Eight-Year Atmospheric Corrosion Exposure of Steels in China

• Published in: Corrosion (Houston, Tex.) Vol. 55; no. 1; pp. 65 - 73
• Main Authors: Hou, W., Liang, C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Houston, TX NACE International 01.01.1999; NACE
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Atmospheric corrosion; Carbon steels; Chloride ions; Copper; Corrosion; Corrosion effects; Corrosion resistance; Corrosion resistant steels; Corrosion tests; Economics; Environmental factors; Exact sciences and technology; Exposure; Low alloy steels; Metals. Metallurgy; Phosphorus; Structural steels; Sulfur; Sulfur content; Sulfur dioxide; Sulphur; Sulphur dioxide; Weathering; Weathering steels; Asia; China; Corrosion mechanism; Corrosion; Humidity; Corrosion test; Weathering; Weathering steel; Carbon steel; Steel; Experimental study; Low alloy steel; Atmospheric corrosion
• ISSN: 0010-9312; 1938-159X
• DOI: 10.5006/1.3283967

INTRODUCTIONBecause of their excellent mechanical properties and relatively low prices, carbon and low-alloy steels have become the main materials for atmospheric structures. Atmospheric corrosion of steels has become a major subject of research since the beginning of the century. Larrabee and Coburn made exposure tests of 270 steels at three sites for 15.5 years.1 Further systematic exposures have been made in the last decade. One was an 8-year exposure of carbon steel and other materials at 11 sites in Sweden and Czechoslovakia conducted by Kucera, et al.,2 Another was a 16-year exposure of four steels at three sites in the United States conducted by Shastry, et al.3 The latest was part of the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO) CORRAG Program organized by ISO Technical Committee 156.4 Carbon steel and other materials were exposed for 8 years at sites across the world as part of that program. On the basis of these exposures, the corrosive factors involved in atmospheric corrosion have been defined, the effect of alloy elements has been determined, and low-alloy weathering steels have been developed. The most popular weathering steels are Cor-Ten A (ASTM A 242, UNS K11510),(1) with its high content of copper and phosphorus, and Cor-Ten B (ASTM 588, UNS K11430), with alloying elements of chromium, manganese, and copper. In China, a 20-year program of exposing various materials began in 1984. A national network under the National Science and Technology Commission and the National Natural Science Foundation of China was organized to carry out the program. Data