Corrosion of Metals in Tropical Environments (Part 2—Atmospheric Corrosion of Ten Structural Steels)

Abstract

Abstract Results are reported of 8-year exposure tests made to determine the corrosion characteristics of ten structural steels exposed to seashore and inland environments in the Panama Canal Zone. These corrosion rates are compared with existing data for the same materials in temperate zones. Data reported include a summary of individual analyses of air samples obtained at atmospheric test sites, and extensive weight-loss and pitting data for the ten steels at 1, 2, 4 and 8-year exposure intervals. Numerous time-corrosion curves in tropical marine and tropical inland exposures are given for the steels. Considerable attention is given to the effect of low-alloy additions on mild carbon steel. It was found that the corrosion of copper steel in the two tropical atmospheres was only 13 percent and 14 percent less than that of the unalloyed mild steel. The 2 percent and 5 percent nickel steels were very effective in resisting corrosion as was nickel steel. The four proprietary low-alloy steels tested displaye...