Many sensors or electrodes for corrosion and condition monitoring produce an indirect measure of the condition of the structure. This can be in the form of electrical signals or spectrums that need subsequent analysis. Electrical resistance (ER) probes, however, can be used to realistically represent the structure and will provide an accurate measure of corrosion in any environment, with or without an electrolyte. The probe surface can even be treated with a representative corrosion protection system, such as thermal spray or organic coatings or cathodic protection for that matter. Furthermore, they will capture not only the semi-instantaneous corrosion rate at any given time, but also the accumulated corrosion loss in the event of a power or logger failure.

This paper presents some currently available sensors particularly applicable also for atmospheric and splash-zone monitoring in marine environments through examples of installations and gathered data.