Corrosion resistance of steel structures in marine conditions

• Published in: Magazine of civil engineering Vol. 108; no. 8
• Main Authors: Alkhimenko Alexey, Shaposhnikov Nikita, Kharkov Alexander, Strekalovskaya Darya, Alekseeva Ekaterina, Kovalev Mark, Shishkova Margarita
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University 01.01.2021
• Subjects: coating; corrosion protection; corrosion rate; corrosion resistance; corrosion resistant coatings; marine environment; steel corrosion; steel structures; zinc coating
• ISSN: 2712-8172; 2712-8172
• DOI: 10.34910/MCE.108.15

The article is devoted to the study of the corrosion resistance of steel pile supports made of pipe steel 09Mn2Si (09G2S), under conditions of cyclic wetting (conditional waterline), where conditions are created for the occurrence of corrosion processes at maximum speeds, and also a study of the protective ability of zinc coating applied to the railing (balustrade) of a steel bridge made of carbon steel of normal quality (St3). It was the bridge structures that became the subject of research. We considered the effects of cyclic wetting, wear, and climatic factors on the materials of piled supports, fences, and coatings intended for operation in the marine structure. We investigated the corrosion resistance of the 09Mn2Si steel used as pile supports of offshore structures. We have found that the corrosion rate of the 09Mn2Si steel does not exceed 0.32 mm/year in the zone of cyclic wetting. We have confirmed that the corrosion rate of steel practically does not change in the sections with damaged coatings and does not depend on the area of the uncoated zone. Measuring the electrochemical potential of 09Mn2Si steel, we have found that short-term friction against a solid only weakly affects the corrosion rate of steel in seawater. We have proposed a methodological approach to assessing the service life of hot-dip galvanized coatings on components of steel structures made of carbon steel of normal quality (St3) intended for operation in marine conditions. A forecast of the durability of 120 μm-thick zinc coatings, expected to provide anti-corrosion protection of steel products for 60 years, was made based on the proposed technique.