Umudike Journal of Engineering and Technology

Mild steel is one of the major construction materials, which is extensively used in chemical and allied  industries  for  the  handling  of  acid,  alkali  and  salt  solutions. It is occasionally coated with epoxy resin to elongate its service life. This study therefore investigated the protective efficiency of epoxy resin coating on mild steel plate in 1M HCl, NaOH, and distilled H₂O media. Coated and uncoated mild steel plates were cut into corrosion coupons, weighed and immersed completely in the media for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 days. Weight of each sample was taken after each test period. Weight losses were recorded and corrosion rates were calculated. Temperature and pH of the media were recorded. Protective efficiency of coated mild steel at each duration was also determined. Microstructural images of the corroded coated and uncoated mild steel immersed for 30 days were captured using optical microscope. The result shows that the epoxy resin coated mild steel plate offers better corrosion resistance in distilled H₂O and 1M HCl, but ineffective in 1M NaOH. Conclusively, epoxy resin coating on the mild steel plate improved its anti- corrosion performance in distilled water and hydrochloric acid media.