as the alloy corrodes. Both of these methods appear to have potential to be early warning sensors for corrosion. Large surface areas of alloy material, such as are used in aircraft, could be scanned with UV light to detect the fluorescence of these materials indicating possible corrosion sites.

Subject
Chemical compounds, Primers, Water, Materials, Ions, Aluminum, Sodium chloride, Corrosion detection, Sodium chloride solution, Ion concentrations, Metals, Zinc, Aluminum alloys
Keywords:
aluminum alloys, corrosion detection, fluorescence, UV light, redox indicators
© 1994 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1994
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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