Influence of Distance from Roads on Corrosion Loss in Weathering Steel Bridges

Abstract

There are numerous steel bridges worldwide, many of which are made from weathering steel. Trademarks of weathering steel, such as Corten (the United States), Atmofix (the Czech Republic), NAW-TEN and CORSPACE (Japan), or Q345CNH (China) are commonly used. Inland steel bridges are impacted by chloride ions, primarily dispersed into the air by road traffic from de-icing salt (NaCl) and brine solutions used in winter road maintenance, which can compromise the integrity of the bridges' load-bearing structures. The quantity of deposited chlorides fluctuates based on the distance from the source, especially for inland bridges, where it is determined by the distance from the road. There is also a difference between the winter season and the rest of the year. The study presents in-situ measurement data from two sites, analyzing the corrosion loss. Additionally, a regression analysis is conducted to understand the relationship between the distance from the road guide line and the corrosion loss.