Environment-assisted corrosion damage of steel bridges: a conceptual framework for structural integrity

A framework is presented in this paper to assess the structural integrity of steel bridges for environment-assisted corrosion damage. Forms of corrosion of steel bridges and their effects, possible locations of occurrence, and most appropriate inspection techniques are first studied and the lessons learned from past steel bridge failures are discussed. A review of the corrosion damage of steel bridges, including causes, effects, and control measures, is presented along with guidelines for the recognition and investigation of environment-assisted cracking (EAC) of steel bridges. Experimental approaches are proposed to investigate the EAC of structural steel. The proposed approach is used to investigate the EAC susceptibility of cathodically protected ST52 steel. In addition, the feasibility of the proposed approach is tested. Hence, the conceptual framework is proposed. The framework aims to support the inspection and maintenance practices of steel bridges.