Steel corrosion is one of the most common and problematic problems in the construction, fabrication and engineering industry. Understanding what corrosion is , why it occurs and how to prevent it is critical to ensuring the durability and safety of structures.
To this end, inin collaboration with Arcelor Mittal Arcelor Mittal, corrosion testers have been installed at the Cabo Busto laboratory in January 2024, in the form of 2 demonstration tables and 2 demonstration tables and 4 pikes3m long, driven into the ground to quantify corrosion on different types of steel.
What is steel corrosion?
Corrosion is a natural process of metal deterioration caused by chemical or electrochemical reactions with the environment. In the case of steel, moisture, oxygen and certain chemical agents are the main culprits. This phenomenon weakens the material, affecting its strength and reducing its useful life.
Why does steel rust?
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. When it comes into contact with water and oxygen, iron oxide (rust) forms, initiating the corrosive process. Factors such as marine environments, industrial pollutants, temperature changes and acidic pH accelerate corrosion.
Steel and Corrosion at Cabo Busto, Asturias.
The start-up of our laboratory laboratory The purpose of this open-air test at Cabo Busto was to evaluate the durability and resistance of our solutions for solar installations. To this end, we have installed different types of our flooring systems: Muniellos System and Alublock, as well as CAREX®, our Technical Safety Corridor. In this way, we subject our solutions to the extreme environmental conditions of wind and corrosion typical of this coastal area. The data are contrasted by the AEMet weather station installed on the same site: Latitude: 43° 34′ 9″ N – Longitude: 6° 28′ 12″ W
As a remarkable milestone,the Muniellos facility has withstood gusts of 168 km/h on November 2, 2023 coinciding with the Cyclone Ciarán.
The exposed steels are:
- Pre-galvanized.
- Post Galvanized.
- Pure Zn to evaluate the corrosivity of the site.
- Cold rolled steel.
- Magnelis®.
In the case of the picks, the extraction was planned at intervals of 1, 3, 5 and 10 years in order to subsequently study the real corrosion of the soil and the behavior of the material plates equipped in the different piles installed in the ground. We have the information of the first extraction here: 1 year later in the Cabo Busto laboratory.
Remember that if you do the Cabo Busto Route, besides seeing a spectacular landscape, you can see our project and check with your own eyes our structures. Come and see it!
