The protection of metallic structures by organic coatings has traditionally been as a barrier,
reducing the transport of water, ions, and oxygen from the environment to the substrate. Organic
coatings are also used as repositories for corrosion inhibitors that passivate the substrate, and metallic
particulates, that provide cathodic protection. Of the latter, Zn-rich primers are universally used for the
protection of steel substrates with the zinc particles being sacrificially consumed while providing a
mixed potential that mitigates the corrosion of the steel. Recently, Mg-rich primers have been developed
for the protection of aluminum substrates, with a similar protection mechanism as that of Zn-rich
primers. Real time monitoring of a Mg-rich primer on an AA 2024-T3 substrate, beneath a standard Air
Force topcoat, was conducted where coatings were subjected to B117 exposure. Monitoring was
accomplished using embedded electrodes placed between the primer and topcoat. Electrochemical
impedance spectroscopy and electrochemical noise method experiments were conducted to assess the
performance of the primer in the aggressive salt spray environment. In-situ results were compared with
results of ex-situ electrochemical experiments. Results associated with configurations with and without
the substrate as the working electrode are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the embedded
electrodes for real-time monitoring.
Keywords: corrosion, embedded sensors, salt fog testing