SOILS AND FOUNDATIONS Vol. 22, No. 3, Sept.

1982
Japanese Society of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering

CORROSION OF STEEL PILES DRIVEN IN SOIL DEPOSITS

Y ORIHIKO 0HSAKI*

ABSTRACT
About 130 steel piles of 15m length with L-shaped cross-section were driven into natural
soil deposits at 10 stations for corrosion tests under a wide variety of soil conditions. Prior
to driving, thicknesses of the test piles were measured and physical, chemical and electro-
chemical characteristics of the soil deposits were investigated. The piles were withdrawn
approximately 2, 5, and 10 years after driving and the corrosion rates were evaluated.
The test results obtained in this 10 years research indicate that
( 1) the withdrawn piles were generally in excellent condition, corrosion effects were
minimal and independent of soil condition,
( 2) the average corrosion rate was approximately 0. 01 mmfyear per both faces of a pile
over the period of 10 years,
( 3) the corrosion of the inner face of a pipe pile seems to be the same as the outer face,
( 4) it is difficult to find any particular soil parameter which influenced the corrosion rate
most decisively, and
( 5) any effect on corrosion of steel composition (mild steel, copper-bearing steel or
weathering steel), cathodic protection or protection by painting was not evident. Influences
of welding, cold-working, and underground electric leakage current were insignificant.

Key words : ~orrosjQ!!_, design, :field test, natural ground, pile, statistical analysis, steel
(IGC : D 2/C 8/H 1)

lich, 1950; Kinson and Eadie, 1980; Roma-

INTRODUCTION
Corrosion of steel piles is one of the most
important and unsolved problems in the
:field of foundation engineering; the possi-
bility and extent of corrosion have always
aroused questions and anxieties whenever the
use of a load-bearing steel pile foundation
is considered for a structure. While abundant
data on the corrosion of steel and other
metallic materials are available from labora-
tory tests on disturbed soil samples, infor-
mation (Bjerrum, 1957; Eadie, 1977; Greu-
noff, 1962; Wilson et al., 1973) on the corro-
sion of steel piles driven in natural, undis-
turbed soils is inadequate. Information,
however, has been obtained from observa-
tions and measurements on extracted or
excavated steel piles which had been in
actual service for a known period but, to
the knowledge of the author, controlled
tests with pre-measured test piles are still
very few.
Under these circumstances, it was the
intention of this research project to make

* Professor, University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo.

Manuscript was received for review on December 1, 1981.
Written discussions on this paper should be submitted before July 1, 1983.

This is an Open Access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license.

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 58 OHSAKI

{a) TEST PILE

L lOOxlOO TEST PILES
As the standard test specimen in this
research, a steel pile of 15m length with
L-shaped cross-section of 100 x 100 mm, as
shown in Fig. 1(a), was used. The nominal
thickness was 9 or 10 mm, and the material
was primarily SS 41, Japanese Industrial
Standard (P<O. 05%, S<O. 05%, yield point
>25 kgfmm 2, tensile strength=41,.....__52 kg/
E
0
1,()
mm 2). Millscale was present on the surface.
While pipe piles and H-piles are used
almost exclusively for actual steel pile
foundations, an L-shaped cross-section was
chosen for research purposes since thickness
measurements with a micrometer are easy
and most accurate in this case. A smaller
size than actual piles was adopted to avoid
difficulty in withdrawal after many years in
the soil. The pile was not rolled to L-
Fig.l. Test pile shape, but was formed by bending a steel
plate in order to detect any effect of cold-
working upon corrosion. This method of
construction avoids the non-uniform sections
. of conventional L-shapes. Additionally the
test piles of 15m length were fabricated
from five pieces of 3m length by arc weld-
ing to investigate corrosion behavior at and
around the welded joints. Photo. 1 shows a
general view of a test pile before welding.
Fifteen measurement zones of 100 mm
width were assigned to the surface of the
test piles at an interval of 1m, and marked
by red paint, as shown in Fig. 1(b).
The total number of test piles used in this
research was 126, and the total length
amounted to 1. 93 km.

DRIVING OF TEST PILES

Photo.l. General view of test pile
visual examinations and thickness measure-
ments of corrosion losses of actual steel piles,
driven in natural soil deposits at different
locations in a wide variety of soil conditions.
Based on the test results, it was desired to
evaluate corrosion rates and to identify any
soil parameters which affect the extent of
corrosion.
Prior to driving the test piles, the thick-
nesses were carefully measured with a
micrometer at 20 or 40 points within each
measurement zone, and their mean value and
standard deviation were calculated.
Ten sites were selected as shown in Fig. 2
and in Table 1, widely spread over the whole
country and, in general, of soil conditions
likely to be corrosive. A bore was drilled

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 CORROSION OF STEEL PILES 59

Table 1. List of test stations

Station Location Soil Conditions Number of
No. Test Piles Test Items

1 Tokyo Alluvial clay 9 Corrosion of SS 41

Corrosion of SS 41
2 Okayama Coastal reclaimed soils 12 Corrosion of copper steel
Effect of cathodic protection
(impressed current system)

3 Hiroshima Two-layers of sand and silt 10 Corrosion of SS 41

4 Kanagawa Uniformly deposited loam 9 Corrosion of SS 41
Corrosion of SS 41
Corrosion of weathering steel
5 Hyogo Coastal reclaimed soils 15
Corrosion of welded joints
Influence of underground current
Corrosion of SS 41
6 Tokyo Gravel layer 9
Influence of ground-water flow
Corrosion of SS 41
7 Tokyo Alternation of sand and clay 12 Influence of leakage current from electric
layers railway
Effect of protection by painting

1l Akita Lake-side reclaimed soils 9 Corrosion of SS 41

Alternation of sand and silt Corrosion of SK 41

9 Saitama 11
layers Inside corrosion of pipe pile
Corrosion of SS 41
Influence of reinforcing bars in concrete
10 Okayama Coastal reclaimed soils 30 footing
Effect of cathodic protection
(sacrificial anodes system)

STATION N0.8 - - - - - . .
HACHIROGATA RECLAIMED
LAND
STATION N0.9 - - - - - - - . .
TAKESATO HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
JAPAN HOUSING CORPORATION
STATION N0.7 - - - - - - - - - - .
TAKENOTSUKA HOUSING DEVELOP~1ENT
JAPAN HOUSING CORPORATION
STATION N0.6 - - - - - . .
KAJIMA INSTITUTE OF
CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY

STATION N0.10 -------..

MIZUSHIMA IRON WORKS
KAWASAKI STEEL CORP.

STATION N0.3 - - - - - . . .
ENGINEERING CAMPUS
HIROSHIMA UNIVERSITY

STATION N0.1
UMAYABASHI SUBSTATION
TOKYO ELECTRIC POWER CO.
STATION N0.4
SAGAMIHARA RESEARCH INST.
NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
STATION N0.5
AMAGASAKI STEAM-POWER PLANT
KANSAI ELECTRIC POWER CO.

Fig. 2. Test stations

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 60
Photo. 2. Surface of test pile at 10
years after driving
at each site, the formation of soil deposit
was investigated in detail and properties of
the soils (penetration test, electric resis-
tivity, depolarization, hydrogen-ion concentra-
tion) were measured at different depths in
the bore hole.
The test piles were driven in the years
1962 to 1966 with a drop hammer. The
number of test piles at each site, general
soil conditions, and primary test items are
tabulated in Table 1.
WITHDRAWAL OF TEST PILES
One-third of the test piles at each station
were withdrawn and measured approximately
two years after driving, as previously re-
ported (Ohsaki, 1969). A further one-third
were withdrawn approximately five years
from the time of driving and results of
observations and measurements were pub-
lished in an interim report (Ohsaki, 1972).
The remaining one-third of the test piles
were withdrawn during 197 4 to 1975 approxi-
mately ten years after driving. The present
paper primarily concerns the results of
examination and measurements of corrosion
rates with respect to these test piles.
The test piles were withdrawn by means
of oil-jacks or a crane. Immediately after
withdrawal, they were water-washed, care-
ORSAKI
fully examined and photographed.
In general, piles were in excellent condi-
tion and, except a portion in the aerated
topsoil, millscale was still present almost
over the whole length of the test pile.
Photo. 2 is an example showing the surface
of a test pile withdrawn after ten years
exposure to a soil deposit.
EVALUATION OF CORROSION RATE
Piles were transported to the laboratory,
and each measurement zone cleaned for
three minutes with a powered, rotating wire
brush. This had previously been shown to be
adequate to remove all corrosion products
from the surface of a steel pile without
abrading the intact material.
Thicknesses at every measurement zone
were measured with a micrometer. Measure-
ments prior to driving and after withdrawal
were all performed with the same micrometer
and by the same person to avoid both
instrumental and personal errors. The repeat-
ed measurement-tests established that satis-
factory accuracy could be warranted to two
places of decimals in millimeters. Thicknesses
were measured at 20 or 40 points in each
measurement zone, and their mean value and
standard deviation were calculated. Let
x 0 : mean value of thicknesses in a meas-
urement zone prior to driving in mil-
limeters
x : mean value of thicknesses in the same
zone after withdrawal in millimeters
T : time from driving to withdrawal in
years
then, the difference of averaged thicknesses
at driving and withdrawal 1s
AX=X0 -x ( 1)
and the corrosion rate is represented by
v=Ax/T (2)
in millimeters/year per both faces.
However, there is an inevitable scatter of
individual values of measured thickness and
it is necessary to test whether the difference
between two mean values is statistically
significant or has merely resulted from the
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 CORROSION OF STEEL PILES
Table 2. Percentages of significance
level (%)
Withdrawal *** I ** Total
1st 51 32 17 100
2nd 80 13 7 100
3rd 77 15 8 100
~~------·--
scatter of measured values. In the latter
case no conclusions can be drawn concerning
the effect of corrosion. The Student t-test
(Walpole and Myers, 1978) was used to
assess the significance of the data. The
probability P that the differences in the
means could have arisen from random varia-
tions in the data was obtained in the usual
way.
As the level of significance, the following
values and symbols are used in this paper:
0. 001>P significant
0. 1 > P>O. 001 significance
questionable
***}
P>0.1 insignificant ***
(3)
The percentages of significant levels in all
measurement zones were as tabulated in
Table 2 for each withdrawal time. Only
the three-starred, significant corrosion rates
were adopted to base analyses and discussions
upon as reliable data as possible.
As a consequence many small values of
corrosion rate were discarded in the analyses,
resulting in conservative conclusions regard-
ing the corrosion rates.
The t-distribution test was also utilized
for comparison of different pile materials,
for assessment of the effects of cathodic
protection and other factors.
TEST STATIONS AND TEST RESULTS
Soil conditions, specific test items, results
of visual examination of pile surfaces at the
third withdrawal, and measured values of
the corrosion rate during the exposure period
at each test station are briefly described in
this chapter. The corrosion rates are ex-
pressed in millimeters/year/both-faces and are
illustrated in a diagram showing their varia-
tion with depth. The ground water table is
61
also represented in the same diagram using
a symbol WT.
Station No.1 : Umayabashi Substation, Tokyo
Electric Power Co., Tokyo
Corrosion patterns were examined in
extremely soft, silty soils, a typical forma-
tion encountered in the alluvial plain
in downtown Tokyo. Visual examination
showed almost no change in appearance on
the surfaces of withdrawn piles from that
before driving, except that the portion
within approximately 2m of the ground
surface was covered with a reddish rust,
millscale fell off and the steel surface was
rather rounded at the corner and edges of
the L-shaped cross-section (Photo. 2). Such
an appearance was observed not only at this
station but was common to almost all with-
drawn test piles at all stations. No partic-
ular behavior was observed at the welded
joints.
The corrosion rates were minimal at the
top and extremely small over the rest of
the piles as seen in Fig. 3. No increase of
corrosivity can be seen near the boundary
between the silt and sand layers.
Station No.2: Mizushima Iron Works,
Kawasaki Steel Corporation, Okayama
The site has recently been reclaimed from
the sea and the soil profile indicates a com-
plicated formation of sea-bottom materials.
Because of the short time after reclama-
tion, ground subsidence took place over the
entire site and, as a consequence, the test
piles projected above the ground surface by
approximately 1. 5 m at the time of the
final withdrawal. The projecting part was
severely corroded and, after the wire-brush
cleaning of corrosion products, the corrosion
rates were found to be approximately equal
to 0. 03 mm/year; however, the remainder of
the piles were in excellent condition, as
shown in Fig. 4. The average corrosion rate
was 0. 0114 mmfyear, which was far less than
anticipated for the saline environment at
the station. No definite correlation exists
between the soil material and the corrosion
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 62 OHSAKI

STATION N0.1 UMAVABASHI SUBSTATION

STATION N0.2 MIZUSHIMA IRON WORKS
TOK\'0 ELECTRIC POWER CO.
KAWASAKI STEEL CORPORATION
DEPTH
(M)
SOIL I
0
CORROSION RATE (MM/YR)
.01 .02
] DEPTH
(M)
CORROSION RATE (MM/YR)
.01
WTI

z-
-

-
w SANDY
SILT 't> ...3..-

~<: SILT\'
4
4 -
,5~ SAND

!--
-_:--_
( 6

6 8
r=--=--
r-:::::::-
f---
8 - !-::::
_-_;:
l 10

-1-_-...:: 12
1--
10- ,_:-...:- SILT
~----=-
~---=-
14
r--...:::.
r---=-
12 - -:.._-_ 16
- r---=---
!--:.:-

14
~---=--
~-:::
-;:-~-
.i I
18

20
SAND
GRAVEL
~-~ i
Fig. 3. Corrosion rates at Station - SS41 -COPPER STEEL === CATHOD. PROTECT.
No.1
Fig. 4. Corrosion rates at Station
rate, and the latter was not unduly high No.2
even at the boundary between clayey soil and
Table 3. Effects of cathodic protection
sandy gravel around a depth of 17. 5 m,
(Impressed current system)
which had been anticipated to be the worst
condition. This was supported also by visual Material
Mean Corrosion Rate (mm/yr) ISignifi·
examination of the withdrawn piles. IUnprotected I Protected Difference
f cance

The test piles in this station were divided ss 41 I o. 0105 I o. 0084 I o. 0021 I **
into two groups; one group was unpro- Copper Steel 0. 0108 ~ 0. 0103-----~~~005 *
tected and the other had been under con-
Table 4. Effects of copper steel
trolled cathodic protection from an impressed
current system since the time of driving. The
Proteotion I
Mean Corrosion Rate (mmi;r) Signifi- I
two groups had been driven about 60 m SS 41 I Copper Steel IDifference cance

apart from each other; this distance was I -0.0003 I *

1

Unprotected I 0. 0105 0. 0108 1 .

found sufficient for the unprotected group Protected o. oo84 o. o103 1 - o. oo19 **
not to be influenced by the impressed current
on the protected group. The pile-to-soil Furthermore, the test piles were grouped
potential was maintained within the range in accordance with their material, i.e., car-
of -820 to -940 m V, exceeding the protec- bon steel (SS 41) or steel containing 0. 26%
tive potential of -770mV. On the other Cu. From Fig. 4 or Table 4, however, the
hand, measurement at the time of the copper constituent can be seen to have no
first withdrawal indicated that the poten- effect on the reduction of underground cor-
tials of unprotected piles were -660 to -670 rosion, or the effect is possibly adverse when
mV. cathodic protection is applied.
From a comparison of two groups in Fig. The oxidation-reduction (Redox) potentials
4 or in Table 3, it seems that a slight in the soil deposit were in the range of
effect only due to the cathodic protection +346 to +528 m V and corrosion by anaerobic
may be observed. bacteria was not anticipated.

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 CORROSION OF STEEL PILES 63

Station No.3 : Engineering Campus, Hiro- Table 5 Effect of weathering steel

shima University, Hiroshima Mean Corrosion Rate (mm/yr)
Significance
The soil deposit is of a distinct, two-
layered formation, i.e., the upper sand layer
SS 41
----o.oo87- - - - o. 0064 r-- o.
(Weathering Steeli Difference
0-02-3--+------*- -
and the lower silt layer with the water
1

table near the ground surface as shown in STATION N0.3 ENGINEERING CAMPUS
Fig. 5. As also shown in Fig. 5, the corrosion HIROSHIMA UNIVERSITY

rates were low over the entire length of the DEPTH CORROSION RATE (MM/YR)
(M) SOIL
piles, and no difference can be seen between 0 .01 .02 .03

the sandy and silty layers or at their bound-

ary.

Station No.4 : Sagamihara Research Insti-

tute, Nippon Steel Corporation, Kanagawa
The soil consists of a uniform layer of
Kanto-Loam, an aeolian deposit of volcanic
ash widely distributed in the area around
Tokyo. The ground water table was not
encountered within a depth of 15m.
As shown in Fig. 6, the corrosion rates
are, in general, small; however, in spite of
the complete uniformity of the soil deposit,
the corrosion rate vs. depth curves show
considerable variations.

Station No.5 : Amagasaki Steam-Power Fig. 5. Corrosion rates at Station

Plant, Kansai Electric Power Co., Hyogo No.3
The site has recently been reclaimed from
STATION N0.4 SAGAMIHARA RESEARCH 1NST.
the sea, and considerable underground elec- NIPPON STEEL CORPORATION
tric current is present from the generating
facilities. .03
In spite of the unfavorable conditions,
the corrosion rates were quite low, as shown
in Fig. 7. In addition, the corrosion rates
were rather uniform vertically despite the
complicated soil formation.
One-third of the test piles were made of
weathering steel (C;£0. 20%, Mn;£1. 00%,
Si;£0. 35%, P;£0. 05%, S;£0. 04%, Cu;£0. 25
%), and the remainder were carbon steel
(SS 41). The difference of corrosion rates
between these two materials is shown in
Table 5, which indicates that any benefit
from weathering steel is doubtful for subsoil
corrosion.
In general, the test pile of 15m was made
up of five pieces of 3m length, as mentioned
previously. However, for the test piles at Fig. 6. Corrosion rates at Station
this station only, two sub-pieces of 1. 5m No.4

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 64
STAT! ON NO.5 AMAGASAKI STEAM-POWER PLANT
KANSAI ELECTRIC POWER CO.
DEPTH CORROSION RATE (MM/YR)
SOIL
(M) .01 .02
8
10
14
---WEATHERING STEEL
Fig. 7. Corrosion rates at Station
No.5
Table 6. Comparison of corrosion rates
at welded and base portions
----:: : n c~~~I~ft~~n;,=r~;gn~.=:-
~-o_.o~j___o. oo!~_j __ o. 00_2!____
length were connected by arc-welding to
make up each piece of 3 m length. It will be
understood from Fig. 1(a) that the welded
joint comes to a position of one of the
measurement zones. The weld metal was
removed by grinding prior to driving until
the surface became flush with that of the
base. However, the grinder-finished surface
was not sufficiently smooth for quantitative
measurements as the standard deviation of
the measured thicknesses in all welded zones
was 0. 1187 mm, exceedingly large when
compared with 0. 0253 mm m the normal
zones.
The result of statistical comparison of
the corrosion rates indicates, as shown in
Table 6, that the mean rate in the welded
zones is larger than in the normal zones by
approximately 30%, but this apparent dif-
OHSAKI
STATION N0.6 KAJIMA INSTITUTE OF CONSTRUCTION
TECHNOLOGY
DEPTH CORROSION RATE (MM/YR)
SOIL
.03 (M) 0
RANGE OF GROUND
WATER LEVEL
Fig. 8. Corrosion rates at Station
No.6
ference is insignificant because of the large
scatter of thicknesses in the welded zones.
Station No.6: Kajima Institute of Construc-
tion Technology, Tokyo
1 The site is underlain by gravel and boulder
layers at 4 to 10m, where an abundant
ground water flow is encountered. The test
piles were thus exposed to a replenished
oxygen supply from the flowing ground
water; however, as shown in Fig. 8, the
corrosion rates in the water-flowing layers
were smaller than those in the upper loam
layers, and were about the same as the
rates in the lower silt layer, where the
water was supposedly stagnant.
The record of the underground hydrograph,
shown in Fig. 9, indicates that the level
of flowing water seasonally changes between
depths of approximately 7,....._,10 m. Thus, this
part of the length of the piles was alter-
nately subjected to wetting and drying, but
corrosion in the range was not serious.
Station No.7 : T akenotsuka Housing Develop-
ment, Japan Housing Corporation, Tokyo
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1966 1967 1968
HIGHEST LEVEL -6.8m
1Z
1970 1971 197Z
LOWEST LEVEL ·10.5 m
IZ
Fig. 9. Change of ground water level
The soil profile consists alternately of al-
luvial sand and clay layers. Twelve test
piles were driven in a line with a spacing
of 2m.
There is a railway line for DC electric
trains parallel to and approximately 30m
from the alignment, and leakage current was
anticipated to be present. The potential
gradients on the ground surface were
measured several times in two directions,
i.e., along and perpendicular to the align-
ment. The results indicated that the gradients
were larger in the perpendicular direction,
and were largest in the evening when the
traffic was busiest. In the evening, the mean
potential gradient was approximately 6 mV/
meter and the maximum value amounted to
more than 20m Vfmeter. The underground
potential gradients, which were measured
by using the bore-holes, were in the range
of one to several tenth of the values on the
ground surface.
These findings suggested that a considerable
amount of leakage current from the electric
railway was actually· present in the soil,
in which the test piles were driven.
However, as shown in Fig. 10, the cor-
rosion rate of only one test pile exceeded
0. 02 mmfyear at a shallow depth, but the
rates of the other parts of the same pile
and of the other two test piles were not
particularly large in comparison with the
rates at the other stations. Thus, the effect
CORROSION OF STEEL PILES 65
1969 1970 STATION N0.7 TAKENOTSUKA HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
JAPAN HOUSING CORPORATION
DEPTH CORROSION RATE {MM/YR)
{M) SOIL
0 .01 .02 .03
1973 1974
6 .>{.
8
10
12
14
---PAINTED
Fig.lO. Corrosion rates at
Station No.7
of leakage current might be regarded as
insignificant if the distance from a railway
is not less than approximately 30m.
One-fourth of the test piles at this station
were used to examine the effect of protection
by painting, for which millscale was com-
pletely removed by grit-blasting and coal
tar-epoxy resin was applied prior to driving.
The paint was three-layered and its total
thickness was approximately 450 microns.
As reported before (Ohsaki, 1969; Ohsaki,
1972), no difference in corrosion rate was
found between painted and unprotected piles
at the first withdrawal, and the painted pile
showed rather larger corrosion at the second
withdrawal.
At the final withdrawal, the paint came
off partially and the remaining ·paint could
readily be removed by wire-brushing. The
corrosion rates of the painted pile are as
shown in Fig. 10, and seem to be smaller
than the rates of unprotected piles. How-
ever, the difference is statistiCally insignif-
icant and, in addition, the part of the
painted pile below a depth of 6 m failed to
be withdrawn due to the break of a welded
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 66 OHSAKI

JOint. In view of these facts, it may be STATION N0.8 HACHIROGATA RECLAHlED

reasonable to conclude that painting, as used LAND
in this station, was not effective against
DEPTH CORROSION RATE ( Ml>'JYR)
SOIL
corrosion. (M) 0 .Gl . 02 .03

Station No.8: Hachirogata Reclaimed Land,

2
Akita
The site has been reclaimed from a lake
4
of brackish water. The measurement of
chloride ion content in the pore water at
the time of driving indicated that the salinity
was approximately one-tenth that of sea
8
water. The silty soil in the site was extreme-
ly soft, with an N-value in the standard
10
penetration test of zero down to a depth
of 16m.
12
The part of the test piles in the aerated
topsoil corroded noticeably; however, below 14
a depth of approximately 6 m, millscale was
still present and no sign of corrosion was
observed in spite of the saline underground Fig.ll. Corrosion rates at Station
environment. No.8
As shown in Fig. 11, the corrosion rates
are minimal and nearly uniform. L 100 X 100 X 9

Station No.9: Takesato Housing Develop- PIPE PILE

ment, Japan Housing Corporation, Saitama
The soil deposit consists of an upper layer
of dense sand and an underlying, extremely
soft, clayey-silt layer.
At this station, the inside corrosion of a pipe
pile was investigated by driving a standard
L-shaped test pile inside a pipe pile with
a diameter of 318 mm as shown in Fig. 12.
Then, both were connected by a steel wire,
so that the inner pile simulated corrosion
behavior of the inside surface of a pipe
pile. It has hitherto been assumed that the
corrosion of the inside surface would be
negligible as it is shielded from access of
oxygen and electrical influences from sur-
rounding soils.
Nevertheless, no difference m appearance
could be distiguished between the inner pile
and the other piles which were directly
exposed to the natural soil deposit.
The corrosion rates are as shown in Fig. 13.
Unfortunately, the part of the inner pile
below a depth of 3. 8 m was torn off and
Fig. 12. Test pile for examination
of inside corrosion
abandoned at withdrawal. Hence, the data
at the final withdrawal are not sufficient
for quantitative comment and, therefore,
the corrosion rates at the times of first and
second withdrawals are added to Fig. 13.
Fig. 13 and a statistical comparison in
Table 7 lead to a conclusion that there is no
significant difference in corrosiveness between
the outer and inner surfaces of a pipe pile.
Station No. 10: Mizushima Iron Works,
Kawasaki Steel Corporation, Okayama
The site is located several hundred meters

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 CORROSION OF STEEL PILES 67

STATION NO.9 TEKESATO HOUSING DEVELOPMENT, JAPAN HOUSING CORPORATION

CORROSION RATE (MM/YR)

DEPTH
(H) SOIL FIRST WITHDRAWAL SECOND WITHDRAWAL THIRD WITHDRAWAL
.02 .02 .03

.8

10

12

14

- - - - INSIDE
Fig.l3. Corrosion rates at Station No.9
Table 7. Comparison of corrosion rates at inner and outer
surfaces of pipe pile
Years after
Driving
I Mean Corro•ion Rate (mm/yr)
Significance
Outer Surface I Inner Surface I Difference
2.30 years 0. 0281 0. 0341 -0.0060 *
4.50years 0. 0276 0. 0312 -0.0036 *
9.36years 0.0062 0.0057 0. 0005 *

POTENTIOMF:TER

-----,I -------,I
I I
--------,
I
I
I I I
I I I

Fig. 15. Measurement of pile-to-soil

potential
from the site for Station No.2 towards a
hill-side and the top layer 1s filled with
Fig.l4. soils from a nearby mountain.
Test piles Some groups of four test piles were capped
with footing with reinforced concrete footings as shown
in Fig. 14, and the others were left bare
to investigate whether the reinforcing bars

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 68 OHSAKI

Table 8. Effects of reinforced concrete Table 9. Effects of cathodic protection

footing (Sacrificial anodes system)
- - ~ Meall. Corrosi~n Rate (mm/yr) I Years after! Mean Corrosion Rate (mm/yr) I Signifi-
Significance
With Footing I Without Footing Difference J ~~~~_:~-- ?np~otect~~- Protecte~J mr:_erenc:_l_ can:_
o. 0135 1 o. 0159 1 -o. oo24 1 ** 2. 02 years 0. 0252 0. 0266 -0.0014
5. 07 years 0. 0347 0. 0302 0. 0045 **
9. 29 years 0. 0135 0. 0106 0. 0029 ***
WITH ·FOOTING
1000 WITH ANODES
/ /~ v ~
~ STATION NO.lO MIZUSHIMA IRON WORKS
KA\~ASAKI STEEL CORPORATION

l! v/ CORROSION RATE (1-!JVYR)

800
/.~~~ v DEPTH
(M)
SOIL
0 .03
!_, /
v I.Vv
v
/
·· ..

- v b,.
...: 600
;:: ~ SAND
ffi 2 FILL
t-
_V
.•

....
C>

400
4

WITH FOOTING 6
800 WITHOUT ANODE
~
._

600
& r--.. ..._ - 1-" t-~ll
~
8

v~~
1/ 10
-t;; /~l/
400
/
~ l-- 12

14
WITHOUT FOOTING
WITHOUT ANODE
,~1-+-

--
_ _ WITHOUT WITH lo.'ITH FOOTING
800 FOOTING FOOTING CATHOD. PROTECT.
Fig.17. Corrosion rates at Station
t- vv
I'=" f'
!/ t-..... No.lO
600 ........

sulphate electrode was placed on the ground

400
0.1 0.2 0.5
- - DISTANCE (M}
Fig. 16. Pile-to-soil potentials
in the footing might cause excessive cor-
rosion by forming an electric macro~cell with
the steel piles.
In addition, aluminum anodes of approxi-
mately 1. 0 m length were attached to some
piles at depths of 1. 25m and 7. 50 m from
the top of pile, to examine the effect of
cathodic protection by sacrificial anodes.
The pile-to-soil potentials were measured
when the potentials stabilized at about three
months after the installation of piles and
footings'~ The measurement was performed
as shown in Fig. 15, i.e., a saturated copper-
2 5
surface at various distances from the test
10
pile.
The results of measurement are as shown
in Fig. 16, suggesting that considerable
current is flowing from both the aluminum
anode and the macro-cell.
Re-measuremen t of pile-to-soil potentials
performed immediately before the final with-
drawal of test piles showed that all potential
gradients on the ground surface had practi-
cally vanished, indicating that these electric
currents were now, no longer present.
Examination of 'withdrawn piles revealed
that: (1) the aluminum anodes attached at
the depth of 7. 5 m were completely consumed
(at the times of first and second withdrawals,
the consumption of aluminum was approxi-

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 CORROSION OF STEEL PILES 69

mately 70'"'"'80% and 90'"'"'95%, respectively),

DEPTH MEAN CORROSION RATE (MM/YR}
(2) on the contrary, the anodes at the depth (M} o o.os
of 1. 25m were still intact (probably because
of the high resistivity of the surrounding,
dry fills), and (3) the surface of protected
piles was locally covered, with a thin, silver-
colored film.
The corrosion rates are as shown in Fig. 17.
The effects of capping by a reinforced concrete
footing are analyzed in Table 8, indicating no
undesirable effect of macro-coupling between
the steel pile and the reinforcing bar. 10
Rather, the presence· of footing shows
a tendency to reduce the corrosion of steel 12
piles by limiting the access of atmospheric
oxygen to the steel surface. 14
The effects of cathodic protection by a
sacrificial anodes system are shown in Table 16 .,1__ _ _ _ _ _ _- - - '

9, in which also the results at the times Fig. 18. Mean corrosion rates at
of the first and second withdrawals are added each time of withdrawal
for comparison. It is interesting but not 0.10

readily interpretable to note that, while the

sacrificial anodes had been almost consumed ~ o.oa
5 years after the installation without signif- !
icant protective effect, but this did become i 0.06
2
evident in another 5 years.
j
U
0.04

DISCUSSION OF RESULTS 0.02

In this chapter, the test results are sum- +

marized to survey the corrosion behavior of 0 5 10 15

steel piles, and some statistical analyses are YEARS AFTER DRIVING

made, to seek any correlations between the Fig.l9. Change of corrosion rates with time
corrosion rate and the various soil pa- withdrawal are plotted against the depth
rameters. The following discussions are en- from the ground surface. The overall mean
tirely based on the three-starred, significant of the corrosion rates after 10 years is
values of corrosion rate, the probability of 0. 0106 mm/year per both faces of the steel
statistical significance of which is 99. 9%. pile, and the standard deviation 0. 0051 mm/
year per both faces.
Mean Corrosion Rates
The number of years after driving of each Change of Corrosion Rates with Time
withdrawal differs a little at differenct sta- The overall means of corrosion rates at 2,
tions in the ranges: 5, and 10 years are represented by the three
years years curves in Fig. 18 and tabulated in Table 10.
First withdrawal 1. 95-- 2. 54 Mean 2.14 In the Table, the maximum corrosion rates
Second 11 4.50-- 6.13 5.00 in all measurement zones in all test piles at
Third 11 9.26--13.69 10.17 each time of withdrawal are also shown.
In Fig. 18, the mean values of the cor- The mean corrosion rates (Table 10), to-
rosion rates of all test piles at each time of gether with the maximum values at each.

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 70 OHSAKI

Table 10. Change of corrosion rates 0.03

with time
""
,;tfe:_"0~~:r.:,j
Corrosion Rate (mm/yr)
Withdrawal!
Mean 1

I
M ax1mum
. I
1
S D
_~·~· _
*5 0.02
First 2.14 0. 0351 0. 0955 0. 0172
Second 5. 00 0. 0275 0. 0589 0. 0136
Third 10.17 0. 0106 0. 0297 0.0051
0.01
S.D. =Standard Deviation

station, are plotted against the length of

years from driving to withdrawal in Fig.
19, which shows the change of corrosion cc sc cs ss
(CLAY) (SANDY ClAY) (CLAYEV SAND) (SAND)
rates with time. The hatched line in Fig. 19
Fig. 20. Corrosion rates and soil types
represents the upper boundary of the meas-
0.03
ured corrosion rates.
It is evident from Fig. 19 that both mean
and maximum corrosion rates decrease grad-
ually with time after driving. Further, it
is certain that the rate will become smaller
in the future, whereas the data may not be
adequate to describe the time-change of
corrosion rates. All discussions and recom-
mendations, therefore, will be based on the
results of measurements at the third with-
0 10 20 30
drawal, about 10 years after driving.
H-VALUE

Fig. 21. Corrosion rates and N-values

Effects of Soil Parameters
Depth : The changes of the corrosion rates
with depth at individual stations have pre-
viously been given in the figures appropriate
to each station. Their averages for 2, 5,
and 10 years are represented in Fig. 18. From
these figures, no definite trend is discernable
with respect to the effect of depth upon corro-
sion. It should be noted, however, that the
corrosion rate in the aerated zone within ap-
proximately 2. 5 to 3 m of the ground surface
is a little larger than the rest.
Soil Type: As mentioned before, the test
stations were selected so that soil conditions
differed as widely as possible, as given in
the soil profiles in the previous figures. · The
soils are broadly classified here in to four
types (Ohsaki and Sakaguchi, 1973):
clay symbol CC
sandy clay SC
clayey sand CS
sand SS
Gravel and silt are regarded as sand and
clay, respectively, and Kanto-Loam is clas-
sified as one of clay in view of its cohesive
nature.
In Fig. 20, the corrosion rates vs. soil
types are plotted, indicating that the rate
is independent of the soil type and, there-
fore, it may probably be independent of the
permeability of soil as well.
N-Value :The corrosion rates are plotted in
Fig. 21 against N-values of the standard
penetration test at the level of each measure-
ment zone to examine the effect of relative
density or consistency of a soil deposit on its
corrosivity; however, the scatter of plotted
points is quite arbitrary.
If a linear relationship
v=a+bN (4)
is assumed between the corrosion rate v(mm/
year) and N-value, the coefficients deter-
mined by the least square method are a=
0. 0093 and b~O. The regression line of Eq.
( 4) thus determined is also represented in

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 CORROSION OF STEEL PILES 71

0.03 X
0.10
a:
X
0.08
..,.v
~
X
X
1/ /
I / v;
X 0.06
5 0.02
X X X

~
51
8
...
!......
0.04

v VI ,i'l
~r-~1 Jv
v
X
)(

)(
0.01 ~ 0.02

0
X lE
X
""
2
"'
0

...""""
0
0.01
~ $' 1-7
5.00 6.00 7.00 e.oo 9.00 10.00
o.ooa I J I I
pH-VALUE
0.006 I I I I
Fig. 22. Corrosion rates and pH-values
I I I II
vj
0.03 X
0.004
II
) I VI
0:
X X

! )( ~ ~X X X

[7 [7, v v/
0.002
~ 0.02
~
~ .)
8 0.001
20 40 60 80 100
0.01 X
)( DEPOLARIZATION COEFFICIENT (t)
X
)( X
X xx Fig. 24. Corrosion rate as function of
~X
depolarization coefficient and resis-
20 40 60 eo 100
tivity of homogeneous Norwegian
DE?OLARIZATIOH COEFfiCIENT (I) clay (after Mourn 1960)
Fig. 23. Corrosion rates and depolarization 0.03 X
coefficients X

X X X X
X X X
Fig. 21; evidently, the corrosion rate 1s not
dependent on the N-value.
Hydrogen Exponent : The relation between
the corrosion rates and the hydrogen expo-
nent (pH) of the surrounding soil deposits
are plotted in Fig. 22, where no definite
correlation can be found because of a large
oL-----------L---------~----------_J
scatter of plotted points. The regression line 1 10 100 100~

between the corrosion rate v(mmjyear) and RESISTIVITY (11-m)

pH-value is Fig. 25. Corrosion rates and resistivities

v= -0. 00047(pH) +0. 01364
It has been stated as an established fact
This line is also drawn in Fig. 22, showing that the depolarization coefficient has a de-
a slight tendency to an increase of corrosiOn cisive influence on the corrosion of a steel
rate in an acid soil deposit. pile, as conveyed by Fig. 24 (Mourn, 1960);
Depolarization : The depolarization coeffi- however, such an influence can not be seen
cients of soil deposits were measured at all in Fig. 23.
test stations by means of the 'Corrosion Probe' The regression equation of a form of Eq.
from a Norwegian manufacturer (Mourn, (4) between the corrosion rate v(mm/year)
1960), and the correlation between the and the depolarization coefficient n(%) is.
corrosion rates and the depolarization coeffi- v= -0. 00002n+O. 01203
cients is as plotted in Fig. 23. indicating that the rate is almost constant

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 72 OHSAKI

Table 11. Coefficients of simple correlation between parameters

Corrosion
Depth I Soil Type I N-Value I pH Depolari-
zation
I Re sts
. t' 't I Estimated
lVl Y Rate*
Rate
I
Corrosion Rate 1. 0000 -0.0183 I -0.0841 0. 0409 -0.0773 -0.0791 -0.0424 0. 0368
--------
i I I I
Depth 1.0000 -0.4875 -0.1705 0.1350 0.2077 -0.3191 0. 2939
I I

Soil Type 1. 0000 0. 5002 -0.1052 -0.2381 0. 0183 -0.1970

I
N-Value 1. 0000 -c. 0392 -0.0600 0. 2441 -0.1335

pH 1. 0000 I 0.1700 -0.4433 0. 3522

Depolarization 1. 0000 -0.2976 0. 7954
(Symmetric) I
Resistivity 1. 0000 -0.6610

Estimated Rate* 1. 0000

* The corros10n rate estimated based on F1g. 24 from the depolarization coefficient and the resistivity measured by
the 'Corrosion Probe' is included among parameters and is referred to as 'estimated rate' in Tables 11 and 12

Correlation Analyses
Table 12. Coefficients of partial correlation
with corrosion rate In order to statistically investigate (Kendall
------~

and Stuart, 1973) the correlation between the

Parameter I Coefficient of Partial
Correlation
I Significance corrosion rate of a steel pile and the above
Depth -0.1354 ** mentioned soil parameters, i.e., depth, soil
Soil Type -0.2156 ** type, N-value, pH-value, depolarization
N-Value 0. 1698 **
coefficient, logarithm of resistivity, the coeffi-
pH -0.1672 **
Depolarization -0.2136 ** cients of simple correlation between each of
Resistivity -0.0561 * these parameters were first computed as shown
Estimated Rate 0.1570 ** in Table 11. Soil types can not be described
quantitatively, but the following 'soil type
or decreases slightly with mcrease of the factors' (Ohsaki and Sakaguchi, 1973) were
coefficient. simply assumed in the present analysis:
clay CC 0. 0000
Resistivity : The resistivity or the specific
sandy clay SC 0. 3333
resistance of a soil deposit has hitherto been
clayey sand CS 0. 6667
considered to be the most influential factor
sand SS 1. 0000
on the subsoil corrosion of steel and most
The first row in Table 11 represents the
of the test methods for corrosivity estimation
(Applegate, 1960; Rosenqvist, 1961; Stratful, coefficients of simple correlation between
the measured corrosion rates and soil pa-
1961; Water, 1952) have emphasized meas-
rameters; it is seen that all coefficients are
urement of the soil resistance. Fig. 24 also
quite small.
illustrates the importance assigned to resis-
tivity. If Table 11 is regarded as an 8 x 8 sym-
At all test stations, the subsoil resistivities metric determinant, the element at i-th row
were measured by the 'Corrosion Probe', and j-th column, riJ• represents a coef-
and the measured corrosion rates are plotted ficient of simple correlation between i-th
in Fig. 25 against logarithmic resistivities. and j-th parameters. Now, in the determi-
The points scatter extensively indicating nant, let the cofactor associated with an
that, contrary to expectation, the effect of element r iJ be denoted by RiJ; then,
resistivity is negligible so far as vertically R,u
(J . - --.~--~- (5)
driven steel piles are concerned. The regres- iJ- '\lRttRJJ
sion line between the corrosion rate v(mmf represents a coefficient of partial correlation
year) and the resistivity o(O · m) is between the i-th and j-th parameters, i. e.,
v= -0. 00025log 10 P+0. 01023 a coefficient of exclusive correlation between

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 CORROSION OF STEEL PILES 73

Table 13. List of test results

Station
No.
I General Soil Condition Test Items Number of I Corrosion
Test Piles Rate(mm/yr)
1
I Alluvial clay Corrosion of SS 41 9
I 0. 0045
Corrosion of SS 41
Corrosion of copper steel 12 0.0114
2 Coastal reclaimed soils
Effect of cathodic protection
(impressed current system)
i

3 Two-layers of sand and silt Corrosion of SS 41 10 0.0116

4 Uniformly deposited loam Corrosion of SS 41 9 0. 0112
Corrosion of SS 41
Corrosion of weathering steel
5 Coastal reclaimed soils 15 0. 0083
Corrosion of welded joint
Influence of underground current
Corrosion of SS 41
6 I Gravel layer i Influence of ground-water flow
9 0. 0093
---
Corrosion of SS 41
Alternation of sand and clay Influence of leakage current from electric 12 0. 0148
7 layers railway
Effect of protection by painting
8 Lake-side reclaimed soils Corrosion of SS 41 9 0. 0094

Alternation of sand and silt Corrosion of SK 41

9 layers 11 0. 0061
Inside corrosion of pipe pile
Corrosion of SS 41
Influence of reinforcing bars in concrete
10 Coastal reclaimed soils footing 30 0. 0127
Effect of cathodic protection
(sacrificial anodes system)
----------------~--
Total 126 \ Mean 0. 0106

the i-th and j-th parameters, all other and then, by using v and t, a probability
parameters being fixed. If, therefore, i = 1 P is computed in the usual way. If the
is used in Eq. (5), it is evident that level of significance in Eq. (3) is again as-
sumed, the degrees of significance for the
{J -
lj- - vRRuR-;;
--------
11
j =2, 3, ···, 8 ( 6) present partial correlation are as shown in the
last column in Table 12, where no definite
yields the coefficient of partial correlation
correlation can be seen between the corro-
between the corrosion rate and soil pa-
sion rate and any of soil parameters being
rameters. The result of computation by Eq.
considered here.
(6) is listed in Table 12.
The significance test of a partial correlation
such as represented by the stars in Table
SUMMARY
12 can be performed by the t-distribution
Consideration of corrosion is essential for
method in a way that
deciding the feasibility of a steel pile foun-
v=n-k (degree of freedom)
dation for a structure; nevertheless, many
IPivll issues still remain unsolved at the present
t= -Vi--=p-2 time. The purpose of this research project
are first evaluated, where was to examine the state of corrosion and
k : total number of parameters measure the corrosion rates of steel piles
(k=8 in the present case) driven in natural soil deposits of widely
n : total number of measurements varied subsoil conditions, and to identify
IJ : coefficient of partial correlation, soil parameters which influence the extent

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 74
of corrosion.
The research project was planned and per-
formed so that soil conditions at test stations
were as different as possible, and the method
of investigations was as standardized as
possible in order to facilitate the comparison
and collation of obtained data with each
other.
A standard test pile was of 15m length,
fabricated from plate and with L-shaped
cross-section, 100 X 100 x 9 mm in nominal
size; actual thicknesses were pre-measured
accurately by means of a micrometer. The
test piles were driven in to soil deposits
during 1962 to 1966 at 10 stations in various
parts of Japan; the total number and the
total length of test piles amounted to 126
and 1. 93 km, respectively.
Before driving the test piles, a bore hole
was drilled at each station to obtain infor-
mation on the soil formation and the ground
water level, and soil parameters such as
density, resistivity, depolarization coefficient,
hydrogen exponent etc. were measured in
the bore hole.
The general soil conditions, the principal
test items and the number of test piles at
each test station are summarized in Table 13.
One-third of the test piles thus driven at
each station were withdrawn approximately
2, 5, and 10 years after driving, and the final
withdrawal at 10 years was completed in 1975.
Immediately after the withdrawal, a visual
examination of the corroded state was made
and the thicknesses of the test piles were
re-measured to evaluate the corrosion rates.
Important findings from the test results
can be summarized as follows:
(1) In general, the corrosion of a steel
pile driven in a natural soil deposit was far
less than anticipated. Most of the withdrawn
piles were almost in an as-new condition
even at 10 years after driving, except the
portion in the aerated zone near the ground
surface.
(2) The mean corrosion rate per year
per both faces averaged over 10 years at
each station is given in the last column in
Table 13. The overall mean for all stations
OHSAKI
was 0. 0106 mmfyear, implying that if
a corrosion allowance of 2 millimeters is as-
signed to a pile and it is assumed to con-
tinue to corrode at the same rate, this
sacrificial thickness would be expected to
disappear in approximately 200 years.
(3) The maximum corrosion rate observed
in all test piles was 0. 0297 mm/year per both
faces. Therefore, the most conservative rate
for design purposes would be 0. 03 mmfyear.
Since the standard deviation of the corrosion
rates measured at all stations was approxi-
mately a=O. 005 mm/year, the above value
of 0. 03 mm/year corresponds to the mean
rate plus 4 a.
( 4) The corrosion rate definitely decreases
with time after driving. The above values
are all based on the results of measurement
at 10 years, and this will reduce further.
(5) If this fact is taken into account,
the mean value plus 2 a or 0. 02 mmfyear
may be recommended as a corrosion rate
adequate for design purposes.
(6) Contrary to the conventional idea
that the inner face of a pipe pile develops no
appreciable corrosion, measurements indicate
that the inner corrosion was about the same
as that of the outer face, although the
amount of data was less than was desirable.
Because of this fact, corrosion rate through-
out this paper is expressed as the total loss
in thickness from both faces of a steel pile.
(7) Based on the present test results, the
correlations between the corrosion of a steel
pile and subsoil surroundings are as follows:
i) Depth- Corrosion effects are somewhat
larger than the rest in the first 3m from
the ground surface, where oxygen would
have some access to a steel pile. Below this
aerated zone, the corrosion rate is independ-
ent of depth.
ii) Soil Type - The corrosion rate is not
affected by the soil type or permeability,
even between such soil types as clay, silt,
sand or gravel. On the other hand, the rate
exhibits considerable variation in a soil layer
which is apparently quite uniform.
iii) Boundary of Layers- Even at a bound-
ary of two layers of extremely different
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 CORROSION OF STEEL PILES
soil types such as silt-to-sand, clay-to-grav-
el, the corrosion rate is not particularly
large when compared with that in the other
layers.
iv) N-V alue- No correlation is observable
between the N-value of the standard
penetration test and the corrosion rate,
whether the soil is cohesive or cohesionless.
v) Ground Water- No particular increase
in the corrosion rate was observed in a soil
layer where a rapid ground water flow is
ordinarily present and where the ground
water table fluctuates seasonally. In a case
where the soil deposit had recently been re-
claimed and the pore water is still consid-
erably saline, the corrosion rate was a little
larger. If, however, the ground water has
been replenished after reclamation, even
soil in coastal reclaimed land was not partic-
ularly aggressive.
vi) pH-Value- If the pore water has a
low pH-value, the corrosion rate tends to
increase slightly, but the tendency is of no
significance.
vii) Depolarization Coefficient- Contrary
to literature statements, no correlation is
present between the corrosion rate and the
depolarization coefficient, which represents
the quantity of oxygen present in the pore
water as a cathodic depolariser.
viii) Resistivity- The influence of electrical
resistivity of the surroundings has previously
been emphasized to the effect that low
resistivity invariably leads to high corrosion.
The present test results indicate no distinct
correlation between the corrosion rate and
the resistivity.
ix) Underground Current- It may be
necessary, for the sake of conservatism, to
assume that underground leakage current
causes some increase of corrosion at a short
distance from a direct-current railway line.
(8) In regard to material properties of
steel, the following can be mentioned:
i) The effect of corrosion-resistant mate-
rials such as copper steel or weathering
steel can not be detected when used as a
piling material.
ii) The test results indicated that the
75
corrosion rate at an arc-welded joint was by
about 30% larger than that of the base
metal; however, because technical factors
prevented accurate measurement, the quanti-
tative accuracy cannot necessarily be war-
ranted. That the weld is slightly more cor-
rodible than the base metal would be a
reasonable interpretation.
iii) Cold working of a steel plate by
bending quickens undercutting of millscale
somewhat, but is practically harmless.
(9) Cathodic protection by an impressed
current system has only a slight effect on the
corrosion of a steel pile. Cathodic protection
by a sacrificial anodes system was detectable
for the first time at 10 years after driving,
when, however, the anodes had been com-
pletely consumed. The effect of protection
by painting was not ascertained; however,
little may be expected from painting with
coaltar-epoxy resin with a thickness of 0. 45
mm as in this research program.
(10) Electric current from a macro-cell
formed between steel piles and reinforcing
bars in a concrete footing placed upon the
piling was observed immediately after the
installation; however, neither steel piles nor
reinforcing bars underwent any adverse
changes. Rather, the installation of the
footing had a protective effect on the cor-
rosion at the top part of a pile by hindering
the access of atmospheric oxygen.
(11) As previously mentioned, no soil
parameter decisively governing the extent of
corrosion could be found by correlation
analyses; consequently, it is difficult to point
out any effective means for prediction of the
corrosion rate.
Fortunately, however, the corrosion rate
itself is so small, regardless of soil condition,
that no serious consequence would be en-
countered if a slightly thicker cross-section
is chosen at the design stage to accommodate
a sacrificial thickness for anticipated corrosion
losses.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This research was performed as one of the
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 76
feasibility studies of steel piles at the
Japanese Society of Soil Mechanics and
Foundation Engineering, and was financially
supported by Nippon Steel Corporation,
Nippon Kokan K. K., Kawasaki Steel Corpo-
ration, Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.,
Kobe Steel, Ltd., and the Kozai Club. Also,
the Japanese Association for Steel Pipe Piles
supported and encouraged the continuation
of this research project. The author wishes
to express his grateful thanks to these
organizations.
The author is also indebted to Dr. H. C.
Coe, Director, and Mr. K. Kinson, Senior
Research Officer, Melbourne Research Labo-
ratories, the Broken Hill Proprietary Co.
Ltd., Australia, for their personal assistance
in editing the manuscript of this paper.
NOTATION
a, b=constants
k=total number of parameters
n =depolarization coefficient in percent, total
number of measurements
N =number of blows per foot in standard pene-
tration test
P=probability of difference from random varia-
tion
pH =hydrogen exponent
ri.i=element in a determinant
R-u=cofactor associated with element rij
t =statistic in t-distribu tion test
T=time from driving to withdrawal in years
v =corrosion rate in millimeters/year per both
faces
.x=mean value of thicknesses in a measurement
zone after withdrawal in millimeters
.x 0 =mean value of thicknesses in the same zone
prior to driving in millimeters
J.x=difference of mean thicknesses at driving and
withdrawal in millimeters
v =degrees of freedom in t-distribution test
p=resistivity in ohm·meter, coefficient of partial
correlation
Pii= coefficient of partial correlation
REFERENCES
1) Applegate, L. M. (1960) : Cathodic Protection,
McGraw-Hill, New York.
2) Bjerrum, L. (1957) : "Norwegian experience
OHSAKI
with steel pile foundations to rock," J. Boston
Soc. Civil Eng., Vol. 44, No.3.
3) Eadie, G. R. (1977) : "Corrosion of steel piling-
Results from a test at Burnley, Victoria,"
BHP Technical Bulletin, Vol. 21, No.2,
Melbourne.
4) Greulich, G. G. (1950) : "Extracted steel H-
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