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STEEL CONSTRUCTION:
PROTECTION: CORROSION
1. LIFE EXPECTANCY
Table 1 classifies the principal types of environment that have a significant influence on
the life expectancy of steel.
In dry, heated buildings, e.g. offices, hospitals, warehouses, the corrosion rates of carbon
steel are usually very low. Steel can be used without protection in such environments
when it is hidden. Elsewhere it is coated for aesthetic or hygienic reasons.
Many interiors are not dry however and steelwork requires protection in these situations,
as well as in exterior environments.
Structures and plant usually have a "design life". If after execution of the structure access
is impossible, the initial protective system needs to have the same life as the steel.
Economic pressures often increase the functional life of plant significantly beyond the
2. DESIGN
The design of structures and plant is based largely on data and functional requirements
which can be quantified, e.g. 'the steelwork supports plant manufacturing a specific
product and has a life expectancy of 25 years'. The selection of a protective system
involves many factors; these factors vary widely according to the type of structure, its
complexity, its function, the general environment, (see Table 1) the influence of
microclimates and the effects of possible environmental changes (natural and otherwise)
which may occur during the required life.
Other factors affecting selection are quantitative, e.g. time to first maintenance, planned
maintenance schedule to cover the required life of the structure or plant, thickness of
coatings, etc. They should be viewed with caution because the degree of variation may
differ between one coating system and another.
Quotations may vary considerably for the same system irrespective of whether it is hot dip
galvanising, metal spray or paint. Great care is necessary to ensure quotations for
apparently identical products or services do cover the same materials, application with the
same degree of control, and comparable quality of finish in terms of both required
durability and appearance.
Some of the critical conditions and circumstances that have to be taken into account before
selecting a protective system are listed in question form in Appendix 1. Not every question
is relevant to a particular job and the importance of the relevant questions varies. The
order of relevant questions might be modified in the light of answers to later questions.
The list should be studied as a whole before the questions are considered in detail.
c. Any areas which are inaccessible after erection require a coating system designed to last
the required life of the structure. Is this feasible or should the design be modified?
d. Certain structural sections are more suited to some coating systems than others, e.g.
hollow section are more easily wrapped than structural shapes.
e. The method or size of fabrication may preclude or limit some protective systems, e.g.
friction grip bolts, galvanising.
f. If bimetallic corrosion is possible, additional protective measures are necessary, see
Figure 8.
g. Where steel is likely to be in contact with other building materials, special precautions
may be necessary e.g. oak timbers.
h. For steel structures in water, cathodic protection may be the best solution, see Figure 9.
3. SURFACE PREPARATION
The surface preparation of the steelwork has a major influence in determining the
protective value of the coating system.
For galvanising and metal spraying, surface preparation is an integral part of the process
and is included in national standards for these operations. With paint systems there is
usually a choice of preparatory methods. Therefore the actual method chosen for a specific
job must be specified as part of the protective coating treatment.
The choice between blast-cleaning and manual cleaning is partly determined by the nature
of the coatings to be applied. Coatings applied to a degreased blast-cleaned surface always
last longer than similar coatings applied to manually cleaned surfaces. However, some
short-life coatings do not warrant the high cost of blast-cleaning as required for long-life
coatings. Details of methods for blast cleaning surfaces are given in ISO 8504 [5].
3.1 Degreasing
Grease and dirt are best removed by proprietary emulsion cleaners followed by a thorough
rinsing with water, by steam-cleaning, or by controlled high pressure water jets.
Where it is necessary to use white spirit or similar solvents to remove oil or grease, the use
of detergent or emulsion cleaner should follow before completing the operation by
thorough rinsing with clean fresh water.
Degreasing by washing with solvent is not recommended because it can lead to the
spreading of a thin film of oil or grease over the surface.
ISO8501-1 [1] is intended for use with previously unpainted steel. ISO8501-2 [1] is being
prepared and relates to the treatment of previously painted steelwork.
In both the above standards the term Surface Cleanliness is used. This is slightly
misleading because although it refers to how effectively mill scale and rust have been
removed, it sometimes is assumed to include chemical cleanliness. This is not so. Tests for
assessing the surface cleanliness are given in ISO 8502 [4]. ISO 8502-1 gives details of
site tests for soluble iron corrosion products and ISO 8502-3 provides a method for the
assessment of dust on the surface and these are the only standards of real use at present.
ISO 8502-2 gives a method of determining in a laboratory the presence of chlorides and
further part giving guidance on the estimation of condensation is in course of preparation.
4. SURFACE COATINGS
As indicated in Lecture 4A.1, the common methods of protecting steelwork are paints,
galvanising, zinc or aluminium metal spray or "duplex" systems where one of the last
three is over-coated with paint. The main characteristics of the three groups are given in
Lecture 4A.1. Appendix 1.
6. CONCLUDING SUMMARY
7. REFERENCES
ISO 8500 series Preparation of steel substrate before application of paints and related
products.
[1] ISO 8501 Visual assessment of surface cleanliness
Part 1 Rust grades and preparation grades of uncoated steel substrates and of steel
substrates after overall removal of previous coatings.
Part 2* Preparation grades of previously coated steel substrates after localized removal of
previous coatings.
[2] SIS 05 5900: 1988, Preparation of steel substrate before application of paints and
related products - Visual assessment of surface cleanliness.
[3] ISO 8502 Tests for the assessment of surface cleanliness.
Part 1 Field tests for soluble iron corrosion products.
Part 2 Laboratory determination of chloride clean surfaces.
Part 3 Assessment of dust on steel surfaces prepared for painting (pressure sensitive tape
method).
In course of preparation
8. ADDITIONAL READING
1. Uhlig, H. H., "Corrosion and Corrosion Control", 3rd ed, 1985, John Wiley &
Sons.
2. Durability of Steel Structures: Protection of Steel Structures and Buildings from
Atmospheric Corrosion, ECSC Report 620.197, 1983.
3. "Controlling Corrosion", series of booklets published by the Department of
Industry - Committee on Corrosion.
4. Steelwork Corrosion Protection Guide - Interior Environments (3rd Ed), 1989
(published jointly by BCSA, BS, Paint Research Association (PRA) and Zinc
Development Association (ZDA)).
5. Steelwork Corrosion Protection Guide - Perimeter Walls (2nd Ed), 1989
(Published jointly by BCSA and BS).
6. Steelwork Corrosion Protection Guide - Exterior Environments (2nd Ed), 1989
(published jointly by BCSA, BS, PMA (Paint Makers' Association) and ZDA).
7. BS 5493 Code of practice for protective coating of iron and steel structured against
corrosion.
8. DIN 55928: Part 5 Corrosion protection of steel structures by organic and metallic
coatings Part 5 Coating materials and protective systems.
9. Norsk Standard NS 5415 Anti-corrosive paint systems for steel structures.
10. ECCS No. 48 Protection against corrosion inside buildings
11. ECCS No. 50 Protection of steel structures against corrosion by coatings.
12. BS 729 Specification for hot dip galvanised coatings on iron and steel articles,
1971(1986).
13. BS 2569 Specification for sprayed metal coatings Part 1 and 2.
14. BS 2989: 1992 Specification for continuously hot-dip zinc coated and iron-zinc
alloy coated steel: Haz product - tolerances on dimensions and shape.
15. BS 3083: 1988 Specification for hot-dip zinc coated and hot-dip aluminium/zinc
coated corrugated steel sheets for general purposes.
Environment
Corrosion risk
Examples
Normal
Negligible
Offices
Shops
Industrial Production/Assembly
Warehousing
Hospital Wards
Schools
Hotels
Occasional
Condensation
Low
Unheated Buildings
Vehicle Depots
Sports Halls
Frequent
Condensation
Significant
Normal inland
Low
Polluted inland
Significant
Normal coastal
High
Polluted coastal
Very high
Advantages
Disadvantages
No dust problems, no
special protective clothing
for operators, fairly low
capital costs.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Slow
if
firmly
held
containments are to be
removed, dangerous at very
high pressure if proper
precautions are not taken,
limitation of drying surface
before
painting
unless
approved water-based or
moisture tolerant primers are
used, requires availability of
water and drainage, operators
require protective clothing.
As above.
Hardness
Chilled iron-grit 60 to 80 RC
ISO 11124-2
Normal usage
Advantages
Disadvantages
Captive blasting
and open
blasting with
recovery
systems
Relatively cheap,
cleans very
quickly, will chip
under repeated
impact with
work surface,
presenting fresh
cutting edges
Breaks down
fairly quickly.
In centrifugal
wheel plants,
special
protection is
required to
reduce wear on
moving parts
Chilled iron-shot 60 to 80 RC
As chilled
iron-grit.
Because of
ricochet effect
is not suitable
for open
blasting or in
open cabinets
High duty
chilled iron-grit
or iron-shot
55 to 64 RC
More
expensive than
chilled iron,
rendered
spherical in
use, poorer and
slower rate of
cleaning than
chilled iron
Heat-treated
chilled iron-grit
or iron-shot
30 to 40 RC
As high-duty
As high-duty
Steel grit
60 to 67 RC
47 to 53 RC
As high-duty
More
expensive than
chilled iron,
rendered
spherical in use
and is less
efficient,
supplied in
various
hardnesses but
at best is not so
hard as chilled
iron-grit and
therefore
cleans more
slowly
41 to 49 RC
As for steel
grit, produces a
more rounded
surface profile
than grit,
ricochet effect
makes it
unsuitable for
open blasting
41 to 52 RC
High cost,
rendered
spherical in use
and slower
cleaning than
chilled iron
ISO 11124-5
Hardness
Normal usage
Advantages
Disadvantages
Not common in
the United
Kingdom
Extremely hard
Expensive,
hardness of dust is
a danger to
machinery unless
used in sealed
captive plant
Open blasting
only
Open blasting
only
Sand
Open blasting
Cheap
ISO 11126-3
(Olivine) ISO
11126-8
In United
Kingdom, Factory
Inspector's
approval is
required, danger of
silicosis
See Table 4
International Standards for Metallic and Non-Metallic Blast-Cleaning Abrasives
A.1 Requirements and test methods for metallic blast-cleaning abrasives are contained in
ISO 11124 and ISO 11125.
brush
roller
airless spray
other?
Drying oil
Drying oil modified alkyds
Epoxy ester
Urethane oil
Oil modified phenolic resin.
two-pack epoxy
two-pack urethane.
2-pack epoxy
2-pack urethane or urethane acrylic
Isocyanate-cured epoxy
Epoxy: Tar
Epoxy: Pitch
Urethane tar or pitch.
Pigmentation is typically titanium dioxide in whites and tints, with light-fast chemically
resistant pigments in colours. Micaceous iron oxide is used to improve film build,
weathering and mechanical properties. It also facilitates overcoating.
Dry film thicknesses are influenced by the same criteria as the primers. They vary between
75-200m.