Stopping corrosion in its tracks
Corrosion under paint impinges on safety and aesthetics and leads to significant losses of money and time for repair. Scientists working on the EU-funded project 'Innovative non-destructive corrosion under paint integrated detection system' (CUPID) are developing a pioneering solution to this global problem. The disruptive technology for non-destructive testing (NDT) will instantly detect corrosion under paint from distances of up to 10 m and even under water. It combines three different NDT techniques to be used individually or in a complementary fashion. Millimetre-wave and near-infrared imaging exploit non-ionising radiation. Capacitance imaging will use electrode arrays in air to produce an electric field in materials that changes according to properties. CUPID's system will be an immediate market booster for the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) involved. This will create socioeconomic advantages for the EU economy, businesses and society. During the first reporting period, the team produced stand-alone prototypes of all three techniques as well as associated microcontrollers and software. Given the groundbreaking nature of the proposed NDT system for corrosion under paint, the consortium has secured foreground intellectual property protection. A United Kingdom patent application establishes a priority protection date for any later international patents based on the project's results. The CUPID system will include various combinations of the three NDT technologies integrated according to target application. It is expected to revolutionise the way corrosion under paint is detected and treated for major impact on the durability of virtually all infrastructure. Equally as important in difficult economic times, it will provide access to large global markets for the partner SMEs.
Keywords
Corrosion, corrosion under paint, infrastructure, non-destructive, detection system
