Evaluation of corrosion protection of paints in non-accelerated tests

Corrosion in metallic materials occurs because there is a tendency for the metal produced to revert to its original state (oxide form) and lower free energy, causing deterioration of the material properties, with consequent structural impairment. To prevent corrosion, several forms of substrate protection are used, one of the most important being the application of paints, which provides a protective film that is not harmful to the metal surface. In order to evaluate the degree of degradation of the paint and the metal, field tests were carried out, exposing the material to environments with aggressive atmospheres for a period of 7 months. The specimens produced from the metal are then analysed through optical microscopy and finally submitted to tensile tests to assess the structural impairment caused by corrosion.