CORROSION SCIENCE
Indoor Accelerated Corrosion Kinetics
of Weathering Steel and Its Service Life Prediction
Feng Huang,‡,* Tengwei Zhu,* Xuejun Zhou,** Jing Liu,* and Jiqing Chen**
ABSTRACT
The indoor accelerated corrosion of 09CuPCrNi weathering
steel in simulated industrial atmosphere was investigated
by the corrosion weight-loss method, field emission scanning
electron microscopy (FE-SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and
Raman spectroscopy. The results indicated that the indoor
accelerated corrosion kinetics of 09CuPCrNi weathering steel
could be divided into two stages with different log (thickness
loss, D)-log (time, t) fitting functions. The second stage of cor-
rosion corresponded to the protective rust layer that formed.
Three correlation models involving atmospheric corrosion and
accelerated indoor corrosion were developed based on the
kinetic model of the second stage of the accelerated indoor cor-
rosion. Those three models corresponded to three atmospheric
corrosion stations located in Beijing, Jiangjin, and Guangzhou
(China), respectively. This indoor accelerated method pre-
sented a better accelerated effect for Beijing atmospheric envi-
ronment.
KEY WORDS: Raman spectroscopy, rust, steel, weight loss
INTRODUCTION
Weathering steel, which contains small amounts of
alloy elements, such as Cu, P, Cr, and Ni, has gained
more and more attention for the purpose of reduc-
ing costs for the maintenance of steel structures.1-5 A
Submitted for publication: November 15, 2013. Revised and ac-
cepted: March 13, 2014. Preprint available online: April 3, 2014,
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.5006/1196.
‡
Corresponding author. E-mail: huangfeng@wust.edu.cn.
* The State Key Laboratory of Refractories and Metallurgy, Wuhan
University of Science and Technology, 947 Heping Ave., Wuhan
430081, China.
** Wuhan Iron and Steel (Group) Corporation, 3 Yangang Road, Wu-
han 430080, China.
ISSN 0010-9312 (print), 1938-159X (online)
CORROSION—Vol. 70, No. 8 14/0000131/$5.00+$0.50/0  © 2014, NACE International
protective layer of rust mainly composed of goethite
(α-FeOOH), lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH), and magnetite
(Fe3O4) can form on the surface of weathering steel
when exposed to a suitable corrosive environment for
a long time. Because of this advantageous property,
weathering steel has been used for many steel struc-
tures such as railways and bridges.6-9
According to literature, the total cost of corrosion
represents at least 4% to 5% of the global national
products (GNP) and appropriate corrosion control
technologies would decrease it by 20% to 25%.10 It
is essential to investigate the corrosion mechanism
of structural materials in atmospheric conditions to
develop more advanced corrosion control technolo-
gies and cost reduction strategies. For all atmospheric
corrosion-related mechanisms, such as the positive
effect of alloy elements,5,11-12 the catalytic effect of a
corrosive pollutant,13 the influence of environmental
parameters, and the protective mechanism of corro-
sion products,9,14 the atmospheric corrosion kinetics
should be more helpful in terms of practical applica-
tions, because it could provide vital parameters to
forecast the long-term corrosion of structural materi-
als.15-16
The corrosion kinetics in atmospheric conditions
can be determined by the following empirical equation
based on extensive field tests in different environ-
ments:17-18
D = Atn (1)
where D is the reduction in thickness (μm) and t is
the time of exposure (month). A and n are constants.
819
CORROSION SCIENCE
TABLE 1
Main Chemical Composite
of 09CuPCrNi Weathering Steel
Elements C Si Mn P S Cr Ni Cu
Content (%) 0.09 0.4 0.39 0.08 0.013 0.43 0.16 0.25
The validity of the equation and its reliability to pre-
dict long-term corrosion has been demonstrated by
many authors.3,19-20 Generally speaking, the value cor-
responding to A can be used to represent the severity
of the corrosion environment, while the value of 1/n
can measure the protectiveness of the layer of rust.21
The most reliable and commonly used method
for investigating the corrosion of structural materi-
als in atmospheric conditions and for predicting their
service life is the exposure to a natural environment
corrosion test.22-23 However, this exposure to a real
corrosion environment requires a long time of test-
ing, often 3 to 5 years minimum, and usually relies
on visual and weight-loss methods to quantify the
degree of corrosion. It is also specific to a particular
metal and environment. There is no question that the
development of a method that successfully correlates
the results obtained from accelerated corrosion tests
to those obtained from atmospheric exposure would
be very valuable. But, it is also generally agreed that
the development of degradation models, accelerated
test methods, and their correlation to real-time atmo-
spheric exposure is a great challenge.16 To date, no
accelerated method has been successful in simulating
exposure to atmospheric conditions, at least for a time
scale that would be satisfactory for universal use. In
fact, a solution to that challenge seems inconceivable,
because of all the different parameters that must be
considered, namely, all the variables involved in pre-
dicting the atmospheric corrosion for any material in
any specific environment.
It is widely accepted that the wet/dry cyclic im-
mersion tests can usually be used indoor to accelerate
the corrosion of structural materials.22,24 Neverthe-
less, their success in simulating atmospheric expo-
sure is often a concern, especially when determining
the time scale to which the accelerated tests could
be related. Accelerated corrosion testing, which often
focuses on the electrochemical reactions that occur
during corrosion, has been universally accepted as a
useful tool in predicting the long-term service life of
a metal. Although visual and mass-loss methods for
the evolution of corrosion are the standard and their
use is imperative, a method that would correlate time
scales between atmospheric exposure and accelerated
testing in terms of thickness reduction would be very
valuable, particularly when considering weathering
steel.
† Trade name.
820
09CuPCrNi (ASTM A606) weathering steel, a kind
of low-cost weathering steel exploited in China, has
been widely used in railways or vehicles because of its
anti-corrosion performance.25 Because of strength at
yield of about 350 MPa, it can be used to replace con-
crete in bridges, reducing the cost of corrosion moni-
toring. However, what about the weatherability and
service life of 09CuPCrNi weathering steel, when used
in bridges in an industrial atmospheric environment?
In this study, surface characterization techniques and
kinetic methods were used to interpret the chemical
changes occurring in 09CuPCrNi weathering steel
when using accelerated corrosion conditions (in simu-
lated industrial atmosphere). The comparison with
atmospheric conditions aimed at finding a time scale
correlation between the indoor accelerated corrosion
and long-term atmospheric corrosion. The correlation
between indoor accelerated corrosion in simulated
industrial atmospheric conditions and corrosion in
the atmospheric stations of Beijing, Jiangjin, and
Guangzhou (China) is presented. The service life in
terms of thickness reduction is predicted according to
those correlation models.
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
Materials Preparation
Commercial 09CuPCrNi weathering bare steel
with typical pearlite and ferrite microstructure, pro-
duced by Wuhan Iron and Steel (Group) Corporation
(Wuhan Hubei, China), was used as the test mate-
rial. Its composition is listed in Table 1. Specimens
were cut with dimensions 40 by 60 by 5 mm and 20
by 20 by 5 mm for corrosion tests and observation
of the corrosion products located at the surface or in
the cross section, respectively. The specimens were
abraded with 800 grade emery paper, cleaned with
distilled water, and rinsed with acetone (CH3COCH3).
Wet/Dry Cyclic Immersion Corrosion Test
The wet/dry cycle immersion corrosion test was
used to investigate the corrosion kinetics of 09CuP-
CrNi weathering steel in simulated industrial atmo-
sphere according to standard GB/T 19746-2005.26
The procedure consisted of the following:
—Weigh the pristine specimens (each group of
experiment including five samples).
—Place those specimens into an EA-08† experi-
mental chamber (made by Beijing University of
Science and Technology), which was maintained
at 45±2°C and 70%±5% relative humidity.
—Run the wet/dry cyclic immersion test: each
dry/wet cycle consisted of a 12 min wetting
period and a 48 min drying period. A solution
containing 0.01 mol/L of sodium hydrogen sul-
fite (NaHSO3) was used as corrosive medium,
and 0.02 mol/L of NaHSO3 was added into the
experimental solution every day to compensate
CORROSION—AUGUST 2014
 CORROSION SCIENCE

for its consumption. In addition, pH was ad-

justed at 4.4 to 4.8 by adding sodium hydroxide
(NaOH).
—Specimens were taken out of the chamber at
24, 48, 96, 192, 384, and 768 h, respectively.
The corrosion products located at the surface
of the specimens were removed chemically by
immersion at room temperature in a solution
containing 500 mL of hydrochloric acid (HCl),
500 mL of distilled water, and 3.5 g of hexa-
methylenetetramine (C6H12N4), with vigorous
stirring for ~10 min. After removal of the corro-
sion products, the specimens were rinsed with
distilled water, dried in warm air, and then
weighed to determine the mass reduction. FIGURE 1. Average weight-loss rate of 09CuPCrNi weathering
—Calculate the average corrosion rate for five steel in the simulated industrial atmosphere as a function of
samples according to standard GB/T 19746- immersion time.
2005.

Analysis of the Rust

The scraped rust was ground into a fine powder
with a mortar and a pestle, and then characterized
by the x-ray diffraction (XRD) technique, using a
Shinadzu XRD-6000† diffractometer. Cu Kα was used
as incident radiation. To compare the differences in
intensity between different spectra, the weight of rust
powder was kept the same for each analysis. Raman
spectroscopy was also used to determine the rust
composition. Raman spectroscopy was carried out
using a Horiba Lab RAM ARANIS† spectrometer, fitted
with a charge-coupled device (CCD) detector. All the
powder samples were analyzed with a 532 nm, 50 mW
laser between 200 cm–1 and 2,000 cm–1. The evolution
of the morphology of the rust layer at a macroscopic
scale was observed with an optical camera. The cross
section of the layer of rust was characterized using
field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM,
FEI Nova400† NanoSEM).
RESULTS
Indoor Accelerated Corrosion Rate
of 09CuPCrNi Weathering Steel
Figure 1 shows the average weight loss of 09CuP-
CrNi weathering steel as a function of the cyclic im-
mersion time in a simulated industrial atmosphere.
The average weight loss increased gradually with an
increase of the cyclic immersion time. Furthermore,
the increase in weight loss was sharp in the early
stage, but low after 8 days. To identify clearly the
different corrosion mechanisms taking place for the
different stages, Figure 2 shows the corrosion rate
(g/m2·h–1) of 09CuPCrNi weathering steel during the
whole cyclic immersion process as a function of im-
mersion time. Regarding the indoor accelerated con-
ditions, the corrosion rate of 09CuPCrNi weathering
steel exhibited an increase first, and then decreased
after 8 days.
FIGURE 2. Average corrosion rate of 09CuPCrNi in the simulated
industrial atmosphere as a function of immersion time.
Characterization of the Rust
Surface Topography of the Layer of Rust — Figure
3 displays the evolution of the topography of a layer of
rust at the surface of 09CuPCrNi weathering steel in a
simulated industrial atmosphere. After one day, there
was a little reddish brown corrosion product at the
surface of steel, but it was obvious that two layers of
different corrosion products were present. The outer
layer was rusty (a color like orange red), and the inner
layer was black. After 8 days, the color of all corrosion
products became black. Up to the 16th day, black cor-
rosion products aggregated into large particles, and
then, until the 32nd day, the color of the corrosion
products changed to yellowish brown again. Finally,
the outer layer further refined and became smaller
and smaller, and denser and denser, after 64 days.
Cross-Sectional Morphologies of the Layer
of Rust — Figure 4 shows the changes in the cross-
sectional morphologies of the layer of rust generated
at the surface of 09CuPCrNi weathering steel in a
simulated industrial atmosphere. The thickness of

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CORROSION SCIENCE
FIGURE 3. Surface topography of the rust layer of 09CuPCrNi in simulated industrial atmosphere at different cyclic
immersion times.
FIGURE 4. Cross-sectional morphologies’ evolution of the rust layer on 09CuPCrNi weathering steel in simulated
industrial atmosphere.
the rust layer gradually increased with the cyclic im-
mersion time. On the 8th and 16th days, the layer of
rust was loose and porous, but continuous. On the
32nd and 64th days of immersion, the layers of rust
were compact and adherent to the steel substrate
compared to that of the 8th and 16th day samples.
Particularly, on the 64th day, no tiny crack could
be observed. Usually, a compact and adherent inner
layer of rust at the surface of steel is responsible for
its improved corrosion resistance.8 So, after 8 days of
cyclic immersion corrosion, a continuous layer of rust
formed and its barrier properties improved, contribut-
ing to the decreased corrosion rate shown in Figure 2.
It can be concluded from Figures 1, 2, and 4 that the
formation of a protective inner layer of rust on 09CuP-
822
CrNi weathering steel after 8 days was responsible for
the transition in corrosion rate (Figure 2).
Composition of the Rust in Powder Form — It is
well known that the rust forming on steels under at-
mospheric corrosion is composed of small amounts of
α-FeOOH, γ-FeOOH, and Fe3O4, and large amounts of
an amorphous phase, which does not result in a well-
defined Bragg peak.1,27 Figure 5 shows the XRD pat-
terns of rust formed on 09CuPCrNi weathering steel
during the indoor accelerated test with the simulated
industrial atmosphere. In the range 2θ = 30° to 40°,
the peaks corresponded to the overlapping of several
phases,18,28 and that is why no phase was actually
marked. Goethite (α-FeOOH), lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH),
and conductive magnetite (Fe3O4) peaks were detected
CORROSION—AUGUST 2014

FIGURE 5. Evolution of the XRD patterns of the powdered rust on
09CuPCrNi weathering steel in the simulated industrial atmosphere
as a function of immersion time.
in all samples. It can be found from Figure 5 that
the relative intensity of the peak corresponding to
α-FeOOH increased, and the relative intensity of the
peak corresponding to Fe3O4 decreased with increas-
ing immersion time. The intensity of the peak corre-
sponding to γ-FeOOH did not change dramatically.
Therefore, the composite of the rust during the initial
stage of corrosion, i.e., after 4 days or 8 days, contains
relatively higher amounts of Fe3O4 and lower amounts
of α-FeOOH, which explained the black color of the
layer of rust shown in Figure 3. The relatively lower
intensities after 32 days of immersion for all phases
would probably be because of the less crystallization
of the rust during the second stage.18 In addition, dur-
ing the second stage of corrosion (after 8 days), the
rust contains relatively higher amounts of α-FeOOH
but lower amounts of Fe3O4.
The Raman spectra of the layer of rust taken at
different cyclic immersion times are shown in Figure
6. During the initial stage of corrosion, i.e., 2 days
and 8 days of immersion, typical peaks of amorphous
FeOOH at about 550 cm–1, with the most intense
bands at 245 cm–1, 375 cm–1, and 1,308 cm–1, and
of conductive magnetite (Fe3O4) at about 660 cm–1
and 1,322 cm–1, were found. It agreed with previ-
ous work.29-33 In addition, a peak at about 299 cm–1
related to α-FeOOH was also found. After 16 days
of immersion, peaks corresponding to α-FeOOH at
about 385 cm–1 and 479 cm–1 were observed, and their
intensity increased with longer immersion times. It
correlated to the results obtained from XRD spectra
(Figure 5). It can be stated that the α-FeOOH, which
looks like globular structures also called “cotton balls”
(semicrystalline goethite), and interconnected by the
formation of nests or even like acicular structures
CORROSION—Vol. 70, No. 8
CORROSION SCIENCE
FIGURE 6. Evolution of Raman spectra of the rust layers on
09CuPCrNi weathering steel in the simulated industrial atmosphere
as a function of immersion time.
(crystalline goethite), possesses a superior ability for
the protection against atmospheric corrosives than
that of lepidocrocite (γ-FeOOH with fine plates or flow-
ery structures).8,33 Therefore, the changes in the XRD
and Raman spectra demonstrated that the increased
relative amount of α-FeOOH and decreased rela-
tive amount of conductive Fe3O4 were related to the
decreased corrosion rate during the second stage of
corrosion. All the results regarding the morphology of
the corrosion products, their phase identity, and their
structure were consistent with those of Yamashita, et
al.8 They reported that a large amount of rust formed
on weathering steel when exposed to industrial atmo-
spheric conditions and that it was constituted of two
layers, with a stable and protective inner layer mainly
consisting of nano-particles of α-FeOOH transformed
from γ-FeOOH.8
DISCUSSION
Analysis of the Accelerated Corrosion Kinetics
of 09CuPCrNi Weathering Steel
According to field tests,17-18 the corrosion kinetics
in atmospheric conditions follows Equation (1). Data
obtained from different environments can be fitted us-
ing this empirical equation, to predict the corrosion
behavior of steel during extended exposure times.
However, when it comes to this method, investigations
have been focused mainly on the variation of A and n
values, while information about kinetics and mecha-
nisms have been more or less neglected.3 Townsend
823
CORROSION SCIENCE
FIGURE 7. Bilogarithmic plots of data points from Figure 1.
and Zoccola34 proposed a method to analyze corrosion
data using linear regression for a log-log plot of weight
loss vs. exposure time. Although this method does
not provide details about the kinetics of the differ-
ent mechanisms, such as the most influential factor
and the detailed corrosion mechanism, it still can be
used effectively to investigate the changes in the rate
of corrosion in atmospheric conditions and corrosion
tendency.3
Figure 7 reproduces the results presented in
Figure 1 by plotting the reduction in thickness of
09CuPCrNi steel in function of the immersion time in
log-log coordinates. The reduction in thickness (μm) of
09CuPCrNi weathering steel can be calculated using
the following Equation (2):
W × 10 –6
D=
ρ 2 days, and 4 days]) by the drying of the aqueous film,
where DIndoor is reduction in thickness (mm), W is the
weight loss (g/m2), and ρ is the density of the steel
(7.86×10–3 g·mm–3). It was obvious that the whole cor-
rosion process of 09CuPCrNi in a simulated industrial
atmosphere could be divided into two corrosion stages:
with a higher and a lower slope, respectively. The
transition point was located at approximately 8 days.
These two segments could be fitted by Equation (3)
derived from Equation (1) using OriginPro 8.0† software.
The Equations (4) and (5) obtained were as follows:
log D = log A + n log t
For the first corrosion stage:
log DIndoor × 103 = 0.3690+1.2710 log t t≤8
For the second corrosion stage:
log DIndoor × 103 = 0.9004+0.7052 log t t>8
824
The n value in Equation (3) reflects the characteristic
of the corrosion kinetics; that is to say, n<1 means a
corrosion deceleration process, n>1 means a corrosion
acceleration process, and n=1 means the corrosion is
at a constant rate.3,18,27 Based on Equation (4), for the
first stage, the value of n was more than 1, indicating
an acceleration process. Regarding the second stage
(Equation [5]), the value of n was less than 1, implying
a corrosion deceleration process. This implied that the
acceleration corrosion tendency of the steel during the
first stage was related to the reduction in thickness of
the layer of rust and that the deceleration corrosion
tendency of the steel during the second stage was re-
lated to the characteristics of the rust layer. This will
be further discussed in the following sections.
Corrosion Mechanism
In a simulated industrial atmosphere with a solu-
tion of 0.01 mol/L NaHSO3, the changes in the steel
corrosion mechanism include many reaction steps at
different corrosion stages. For the bare sample, the
anodic dissolution of steel and the cathodic reduction
of dissolved oxygen dominated the corrosion process;
the reactions were as follows:
Anodic reaction (dissolution of Fe in steel):
→ Fe2+ + 2e–
Fe  (6)
Cathodic reaction (reduction of oxygen):
1/2O2 + 2H+ + 2e– → H2O (7)
During the first days, the dissolved ferrous ions
were hydrolyzed into FeSO4.xH2O, which could be oxi-
dized into reddish brown γ-FeOOH (Figure 3 [1 day,
(2)
as described in the following reactions:
HSO3– (aq) + 1/2O2 → SO2–
4  + H
+
(8)
Fe2+ + SO2–
4  (aq) + xH2O → FeSO4.xH2O (9)
FeSO4·xH2O + O2 + (6-4x) H2O →
(10)
   4 g-FeOOH + 4H2SO4
On one hand, sulfuric acid (H2SO4) produced
during the corroding process caused the pH value to
decrease (pH value was monitored during the whole
(3) experiment, and always maintained between 4.4 to
4.8), and the cyclic reaction involving ferric sulfate
hydroxide (FeSO4·xH2O) and γ-FeOOH made the insol-
uble corrosion product unstable. On the other hand,
(4) γ-FeOOH could be transformed into yellowish brown
α-FeOOH, and could be reduced back into black Fe3O4
(Figures 3 through 8[d] and 16[d]) as the corrosion
process continued,4,6,35-36 according to the following
(5) reactions:
CORROSION—AUGUST 2014

γ-FeOOH → α-FeOOH (11)
Fe2+ + 8FeOOH + 2e– → 3Fe3O4 + 4H2O (12)
Black Fe3O4 was further oxidized and transformed
into yellowish brown α-FeOOH (Figure 3 [32 days and
64 days]) according to Reaction (13):
3Fe3O4 + 3/4O2 + 9/2H2O → 9 α-FeOOH (13)
The dissolution of corrosion products and the layer
of rust participating in the cathodic reaction should
both be responsible for the average corrosion rate in-
creasing in the first corrosion stage, as indicated in
Figure 2. However, with the formation of α-FeOOH in
the layer of rust after 8 days of cyclic immersion dur-
ing the second stage of corrosion, the layer of rust got
thicker and the wet/dry cycles contributed to cracking,
especially in the inner layer such as shown in Figure 4.
The cracking in the layer of rust facilitates the trans-
portation of the corrosive electrolyte from the outer
layer to the inner layer, leading to a continuous in-
crease of the weight-loss rate (Figure 1). However, the
corrosion could have been inhibited by the barrier ef-
fect of the thick and compact layer of rust. In addition,
the cracking at small scale can be stopped, because of
the self-healing ability of the protective inner layer of
rust during the subsequent corrosion process, contrib-
uting to the decrease of the corrosion rate (Figure 2).
Service Life Prediction
Corrosion Kinetics of 09CuPCrNi Weathering Steel
in Atmospheric Conditions — The data of 16 years re-
garding the corrosion in the atmospheric condition of
09CuPCrNi weathering steel in the cities of Beijing,
Jiangjin, and Guangzhou, which can be considered as
typical industrial atmospheric environments in China,
were collected from the science data sharing service
network of the National Environmental Corrosion
(Aging) State of China and development center of
Wuhan Iron and Steel (Group) Corporation. The log-
log plots of weight loss vs. exposure time correspond-
ing to 09CuPCrNi weathering steel are shown in
Figure 8. It was obvious that all the log-log plots cor-
responding to the three different test sites appeared
linear. The equation of the fitting curves (14), (15),
and (16) using Equation (3) and the associated corre-
lation coefficient (R2) were also shown in Figure 8.
log(DBeijing) = –1.5680+0.3245 log TBeijing (14)
log(DJiangjin) = –1.2517+0.3886 log TJiangjin (15)
log(DGuangzhou) = –1.3618+0.3796 log TGuangzhou (16)
where DAtmosphere is the reduction in thickness (mm) and
T is the exposure time to atmospheric condition (years).
CORROSION—Vol. 70, No. 8
CORROSION SCIENCE
FIGURE 8. Atmosphere corrosion kinetics curves of 09CuPCrNi
weathering steel at three atmospheric corrosion stations of China.
Correlation Between Indoor Accelerated Corrosion
and Corrosion in Atmospheric Condition — When the
corrosion depth in samples exposed to indoor acceler-
ated corrosion and in atmospheric condition is the
same (i.e., DIndoor = DAtmosphere), the time scale relation-
ship between indoor accelerated corrosion and corro-
sion in an atmospheric condition could be built. The
corrosion resistance of weathering steel is often dem-
onstrated after protective rust formation. Taking the
two corrosion stages of indoor accelerated test into
account, the kinetic model of the second stage of cor-
rosion, based on Equation (5), was used to build the
correlation between indoor accelerated corrosion and
corrosion in atmospheric conditions. For example:
–2.0996+0.7052 log t = –1.5680+0.3245 log TBeijing (17)
–2.0996+0.7052 log t = –1.2517+0.3886 log TJiangjin (18)
–2.0996+0.7052 log t = –1.3618+0.3796 log TGuangzhou (19)
The correlation model for the 09CuPCrNi weathering
steel between corrosion in atmospheric conditions at
Beijing, Jiangjin, and Guangzhou stations and indoor
accelerated corrosion calculated from the above three
equations are depicted in the following three equations:
TBeijing = 10–1.6382t12.1732 (20)
TJiangjin = 10–2.1819t11.8147 (21)
TGuangzhou = 10–1.9436t11.8577 (22)
According to Equations (20) through (22), the
exposure times in atmospheric condition at Beijing,
Jiangjin, and Guangzhou corresponding to indoor ac-
celerated corrosion period for 09CuPCrNi weathering
steel were calculated. They were reported in Table 2. It
is obvious that the corrosion time in atmospheric con-
825
CORROSION SCIENCE
TABLE 2
Corresponding Time of Indoor Accelerated Corrosion
to Atmospheric Corrosion of 09CuPCrNi Steel
in Three Different Atmospheric Environments
   t1 (days) 8 16 32 64
TBeijing (years) 2.1104 9.5189 42.9332 193.6378
TJiangjin (years) 0.2866 1.0077   3.5449 12.471
TGuangzhou (years) 0.5422 1.9652   7.1227 25.8145
TABLE 3
Estimating Value of Corrosion Depth of 09CuPCrNi
Weathering Steel for 100 Years’ Application
Cyclic
Immersion Corrosion
Steel Atmospheric Time Depth
Sample Corrosion (day) (mm)
Beijing   47 0.12__
09CuPCrNi-A Jiangjin 199 0.3312
Guangzhou 131 0.2473
dition corresponding to a given cyclic immersion time
was different for different climates and atmosphere
compositions. For example, Jingjin, with a humid and
acid rainy climate, demonstrated to be the most cor-
rosive environment. Beijing, with a dry climate, was
the least corrosive environment. Guangzhou was in
between. Therefore, the simulated industrial atmo-
sphere indoor accelerated method using 0.01 mol/L
of NaHSO3 presented a better accelerated effect for
Beijing atmospheric environment. But, for Jiangjin
and Guangzhou atmospheric environments, it is un-
suitable to predict the long-term service life of 09CuP-
CrNi steel using the result of the short-term indoor
accelerated test.
Estimating the Reduction in the Thickness of
09CuPCrNi Steel — Considering that a deadline would
be 100 years of use, the reduction in the thickness of
09CuPCrNi steel can be calculated using the correla-
tion established before. Table 3 reported the estimated
value for the corrosion depth in 09CuPCrNi weather-
ing steel in different environments after 100 years. It
is clear that 199 days’ and 131 days’ indoor acceler-
ated corrosion for Jiangjin and Guangzhou, respec-
tively, has deviated from the experimental range of
64 days, only 47 days for Beijing is in the experimen-
tal range. In Beijing (dry climate and with slight corro-
sion), it was only about 0.12 mm per side. Based on
those estimates, the level of reduction in the thickness
of steel is too short to affect stability of a steel struc-
ture.6,21 So, if uniform corrosion is the only type of
corrosion considered in industrial atmospheric envi-
ronments, it is possible to use bare 09CuPCrNi weath-
ering steel for the construction of a bridge in dry
climate and with slight corrosion similar to Beijing by
designing corrosion allowance and controlling the
thickness of the steel plates.
826
CONCLUSIONS
v  The indoor accelerated corrosion process of 09CuP-
CrNi weathering steel, in a simulated industrial
atmosphere, could be divided into two stages. The
corrosion kinetics indicated that the corrosion rate
increased with the cyclic immersion time in the first
stage, but decreased in the second stage, and that it
was closely related to the characteristics of the layer
of rust. A protective inner layer formed during the sec-
ond corrosion stage.
v  Correlation models for 09CuPCrNi weathering steel
between corrosion in an atmosphere condition at
Beijing, Jiangjin, and Guangzhou, and indoor ac-
celerated corrosion were built and corresponded to
the following equations. Compared with Jiangjin and
Guangzhou atmospheric environments, the simulated
industrial atmosphere indoor accelerated method us-
ing 0.01 mol/L of NaHSO3 presented a better acceler-
ated effect for the Beijing atmospheric environment.
TBeijing = 10–1.6382t12.1732
TJiangjin = 10–2.1819t11.8147
TGuangzhou = 10–1.9436t11.8577
v  In the dry climate and slightly corrosive atmo-
sphere environment, 09CuPCrNi weathering steel can
be used directly to build bridges with a semi-eternal
service life at the lowest life cycle cost. It is necessary
to take into account the reduction in weight loss due
to corrosion to occur during prolonged periods of ser-
vice life and to control the thickness of steel plates.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The investigation was supported by the National
Natural Science Foundation of China under Contract
no. 51201119. Frederic Vautard is sincerely thanked
for his assistance in proofreading and editing this
manuscript.
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