The purpose of this study is to develop laboratory techniques to evaluate the inhibition efficiency of salt neutralizer (SN) solutions in the corrosion protection of metal alloys associated with winter maintenance equipment.
The corrosion resistance of alloys A36, B36 and B152 treated with SNs was evaluated by accelerated corrosion testing (ASTM B117) and electrochemical polarization curves. Characterization of inhibition solutions was performed by contact angle measurements, scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.
Salt neutralizer systems act as mixed inhibitors in acidic media by changing the corrosion resistance ability of metal alloys because of the adsorption of surfactant molecules through their hydrophilic heads. The correlation of the corrosion rate of metal alloys and the inhibitor efficiency showed the influence of the SN type, its concentration, its effective adsorption constant and its contact angle on the alloy surface. Salt neutralizers with higher manufacturer’s recommended wash concentrations (MRWC) to critical wash concentration ratio, lower contact angle on the alloy surface and higher Keff were more successful at preventing corrosion on the alloys tested.
The results of this work provide, for the first time, both quantitative and qualitative information of the properties of washing techniques in the use of effective cleaning strategies for protecting winter maintenance equipment from corrosion. Other state departments of transportation facing similar weather conditions will be benefited by identifying measures and techniques to increase the corrosion resistance of their equipment assets.
