Brendy Rincon Troconis. Ph.D
We are interested in studying the degradation of materials for different applications including, oil and gas industry, nuclear facilities, reinforced concrete, stent corrosion fatigue and other forms of corrosion. Our long-term goal is to identify and characterize the scientific mechanisms specific to our principal areas of research.
Welcome to the UTSA Corrosion Research Laboratory!
The UTSA Corrosion Research Laboratory is led by Prof. Brendy C. Rincon Troconis in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Our research focuses on material degradation, specifically on environmentally assisted cracking, atmospheric corrosion, corrosion in harsh environments, localized corrosion, and corrosion in reinforced concrete.
Our research laboratory is located in the BioScience and Engineering building (BSE 0.216A) at UTSA’s main campus. We welcome new project ideas, collaborators, and student volunteers, so please don’t hesitate to contact us.
We are interested in studying the degradation of materials for different applications including, oil and gas industry, nuclear facilities, reinforced concrete, stent corrosion fatigue and other forms of corrosion. Our long-term goal is to identify and characterize the scientific mechanisms specific to our principal areas of research.
Research Capabilities
Electrochemical/Mechanical/Spectroscopy/Microstructural testing for a wide range of corrosion related topics, such as Stress Corrosion Cracking, Atmospheric Corrosion, Passivation, Coating Adhesion, Pitting, and others.
— Andrew Carnegie
Dr. Brendy Rincon Troconis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Industrial Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). She holds a Sc.B. in Chemical Engineering from Universidad del Zulia (Venezuela), and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from The Ohio State University, where she conducted research at the Fontana Corrosion Center. Before joining UTSA in 2016, she was a research associate at the University of Virginia’s Center for Electrochemical Science and Engineering.
Dr. Rincon is the founder of the UTSA Corrosion Research Laboratory and an expert in aqueous corrosion, with research spanning atmospheric, localized, galvanic, and microbiologically induced corrosion, as well as coating adhesion durability and environmentally assisted cracking. She has led and contributed to numerous multidisciplinary, externally funded projects supported by the US NRC, DOE, ONR, AMPP, and the industry, with a focus on infrastructure sustainability, resiliency, and corrosion control. Her contributions have earned her national and international recognition, including the 2023 AMPP Early-Career Award and selection as a 2021 Gulf Research Program Early-Career Research Fellow in the Offshore Energy Safety Track by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
A dedicated advocate for STEM education, Dr. Rincon actively promotes student engagement from K–12 to undergraduate levels.
Oladis Troconis de Rincón, Ph.DDr. Oladis Troconis de Rincón is a Research Scientist at UTSA. She works since 1972 at the Faculty of Engineering of the Universidad del Zulia (LUZ), in Venezuela, where she was Founder and Former Director of the Centro de Estudios de Corrosión and currently continues as an Advisor. She is a Chemical Engineer and has a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the Oklahoma University in the USA. She got her PhD in Fundamental and Applied Electrochemistry from the Universidad de los Andes in Venezuela and received a “Doctor Honoris Causa” from the Universidad del Zulia. In 2023, AMPP generated an Award in her honor “Oladis Troconis de Rincon Field Applied Technology Award”. She is also CP Specialist (No. 8516) from NACE International and is accredited in the National Research Promotion Program, in Venezuela, at the highest level (Emeritus). She is Fellow of NACE/AMPP International and Individual number XI in the Academy of Engineering and Habitat in Venezuela. Her main research areas are: Cathodic Protection, Atmospheric Corrosion, Corrosion and its Control, as well as the Control/Prevention of Pathological Problems in Reinforced Concrete and Metallic Structures. Prof. Troconis de Rincón has also led different works, for the industry, related to the Diagnosis / Evaluation / Repair-Rehabilitation of reinforced concrete and metallic structures, including evaluation/design of cathodic protection systems for pipelines and platforms; leading Latin American projects such as DURAR and DURACON of CYTED (Science and Technology for the Development of Iberoamerican Countries). Currently she is the Education Director of ALCONPAT International (Latin American Association for Construction Quality Control, Pathology and Recovery). Her production includes: 106 articles in JCR, 4 Monographs and 6 books of international scope and more than 90 technical works for the Industry. |
Meggan Wolanin received her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from UTSA in May 2020. She is currently pursuing her PhD in the same field. She joined the Corrosion lab in Fall 2020. Her current research focuses on galvanic corrosion of airframe alloys under mechanical and environmental loading. She also has experience working with lathes, mills, and welding.
Nayab Ali earned a B.S. in Biomedical Sciences from Texas A&M (2008), a graduate certificate in Applied Statistics (2016), an A.A.S. in HVAC Technology from Austin Community College (2018), and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from UTSA (2021). She joined the UTSA Corrosion Lab in 2022, working on the Twin Hawk project focused on metal coatings. Her interests and future goals involve working in fields where corrosion science is applied to Biomedical Sciences and HVAC.
Jorge Escribano, a Mexican foreign student, is pursuing a PhD in Civil Engineering at UTSA, where he earned his B.S. in Civil Engineering. His research focuses on corrosion in reinforced concrete, studying a green organic inhibitor’s effectiveness on steel rebars through electrochemical tests and mortar specimens. He is also involved in industry-focused research on construction materials, specifically Magnesium Oxychloride (MOC) boards for DuPont. Jorge aims to work in a structural firm to mitigate industry corrosion risks.
He is a Chemical Engineer with an M.Sc. in Materials Science and Engineering and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at UTSA. His research focuses on hydrogen embrittlement and hydrogen diffusion in additively manufactured alloys using advanced characterization techniques. He also specializes in modeling, data analysis, corrosion health monitoring, and electrochemical methods. He aspires to advance corrosion engineering in energy and infrastructure applications.
Viancy Catherine Isaza Zapata is a Mechanical Engineer with an MSc in Industrial Energy Management, specializing in materials science. Her current research focuses on the fatigue behavior of through-hole fastener installations in naval aircraft, developed in collaboration with The University of Texas at San Antonio and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. She combines experimental and probabilistic approaches in accelerated corrosion-fatigue testing, electrochemical analyses, and microscopic characterization to understand the impact of installation variables, galvanic corrosion, and environmental factors on fatigue life. She also contributes to predictive modeling using Bayesian Networks, enhancing digital twin capabilities for aerospace maintenance.
