Electrochemical impedance studies of corrosion protected surfaces covered by epoxy polyamide coating systems

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to study the corrosion behavior of different types of commercial quality epoxy polyamide dry coatings on mild steel, with thickness between 150 and 250 μm, which were previously weather accelerated in a wet chamber. The following data were established on the basis of impedance curves and corresponding equivalent circuits: the coating capacity that relates to the coating dimension, the pore resistance that represents conductive paths through the pores, and Warburg coefficients, which are the measure of ion diffusion through the coating. EIS data were compared with a criterion in the European standard, and samples were classified on the basis of their quality, also receiving a final ranking by summing-up all the individual rankings. Suggestions have been made, namely that the use of anticorrosive active pigments is obsolete, when the thickness of the coatings exceeds 200 μm.