[Dude]

I am interested in quantifying the amount of rust on the side of a cylinder.  Currently, there is a qualitative assessment of the amount of rust.  I would like to make the assessment more quantitative.

Does anyone know of a quantitative imaging method to measure the rust content?  Perhaps a (color/digital camera image/distance from a laser) could be taken along a cross-section with the cylindrical sample being rotated.  The cross-sectional images would then be combined to form a rectangular image with the rust content calculated using a software calculation from the color/surface height/image variation.  Does anyone use any software or have an instrument incorporating these features?

Thanks.