Corrosion monitoring systems for structures in extreme marine environments

海洋环境中的建筑暴露在极具侵略性的环境中。通过化学、生物和物理作用的结合，对海洋结构产生严重的风险，这可能导致拥有和使用的巨大成本。这些费用不仅包括每年数百万英镑的维修、修复和更换费用，还包括“清理”因故障而不可避免产生的污染。海水中含有多种溶解的无机物，其中氯离子对海洋结构的腐蚀影响尤为显著。在大气暴露区，空气中的氯化物是导致混凝土结构腐蚀的主要因素。在飞溅区，氯化物、波浪和潮汐通过化学和洋流的直接速度效应对腐蚀程度产生重大影响。波浪荷载对建筑物的破坏是非常大的，特别是在暴风雨期间，它与极端波浪作用和大风的荷载结合在一起。在潮汐带，氯化物和生物有机体的生长共同对腐蚀效应的进展起着重要的促进作用，例如，生物可以在混凝土表面生长，这可能导致混凝土本身的微生物解体。在淹没区，除氯化物外，海底沉积物的物理特性也会影响混凝土的劣化；例如，沉积物的粒度和堆积因素影响沉积物的扩散，这对氧气和其他腐蚀剂的可用性有重大影响。鉴于上述海洋的这些复杂影响，以及对海洋结构腐蚀的重要影响，需要进行先进的研究，适当地优先进行更有效的腐蚀监测和更好的控制，以保护暴露在这种极端环境下的结构及其部件的完整性。因此，准确评估不同阶段的腐蚀状况，对于正确选择寿命更长的材料、耐用的防腐涂层和有效的腐蚀控制至关重要，也是本课题研究的重要背景。为了解决这一至关重要的领域，该应用程序由两个学术小组合作开发，他们活跃在该领域的互补方面，共同努力，为这种极端环境中公认的问题创造新的解决方案。申请人认为，最有效的办法是建立加强监测系统，以便更好和更长期地利用现有的基础设施和资源，从而延长建筑物的寿命。

Structures in the marine context are exposed to an extremely aggressive environment. Serious risks arise to marine structures through a combination of chemical, biological, and physical actions, which may result in significant costs of ownership and use. These are not just at the level of millions of pounds annually for repair, rehabilitation, and replacement, but also for 'cleaning-up' the contamination that would inevitably arise from failure. Seawater contains a wide variety of dissolved inorganic material, of which the chloride ion in particular significantly influences the corrosion of marine structures. In the atmospheric exposure zone, air-borne chlorides are major factors responsible for the corrosion of the concrete structures. In the splash zone, chlorides, waves and tides make a major impact on the degree of corrosion experienced through both chemical and direct velocity effects from ocean currents. Wave loading on structures can be highly destructive, particularly during storms, combining as it does with loading from extreme wave action and high winds. In the tidal zone, chlorides and the growth of bio-organisms together play an important role in promoting the progression of corrosion effects as, for example, organisms can grow on the surface of concrete, and this may lead to microbial disintegration of concrete itself. In the submerged area in addition to chlorides, the physical characteristics of the seafloor sediments can affect the deterioration of concrete; for example, the grain size and packing factors of the sediments affect diffusion through the sediments which has a major impact on the availability of oxygen and other corrosive agents. Given these complex effects of the ocean discussed above, and the important effect on the resultant corrosion of marine structures, advanced research, suitably prioritised, for more effective corrosion monitoring and better control is required to safeguard the integrity of the structures and their components which are exposed to such an extreme environment. Therefore, an accurate assessment of the corrosion conditions at different stages is of vital importance both for the proper selection of longer life materials, durable and anti-corrosion coatings, and for effective corrosion control, and forms an important backdrop for the study in this novel research project. To tackle this vitally important area, this application has been developed collaboratively by two academic groups, which are active in complementary aspects of the field, working together to create new solutions to recognised problems in this extreme environment. The applicants consider that this can be done most effectively through enhanced monitoring systems being created to make better and longer term use of current infrastructure and resources and thus to extend the life of structures.