The "Electrochemical methods for the characterisation and evaluation of corrosion" seminar, organised jointly by CIDETEC and GOMENSORO, took place on 19 June at the Arima Hotel in the Gipuzkoa Science and Technology Park in San Sebastian, with the aim of introducing electrochemical techniques to industry as a method for controlling corrosion and the behaviour of materials, since it allows measures to be taken quickly, efficiently, economically and systematically.

The accelerated salt spray test (industrially accepted and used as a corrosion evaluation tool) provides information on durability (degree of attack) based on how long the test lasts. However, bearing in mind that the nature of corrosion is electrochemical, there are alternative methods to the accelerated tests, capable of providing information on the speed of corrosion instantaneously and of monitoring its evolution over time. Perhaps one of the most important advantages lies in the fact that the speed of attack can be estimated in a very short time, providing an evaluation of the susceptibility of the materials to corrosion, either generalised or localised.

Nearly a hundred professionals had the opportunity to learn about these techniques first hand, thanks to the contributions of various experts in the field. The seminar was introduced by doctors José Antonio Díez and Gemma Vara, from CIDETEC, and Roberto Conde, from Gomensoro. Doctor Jesús Manuel Vega, from CIDETEC, gave the talk on "Electrochemical techniques for corrosion control" while Jesús García de la Fuente, from Gomensoro, spoke about the legislation applicable when working with electrochemical techniques.

In the second part of the seminar, various case studies were presented by professionals from both CIDETEC and Gomensoro.

The day ended with a visit to the CIDETEC Surface Engineering centre.