Atmospheric corrosion of steels, aluminum alloys, and Al-clad aluminum alloys is a problem for commercial and military vehicles and aircraft. Paints and other coatings are usually the primary means to prevent
the corrosion of automobiles, trucks, and aircraft. Under ideal conditions, the coating provides a continuous layer that is impervious to moisture. At present, maintenance cycles for commercial and military aircraft and ground vehicles is based on experience and appearance rather than a quantitative determination of coating integrity. To improve the maintenance process and reduce costs, sensors are often used to monitor corrosion. The present suite of sensors designed to detect corrosion and marketed to predict the lifetime of the engineered components, however, are not useful for determining the condition of the protective paint coatings. Results from a newly developed sensor to monitor coating condition will be presented and discussed.