Weathering tests to investigate the durability of anti-corrosion coatings and on-site repair materials

Steel structures are exposed to multiple environmental impacts that lead to reduced durability. Organic paint systems are a resilient mechanism to protect hydraulic steel structures from corrosion. Coatings lead to a decreased corrosion progress at damaged areas. In this work, we investigated the time dependency of undercoating corrosion in the neutral salt spray test in detail by conducting a long-term experiment. Thereby, the fundamental model of corrosion progress was investigated, leading to an increased reliability in approval procedures of coatings and in the choice of test parameters.

Additionally, repair materials for on-site repair of damaged coatings were investigated in weathering tests to compare their performance with conventional coatings. These materials are used for short-term repairs of small damaged areas in order to postpone replacement of ailing structures, thus enhancing the durability of steel structures.