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Since testing organic coatings under natural conditions is a time‐consuming process, accelerated methods are needed to produce results in less time. A simulated environment cannot fully reproduce actual operating conditions, so it is important to investigate the correlation between accelerated and natural aging test results. In this article, the natural aging of painted steel, aluminum, and hot‐dip galvanized steel is studied for 1 year under continental climate conditions. The environmental parameters responsible for the change of the protective system in a continental urban environment were monitored: time of wetness, ultraviolet radiation, and temperature. The extent of deterioration is compared with similar samples weathered by accelerated testing using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and gloss measurements. Neutral salt spray chamber, prohesion test, immersion in a quiescent salt solution, and ultraviolet B‐rays (UVB) exposure test are considered. The results of the accelerated cabinet tests are discussed, and the effect is evaluated for the various coated metals. This study highlights the major problems encountered in building a model to predict durability in such a critical area as the durability of organic coatings for metal structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the limitations of the low-frequency EIS impedance modulus as a tool to describe the protective properties of organic coatings subjected to accelerated aging tests. Acrylic clear-coated steel and hot-dip galvanized steel were exposed to accelerated test methods such as the neutral salt spray chamber and the Prohesion test for up to 2000 and 3000 h, respectively. During exposure, the protective properties of the coatings were monitored by EIS and visual inspection. We observed a significant discrepancy between the measured impedance modulus in the low frequency range (|Z0.01Hz|), and the actual deterioration of the metal–paint interface. The degradation of the two painted substrates is independent of the accelerated test considered. The |Z0.01Hz| values do not represent the actual degradation state of the metal–polymer interface. The manuscript discusses the reasons for the lack of agreement between EIS and visual inspection. The limitations of using the low-frequency EIS impedance modulus to describe the protective properties of organic coatings are highlighted, and several cautions for interpreting the raw EIS data are suggested. The reliability of possible thresholds of |Z0.01Hz| (e.g., failure below 106 ohm∙cm2) to define the protective performance of the coating turned out to be misleading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]