Corrosion Sensor for Water-Contaminated Grease

Abstract

A simple and inexpensive corrosion sensor was manufactured to study the corrosion rate of new and water-contaminated lubricating grease using a galvanic cell. A galvanic charge was developed between electroless nickel immersion gold (ENIG) and zinc, manufactured by selectively plating on a custom manufactured interdigitated printed circuit board. This article shows the methodology in using this concept for any application that may require quantifying the corrosivity of a liquid or semisolid that could be applied to the surface of the sensor. Water contamination is a problem in many grease-lubricated machine components, so a sensor concept was developed and a correlation between water content and the corrosion rate is shown. This method could be used to precisely study the corrosion rate of aged or contaminated lubricants and could potentially be used as a cheap and simple way to estimate water contamination in grease. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this sensor concept has not been used in industry or the literature.