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Information about steel corrosion and how to prevent it, including with painting, galvanizing and other coating systems.
Did you know that most steel in building structures doesn't even have to be primed or painted? Now we're not talking about beachfront exposures or applications involving aggressively corrosive environents like paper processing facilities. But we are talking about the typical steel building that gets built today with the steel enclosed in building finishes.
Sandwiched between the exterior cladding and interior finishes, the steel is in a sealed environment. Both moisture and oxygen are required for oxidation to occur. But in a sealed environment, any moisture present is used up quickly. Once it's gone, corrosion stops.
Don't take our word for it. Check out Chapter M in the the AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings. It tells you this same thing.
Now, for those applications where you do have to spend money on corrosion protection, we have some links for you. Check out these web sites:
From AISC's Modern Steel Construction magazine:
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