Abstract
Recent estimates of the cost of corrosion and its consequences to defense operations have been staggering. Mindful of these costs, military maintenance facilities are seeking methods to reduce the corrosion rates of existing and future equipment and thereby increase lifetimes and reduce lifecycle costs. One approach under investigation is the use of commercially available corrosion inhibiting additives to enhance and extend the effects of fresh water rinses on equipment that is exposed to seawater environments. The present study is an extension of earlier work in which the nature and intrinsic effects of new and emerging rinse water additives on the corrosion rates of steel and aluminum samples was investigated in seawater. Laboratory scale exposure tests are used to measure corrosion rates. Surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy is explored as a method to evaluate and measure inhibitor retention on metal surfaces. Results are discussed in terms of the benefits and potential applications that could be realized in the use of inhibiting additives as a method to reduce corrosion rates and associated maintenance costs of existing military equipment.
