Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

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Corrosion resistance of corten steel – A review

V.K. Bupesh Raja a,⇑, K. Palanikumar b, R. Rohith Renish c, A.N. Ganesh Babu d, Jashwanth Varma e,
P. Gopal f
a
School of Mechanical Engineering, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai 600119, India
b
Sri Sai Ram Institute of Technology, Chennai 600044, India
c
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai 600062, India
d
Mechanical/Design Organisation, Integral Coach Factory, Chennai 600 038, India
e
School of Mechanical Engineering, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai 600119, India
f
Jayasuriya Engineering College, Thiruvallur District, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Corrosion which encompass material science, chemistry, physics, metallurgy and chemical engineering is
Received 3 December 2020 a topic of interest to interdisciplinary research groups. In order to comprehend the process of corrosion, it
Received in revised form 4 January 2021 is important to understand the reaction which takes place between the corrosive layer and the steel sur-
Accepted 6 January 2021
faces. Corten steel which is a type of weathering steel is a low alloy steel, well known for its property of
Available online xxxx
corrosion resistance. These steels are widely used in the construction of bridges, towers and in several
applications of architecture also. The present work provides a short analysis done by several investigators
Keywords:
on the corrosion of corten steel. This review discusses the problems such as corrosion rates and the for-
Corten steel
Corrosion
mation of rust layer at different exposed conditions. Finally, the effects of alloys and the long-term behav-
Weathering steel ior of the corten steel has also been reported.
Alloying Ó 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Marine Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Confer-
Atmospheric corrosion ence on Materials, Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering for Sustainable Developments-2020.

1. Introduction of traditional WS in order to reduce hot embrittlement during

Corten steel which is also known as weathering steel (WS) is a
high strength low alloy steel that consists of copper, chromium,
phosphorous, silicon and nickel [1,2]. These weathering steels
may have to suffer extreme corrosion due to such high salinity
levels. Over the last few years, Ni-advanced weathering steel, a
low alloy structural steel type with approximately 3.0 wt% Ni con-
tent and a limited amount of Cu, has stimulated the great interest
of designers of bridges, especially in the tropical coastal areas [3–
5]. The corrosion resistance of weathering steel is higher than that
of carbon steel due to the rust safety coating formed on the weath-
ering steel surface. This property is closely connected to the inclu-
sion of some alloying elements [6–8]. Cu, Cr and Ni are the most
commonly researched alloying elements applied to improve the
corrosion behaviour of weathering steel, although only a few stud-
ies have recorded the beneficial effect of Si on the corrosion resis-
tance of weathering steel [9,10]. Nickel was used in the synthesis
the rolling phase due to copper enrichment on the steel surface
and to improve its ambient corrosion resistance in marine environ-
ments [11]. These steels have been developed in the early 19300 s
and are widely used due to their excellent resistance to atmo-
spheric corrosion [12]. They also exhibit comparatively higher
resistance to corrosion than carbon steel in many types of atmo-
spheres due to their ability to form a lightweight, stable, adhesive
and protective rust coating for the period of exposure [13,14]. In
addition to the presence of alloy elements, the chemical nature
of the environmental conditions also has a significant effect on
the formation of the defensive rust layer and hence resulting in
reduced corrosion rate [15]. The major applications of weathering
steel include the construction of bridges, highway structures, elec-
tricity towers etc. [16–19]. The typical elemental composition of
weathering steel is given in Table 1.
2. Corrosion

⇑ Corresponding author. Corrosion is the degradation of materials due to chemical reac-

E-mail address: bupesh.v.k@gmail.com (V.K. Bupesh Raja). tions with the environment. The repercussions of corrosion are

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.01.334
2214-7853/Ó 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Materials, Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering for
Sustainable Developments-2020.

Please cite this article as: V.K. Bupesh Raja, K. Palanikumar, R. Rohith Renish et al., Corrosion resistance of corten steel – A review, Materials Today: Pro-
ceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.01.334
V.K. Bupesh Raja, K. Palanikumar, R. Rohith Renish et al.
Table 1
Elemental composition of weathering steel (wt%) [20].
Weathering Steel Carbon Manganese Phosphorous
ASTM A588 0.13 1.03 0.006
ASTM A242 0.11 0.31 0.092
numerous and may vary. Corrosion occurs in metals when the sur-
face is exposed and comes into contact with gas or liquid, and the
reaction is intensified by proximity to warm temperatures, acids or
reactive compounds. The effects of corrosion on the safe, effective
and productive operation of machinery or systems are much more
severe than the mere loss of metal mass. Several researchers have
put up a great deal of effort to carry out research on the corrosion
of steel weathering under different environmental conditions. This
literature survey provides a wide range of studies carried out by a
number of researchers.
The work done by various investigators can broadly be classi-
fied into –
 Studies on corrosion products
 Effect of alloying on corrosion
2.1. Studies on corrosion products
In order to address, it is important to know about the interac-
tion of the material and the environment. The corrosion behaviour
of the material cannot be defined until the atmosphere in which
the material is to be exposed, has been established. Similarly, the
corrosivity or aggressiveness of the atmosphere cannot be defined
until the substance to be subjected to the environment is known.
Corrosion that happens in large manufacturing facilities, such as
nuclear power plants or chemical manufacturing plants, is proba-
bly the most hazardous of all. Plant shutdowns can also occur as
a result of corrosion. It’s just one of the many overt and indirect
effects.
The exposure of weathering steels in the industrial-marine-
urban surroundings at ennore was studied by Dhaiveegan et al.
[21] These were located near the east cost of India for about
3 years. Using ATR-FTIR, XDR tests and quantified using TGA anal-
ysis, iron oxyhydroxides and oxides present in the rust layers were
characterized. Using SEM, the morphology of the corrosion prod-
ucts was explained. Studies of ATR-FTIR and XDR showed that
the corrosion products produced on the skyward surfaces were
substantially more crystalline than those on the earthward sur-
faces. TGA demonstrated that the main corrosion products were
iron oxyhydroxides. The development of distinctive morphological
structures such as sandy crystal (lepidocrocite), needle like (geoth-
ite) and cigar shaped (akageneite) structures have been confirmed.
In addition, the formation of geothite on the skyward surface was
revealed as a major constituent step in the rust layer, which was
affected by the environmental presence of SO2. Similarly, Diaz
et al. [22] studied the rust formed on a conventional and three Ni
advanced weathering steels, when they have been exposed in
two marine atmospheres of moderate aggressivity (30 & 75 mg
Cl-/m2d) for a year. The rusts produced was analyzed by polarized
light, SEM, XRD, Raman spectroscopy etc. The researchers conclude
that the presence of high nickel content in steel (1–3% weight)
results in high corrosion resistance at the moderate marine atmo-
sphere. Jaroslav Kocich et al. [23] investigated the kinetics of corro-
sion, mechanical characteristics and the surface morphology of
weathering steel for the specimens which were exposed to the
environment for 6 months to 10 years. The findings confirm that
the rate of corrosion depends on the corrosiveness of the environ-
ment. The corrosion attack also affects the mechanical properties
of the material. More than the ultimate strength and yield strength,
Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
Sulphur Silicon Copper Nickel Chromium Vanadium Aluminium
0.019 0.25 0.33 0.015 0.56 0.038 0.043
0.020 0.42 0.30 0.31 0.82 <0.01 0.08
the elongation as well reduction in area have reduced relatively.
Bupesh Raja et al. [24] performed a comparative analysis on a
3 mm thick corten steel plates when subjected to salt spray test.
The plates were initially welded and segregated into 3 samples –
a parent plate (without any welding), bead on plate and a butt joint
plate. Tests such as Microstructural strength, hardness and tensile
strength of the plate was made on the samples before and after the
corrosion test. The findings suggest that the unsuitable welded
region could not withstand any stress and could also be quickly
corroded. The weight loss for this material is very high during
the salt spray test, and this material still has a quite strong corro-
sion tolerance when it is not harmed by the salt spray test. Xiaoyu
Guo et al.[25] investigated the adhesion potential of the under-
voltage rust layer produced by weathering steel (WS) in the simu-
lated marine atmosphere. The electrochemical reaction after stress
of pre-rusted weathering steel specimens was used to explore
insights into the actions of corrosion after cracking or delaminating
the rust layer. The rust layer on Q420qNH displayed a higher adhe-
sion capacity than Q420qNHY. As the external load increased, the
steel showed a gradually accelerated corrosion process. As the crit-
ical stress for the reliability model of WS bridges in coastal areas,
0.9fy for Q420qNH and 0.8fy for Q420qNHY is suggested. R.E.
Melchers et al.[26] stated that the majority of available long-
term corrosion loss data sets of different weathering steel grades
exposed to marine atmospheric environments are shown to be
consistent with the multi-phase corrosion model previously sug-
gested for steels exposed to marine environments. This implies
that early corrosion by oxidation of weathering steels is increas-
ingly prevented by the build-up of corrosion materials. This new
understanding may have implications for the design of such steels
for long-term corrosion of weathering steels.
Through the structural and chemical analyzer, a spectrographic
device that combines micro Raman and SEM microscopy measure-
ments at the same location to detect and classify the deposited
atmospheric content, many weathering steel structures were
exposed in the urban atmosphere and analyzed by J. Aramendia
et al.[27]. On the steel surfaces of the examined works, many kinds
of sillicates and aluminosillicates containing particles were found.
The results showed that the conservation of the weathering steel
changes the surface’s visual appearance and decreases the mate-
rial’s atmospheric resistance. Renato Altobelli et al.[28] exposed
carbon steel and weathering steel at three different forms of atmo-
sphere (industrial, urban and humid site) for 1 to 3 months. Raman
microscopy was used to characterize the corrosion products which
were formed at various exposure locations where as Scanning elec-
tron microscope was used to observe the morphology. Raman
microscopy observed three different colors formed on the steel at
three different locations. Lepidocrocite and geothite were the main
phases present. There were also small quantities of magnetite sub-
sequently encountered.
Takenori Nakayama [29] discussed the approaches using inter-
nal criteria to quantitatively calculate the composition of weather-
ing steel rust by X-ray diffraction. A procedure for determining the
size of rust particles on the basis of molecular adsorption has also
been introduced. Artificially experimenting with new approaches
to improving the corrosion resistance of steels are suggested by
synthesized rust. Using the ultra-bright synchrotron radiation pro-
vided by Spring-8 and the neutron beam produced by a compact
neutron source by RIKEN, the atmospheric corrosion phenomena
2
V.K. Bupesh Raja, K. Palanikumar, R. Rohith Renish et al.
of steels used for infrastructure were studied. MI Feng yi et al.[30]
studied the corrosion activity of low carbon steel (CS), P- bearing
steel (PS) and PRE weathering steel (P-REWS) exposed in china’s
Jiangjin for two years. The results showed that corrosion data from
the experimental steel followed the bilogarithmic equation and the
average corrosion depth of PS during the 2-year exposure test. P-
REWS and was reduced by 19. Five percent and 28. 2 percent equal
to that of CS, respectively. To classify the corrosion materials, the
scanning electron microscope, the electrochemical impedance
spectroscope and the Fourier transform infrared spectroscope were
used. The research results showed that the formation of an amor-
phous ferric oxhydroxide layer near the substrate could be pro-
moted by P in steel. The addition of rare earth materials (RE)
could effectively increase the resistance to rust.
Monika Kubzova et al.[31] produced corrosion on weathering
steels surface of structures. The production of a protective corro-
sion product layer on weathering steel is mainly affected by the
time of wetness, the bridge’s structural solution and the concentra-
tion of atmospheric corrosion stimulators. Sulphur dioxide and
chloride are the major corrosion stimulators in the air. Concentra-
tions of Sulphur dioxide in Central Europe have decreased dramat-
ically since the 1990 s. Chlorides, mostly from deicing salts used in
winter road repair, are currently the main corrosive stimulators.
Across all exposed surfaces, the degree and scope of corrosion
damage to a steel structure located in an area of high chloride
deposition is not standardised. Consequently, the tracking and
dependency between the quantity of chlorides deposited and the
position and orientation of standard steel bridge construction sur-
face is critical. Pan Liu et al.[32] studied the microstructure and
corrosion activity of weathering steel in three different solutions
(S1: 3.5 wt% NaCl, S2: 3.5 w. percent NaCl + 0.052 wt% NaHSO3,
S3: 3.5 wt% NaCl + 0.907 wt% NaHCO3). A strong percentage and
high vulnerability to corrosion is responsible for spontaneous
boundaries. With immersion time, the thickness of rust increases
and is in the order of S1 > S3 > S2. The rust generated in the solu-
tions S1 and S2 consists primarily of the y-FeOOH phase, but the
latter is less defensive. The rust developed in the S1 solution is
thick and dense, resulting in similar security to that in the S3
solution.
Viktor Urban et al.[33] conducted an experiment on corrosion of
weathering steel bridges. The basic property of weathering steel is
its ability in favourable conditions to produce a protective layer on
its surface. This protective layer called patina covers the entire
structure’s surface, protects against external climatic influences
and is fully resistant to construction without a covering of anti-
corrosion coatings. The study describes the findings of corrosion
experiments conducted after one year of exposure to corrosion
specimens. The work describes the position and location of the
exposed surface, examined with various advances on standard sur-
faces influenced by leakage of water and demonstrates the high
degree of similarity between the corrosion damage measured and
the average thickness of the corrosion materials. The effect of car-
bon steel rust layers and weathering steel on corrosion has been
investigated by Xu Zhang et al. [34]. It was found that when its
outer rust layer is removed, carbon steel corrosion slows down.
The shortening of the wetting period in wet-dry cycles when the
outer rust layers are removed may be due to this phenomenon.
In addition, the growth time of corrosion products is also short-
ened, leading to the formation of fine corrosion products. The
action of weathering steel corrosion, however is not obviously
affected by the outer rust layer and the wetting period.
Vit Krivy et al.[35] performed a comparative assessment of the
actual material properties of the weathering steel used between
2001 and 2007 for the construction of motorway bridges in the
Czech Republic. The assessment is conducted for a selection of
S355J2W steel hot rolled plates. The strength characteristics,
3
Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
plasticity properties and impact properties of the steel and its
chemical composition were evaluated. The study also covered the
derived real values of partial material factors corresponding to
the related RC1 to RC3 reliability classes in compliance with the
EN 1990 European standard. Vit Krivy et al. [36] also described
the programme of experimental atmospheric corrosion experi-
ments carried out on the weathering of steel bridges in the Czech
Republic. Attention was given to the assessment of corrosion pro-
cesses on girder bridge load-bearing structures with the roadway
above the supports. Selected results of experimental atmospheric
corrosion experiments aimed at measuring the thickness of corro-
sion materials were discussed in the report. Corrosion processes on
weathering steel bridges are greatly conditioned by the location
and position of the exposed surface within the structure as a result
of the tests.
G. Tranchida et al. [37] grew anodic films in slightly alkaline
solution on weathering steel. The photoelectrochemical results
showed that with E g = 2.0 eV they are n-type iron oxide. Due to
the presence of highly doped iron oxide layers, the electro chemical
impedance spectra prove that the rust layers have a higher conduc-
tivity with respect to anodic films. M. Morcillo et al. [38] aimed to
fill the void of discussion in engineering point of view by providing
insight into the current state of awareness of this essential struc-
ture material to engineers, designers and steel manufacturers
and presenting key research findings in a way that facilitates their
practical application. First phase of this analysis covered various
aspects of weathering steel atmospheric corrosion, such as mecha-
nisms of corrosion, products and layers of corrosion, effects of envi-
ronmental conditions of exposure, and long-term results. Vit Krivy
et al. [39] worked on the microclimatic effects of road traffic under
the bridge. Using experimental in situ testing, the effect of chloride
deposition on the production of corrosion products is assessed. For
this experiment two adjacent bridges made of weathering steel
and spanning various types of obstacles were chosen. The relation-
ships and dependencies between the measured parameters (chlo-
ride deposition rate, corrosion rate, corrosion product thickness
and chloride quantity in the corrosion product) were evaluated
and discussed.
2.2. Effect of alloying on corrosion
Alloying are basically done to enhance the mechanical or chem-
ical properties. Alloying elements may be applied to the metal to
improve a variety of properties, including hardness, strength, cor-
rosion resistance, machinability, etc. It is very popular for alloy ele-
ments to be applied to such metals in order to attain the unique
properties needed for the application. The inclusion of unique sub-
stances can alter many properties, ranging from strength to colour
to thermal conductivity. It is necessary to differentiate both normal
and artificial corrosion combinations. Examples of normal or suit-
able content and environmental ratios include nickel in caustic
conditions, lead in water, and aluminium in ambient exposures.
In these conditions, contact between metal and the atmosphere
does not normally result in dangerous or expensive corrosion prob-
lems. The mixture is a natural combination to have a strong resis-
tance to corrosion.
I Diaz et al.[40] worked on 14 weathering steels produced by
the addition of Cu, Cr and Ni alloying elements to extra mild steel.
The steel was exposed in various atmospheric conditions for
5 years. The atmospheric resistance of steels were assessed and
the X-ray diffraction, and scanning electroscope characterized the
rust layers created. The addition of Ni, at 3% by wt leads a good
increase in the corrosion resistance. In the composition of weather-
ing steel, Kimura et al. [41] increased the nickel content to 3% to
study the rust layer formed when the material is exposed in mar-
ine atmosphere in Japan for 9 years. The 3 percent Ni advanced
V.K. Bupesh Raja, K. Palanikumar, R. Rohith Renish et al.
weathering steel had an average penetration of about 20 times
lower than that faced by traditional weathering steel. The authors
concluded that the presence of nickel in the composition of steel
modifies the rust’s surface charge, preventing the steel surface
from touching chloride ions.
The effect of Ni on the corrosion resistance of Weathering Steel
in acid atmospheres were investigated by Cheng et al. [42] The
results showed that the 3.5 percent of Ni is the optimum nickel
content to improve the atmospheric corrosion resistance. Different
surface analysis and electrochemical techniques were used to
investigate the properties of rust films produced on Ni advanced
weathering steels in tropical marine climate by Jinghuan Jia et al.
[43]. The findings suggest that the corrosion rate of the exposure
of Ni advanced weathering steels with different Cu content in Male
island for 2 years is much higher than that of lower chloride levels
in the marine atmosphere. The Cu does not affect the phase com-
position of rust films produced on various Ni advanced weathering
steels.
The copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) are
electroplated to grade steel A588 corten by J.R. Deepak et al.
[44]. Microstructure, micro-hardness and surface morphology are
examined after depositing the coating. This is achieved by X-ray
diffraction (XRD), Vicker hardness and field emission scanning
and electron microscopy (FESEM) respectively. XRD and EDS
demonstrate the presence of Cu, Cr, Ni and Zn elements in the
respective coatings and the maximum micro-hardness of
1918.1HVN is observed in the Cr coated corten A588 substrate.
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is studied to deter-
mine the corrosion activity of the coated and uncoated samples. EIS
studies show that chromium electroplated steel has superior cor-
rosion resistance (Ecorr – 1,742 V; I corr – 0,334 mA) rather than
Cu, Ni, Zn coatings and uncoated corten A588 substrate. The weight
loss study is also conducted on coated and uncoated samples with
3.5 percent NaCl per week and the findings indicate a minimum
weight loss in Cr coated corten A588 samples. Accordingly, the
study shows that the Cu, Cr, Ni and Zn coated corten samples
A588 are ideal for construction applications. Xu Zhang et al.[45]
subjected a low alloy weathering steel to an indoor air to investi-
gate the effect of periodic modified environments on corrosion. It
was found that when the samples were sprayed with NaCl aqueous
solution, both the atmospheric corrosion rate and the degree of
alloy element enrichment in the internal rust layer were higher.
Meanwhile, when the samples were sprayed with NaHSO3 aqueous
solution, more compact rust layers were created. By spraying aque-
ous solutions of NaCl and NaHSO3 in turns, the rust layer can sta-
bilise more quickly than spraying a corrosion solution, which can
be due to a combined advantage of enrichment of the alloy ele-
ment and slow corrosion. Rust layer stabilisation is not inherently
derived from the enrichment of alloy elements, and rust layer sta-
bilisation can have a greater impact on more corrosion than alloy
element enrichment. By the regression analysis, rust structure
observation, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectrum and electrochemi-
cal impedance spectra techniques, the corrosion behaviour of
weathering steel and carbon steel exposed in the marine atmo-
sphere for 4 years was studied by Q.C. Zhang et al. [46]. The find-
ings show that the weathering steel corrosion procedure is
divided into two stages. The corrosion rate is higher in the first
step, while the corrosion rate is greatly decreased in the second
step due to compact layer rust that is gradually formed during
exposure. The lightweight darkened rust layer on weathering steel
observed by polarized light is made of iron oxyhydroxide substi-
tute Cr. In addition, an analogous circuit is set up to reflect the
interfaces between rusted steels and 3% NaCl solution, and the
steel’s rust layer resistances are deduced from an extrapolation
of the impedance spectra of electrochemistry to estimate the pro-
tective properties.
4
Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
Lei Weng et al. [47] performed cyclic immersion experiments to
investigate the corrosion behaviour of high Ti weathering steel
exposed to a simulated marine environment. The results indicate
that the surface of high Ti weathering steel sample, protective cor-
rosion products are developed improving the resistance to corro-
sion. The presence of titanium facilitates the formation of dense
and compact materials for corrosion, encouraging increased resis-
tance to corrosion. The weight loss, X-ray diffraction, Mossbauer
spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy were studied
for corrosion resistance in saline conditions of weathering steel
under various concentrations of Si by Mejia Gomez et al. [48].
The study showed that with increasing Si concentration, the steels
exhibit better corrosion efficiency. Fe oxides such as geothite, lepi-
docrocite and magnetite were formed. The dominant phase in the
rust formed on Si steels is superparamagnetic geothite, which
means the Si favours the formation of geothite with small particle
sizes.
In the cyclic immersion test, the effect of the chromium content
on the S450EW weathering steel was tested by Jun shan Wang
et al. [49]. The findings showed that S450EW weathering steel cor-
rosion resistance is closely linked to the content of chromium. The
addition of chromium greatly prevented the corrosion of the
weathered steel. After 96 h of immersion, the corrosion rate of
the experimental steel was 1.101 g.m-2.h-1. The rust of S450EW
weathering steel consisted mainly of the FeOOH and Fe3O4 phases,
and the development of aFeOOh was promoted by the elevation of
chromium material. In addition, the rise of chromium is useful by
the enrichment of chromium for the treatment of original defects
and cacks of the rust sheet. Hao et al. [50] used the cyclonic corro-
sion test to investigate the corrosion evolution in the simulated
coastal environment of MnCuP weathering steel giving more atten-
tion to the corrosion kinetics and evolutions in the morphology of
rust and the electrochemical features. The authors found that in a
simulated coastal atmosphere, the weathering steel containing Mn,
Cu and P resulted with excellent corrosion resistance. The increase
in the amount of a-FeOOH and the decreased amount of Fe3O4 in
the rust layer shows the improvement in the corrosion resistance
of the rusted steel. The rust layer strengths and stabilizes the
cathodic phase. Due to the self-healing ability of the rust layer,
the minute stress cracks caused by wet/dry cycles will die during
the subsequent corrosion prosses.
Wang Yue et al.[51] studied the high strength weathering steel
corrosion performance with Cu, Cr micro-alloying under as-rolled,
annealed, normalised, and thermomechanical control process
(TMCP). Results showed that pearlite and ferrite were composed
of the microstructures of steels under as-rolled, annealed and nor-
malised states. There was no difference in the corrosion potential
of naked steels in TMCP, as-rolled, annealed and normalised
states, but the corresponding corrosion currents were
0.1287  10-5A.cm2, 0.4418  10-5A.cm2, 0.7364  10-5A.cm2
and 1.064  10-5A.cm2. The TMCP steel polarisation resistance
decreased to 1304 O cm after two months, but the annealed, as-
rolled and normalised steel increased to 1881 Ocm2, 1561 Ocm2
and 1068 Ocm2 respectively. A newly produced low-alloy weather-
ing steel has been exposed for one year in China by Shu tao Wang
et al.[52] at two coastal sites (Qingdao in the north, Wanning in the
south). The Wanning samples corroded even more strongly than
the Qingdao samples. X-ray diffraction (XRD) scanning electron
microscopy (SEM), N2 adsorption approach, polarisation, examined
the rust layer formed on the steel Curves, and spectroscopy of elec-
trochemical impedance (EIS). There are more X-ray amorphous
compounds in the rust produced in Qingdao and it is more compact
than that formed in Wanning. In the rust layer near the steel
matrix, Cr and Cu are enriched, and the phenomenon is more evi-
dent in Qingdao than in Wanning. The rust layer formed in Qingdao
more strikingly suppresses the anodic and cathodic response than
V.K. Bupesh Raja, K. Palanikumar, R. Rohith Renish et al.
that formed in Wanning. The rust layer produced in Qingdao has a
greater capacity than that developed in Wanning to block the per-
meation of chloride ions.
Namurata S. Palsson et al. [53] focused their research on atmo-
spheric corrosion of the weathering steel as well as the carbon
steel subjected to dissimilar meteorological parameters and air-
borne contaminants at two different of Thailand. The samples were
exposed to an outdoor environment for upto 36 months. Using the
X-ray diffraction and a scanning electron microscope, the thickness
loss, corrosion rate and the corrosion product morphology and
composition were systematically analysed. The result showed that
the overall wet period, the amount of rainfall and the rate of depo-
sition of chloride played an important role in the corrosion beha-
viour of the steels tested. Alloying materials such as copper,
chromium and nickel when exposed at locations with higher chlo-
ride concentration, show increased corrosion resistance of the
samples. The impact of chemical properties of steel and environ-
mental factors on the atmospheric corrosion behaviour of weather-
ing steel and carbon steel exposed in the different environments
has been investigated by Zhifen Wang et al.[54]. The findings
showed that due to the alloying additions of Cr, Cu, P, and Ni, the
corrosion rate of weathering steel was lower compared with car-
bon steel. In the various stages, the distinct environmental factor
influenced the corrosion behaviour of steel. The corrosion rate as
well as the morphology and structure of the rust layer is affected
by the chemical composition of steel and environmental
conditions.
3. Conclusion
The following conclusions can be drawn from an in-depth anal-
ysis of information on traditional weathering steel atmospheric
corrosion data. The electrochemical approaches are generally more
efficient than traditional processes.
Corten steel have been extensively used globally for the con-
struction of bridges, towers and also for the reconstruction of exist-
ing structures. Laboratory and field experience have demonstrated
that corten steel material can resist corrosion even when exposed
to the most serious conditions. Corten steel continues to be the
chosen material for bridges and towers due to its property of cor-
rosion resistance and high strength. Understanding the corrosion
mechanisms and the role of corrosion inhibitors includes reactions
at the interfaces between the corrosive electrolyte and the steel
surface, especially at the initial stage of the corrosion process, is
needed. These reactions are of course highly influenced by the nat-
ure and properties of steel surfaces. However, it is noted that the
majority of recent corrosion and corrosion inhibition investigations
are limited to electrochemical experiments with in situ examina-
tion of the treated steels.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
V.K. Bupesh Raja: Supervision. K. Palanikumar: Validation. R.
Rohith Renish: Investigation, Methodology, Writing - review &
editing. A.N. Ganesh Babu: Formal analysis. Jashwanth Varma:
Formal analysis. P. Gopal: Formal analysis.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing finan-
cial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared
to influence the work reported in this paper.
5
Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
References
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