Corrosion Protection of Steel Bridges and Structures

Corrosion can threaten the long-term function and integrity of a steel bridge. Structural steel will corrode if left unprotected or inadequately protected from the natural environment. It is a time based process that generally takes several years to develop deterioration significant enough to cause concern. For this reason, corrosion is often considered an ownership or maintenance issue. While this may be true in practical terms, corrosion is most appropriately addressed by specification of a proper corrosion protection system, and the designer must view long-term corrosion protection as a design consideration.

Learning Objective:

By the end of this course, the student will learn While there are several proven strategies for corrosion protection of steel bridges, there is no universal solution. A proper protection system must be chosen to accommodate cost, fabrication and productivity, long-term performance and maintenance. Additionally, each corrosion protection system must be selected based on the anticipated exposure of the structure to corrosive elements over its lifetime. The remainder of this document discusses four key issues confronting the steel bridge designer regarding corrosion protection; environment, materials for corrosion protection, design aspects, and cost.