An investigation of saline environment on a multi-span multi-girder plate girder bridge

Weathering steel has an anticorrosive function by creating protective rust on the surface of steel. This function would be able to provide the possibility reducing life time cost of a steel bridge. However, anticorrosive function is strongly affected by corrosion environment, which is amount of salts, temperature, humidity and wind condition surrounding the bridge. This paper reports the results of observation of corrosion environment on multi-girder multi-span weathering steel bridge. From the observation, a relationship between airborne salts contents and salt contents which is attached to the surface of girders was become clear.

weathering steel

airborne salts

adherent salts

salts composition