Atmospheric Corrosion Behavior of Weathering Steel Exposed to the Outdoors for 10 Years in Korea

Steel structures exposed to the outdoors experienced several types of corrosion, which may reduce their thickness. Since atmospheric corrosion can induce economic losses, it is important to consider the atmospheric corrosion behavior of a variety of metals and alloys. This work performed outdoor exposure tests for 10 years at 14 areas in Korea and calculated the atmospheric corrosion rate of weathering steel. This paper discussed the atmospheric corrosion behavior of weathering steel based on various corrosion factors. The average corrosion rates in coastal, industrial, urban, and rural areas were found to range from (2.83 to 4.23) mu m/y, (2.99 to 4.23) mu m/y, (1.72 to 3.14) mu m/y, and (1.57 to 2.85) mu m/y respectively. It should be noted that the maximum corrosion rate was about 6.0 times greater than the average corrosion rate. Regardless of the exposure sites, the color differences were increased, but the glossiness was reduced and there was no relationship between the corrosion rate and environmental factors and the glossiness.