Environment and corrosivity monitoring devices generate data that can be used to enhance asset corrosion management practices. Best practices and analysis methods are needed to simplify extraction of actionable conclusions from these datasets. The devices monitor multiple parameters through time to enable environmental severity characterization of locations, mapping of severity within a region, and evaluation of material response. Conclusions can be drawn from this data to inform material selection in design and maintenance actions in sustainment, decreasing corrosion costs over the asset lifecycle. This work begins to clearly define the methods for acquiring, reviewing, analyzing, and reporting corrosivity sensor data for comparison and evaluation of corrosion severity. Devices were deployed at outdoor sites to produce a dataset containing measurements from a spectrum of environmental conditions. Each device monitors relative humidity, temperature, electrolyte conductance, and structural alloy corrosion over time. Site-to-site comparisons of corrosion data show differences in alloy corrosion, consistent with environmental and contaminant data. For a marine site, sensor data was used to quantify the effect of contaminant deposition, as a function of distance from the waterline. With the appropriate processes, sensor-based atmospheric corrosion monitoring enables efficient characterization of environment severity and material performance to inform asset corrosion management.
Corrosion costs the US Department of Defense billions of dollars annually, with the impact of corrosion estimated at $20.6B in fiscal year 2016.1 It continues to be one of the leading causes of aircraft unavailability and accounts for a significant portion of maintenance labor and costs.1,2 Corrosion management practices are chosen to minimize maintenance costs while maximizing the availability of an asset. Current aircraft corrosion management practices still leave many opportunities for improvement through optimization of materials selection, inspection frequency, and maintenance procedures like rinsing and washing. These practices cannot be optimized without characterization of service environments and material performance in relevant environments.