Daniel Espinola, Juan Gonzales, Jackson Seligman, Melissa Mendoza, Seth Curtin, Dr. Brian Rasnow, Dr. Cynthia Flores, Dr. Caryl Ann Becerra, & Dr. Ricardo Suarez
According to a study conducted from 1999 to 2001, 276 billion dollars worth of corrosion impacted the US economy. By using a combination of mathematical and experimental techniques, we hope to be able to achieve a better understanding of how to model corrosion and explore prevention avenues. The scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET) and its reference counterpart (SRET) are methods we are implementing, at low cost, using a software interface in MATLAB that can connect to any Marlin 3D printer software. By attaching a handmade electrode to the nozzle of a 3D printer and submerging it into a solution with an electrochemically corroded metal, we are able to map electric potential fields of corroding materials. This serves as an experimental validation of corrosion modeling by providing boundary conditions through experimentation. Such an apparatus can also be used in the study of microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) in which a biofilm grown on an alloy can change the rate at which corrosion occurs. We hope to show quantitative results of past qualitative results of B. subtilis inhibiting corrosion while P. lipolytica and P. fluorescens both promote corrosion.