The Development of Corrosion Processes on Weathering Steel Bridges

This paper deals with experimental corrosion tests carried out on weathering steel bridges. The basic property of the weathering steel is its ability to create a protective layer on its surface in favorable environments. This protective layer called patina covers the surface of the whole structure, protects against external climatic influences and the construction resists completely without an anticorrosion coating. This paper presents the program of experimental atmospheric corrosion test carried out on road bridges made of weathering structural steel. The article presents results of corrosion tests after one year of exposure of corrosion specimens. This paper describes the influence of the position and location of an exposed surface, evaluates the different development on typical surfaces affected by leaking water and explains the high degree of correlation dependence between measured corrosion loss and average thickness of corrosion products.