IMPROVED WEATHERING STEEL FOR JAPAN'S COASTAL ENVIRONMENT

A new weathering steel for coastal areas was developed based on a nine-year exposure testing program combined with long-term research on the improvement of corrosion resistance of weathering steel. In Japan, the conventional weathering steel is not applicable in most of the coastal region where airborne salt is much higher than the inland region. It was found that the enhanced corrosion resistance is provided by 3% Ni content and the elimination of Cr. In this paper, the following topics are presented: (1) New weathering steel concept; (2) Effect of chemical elements on new weathering steel and its basic performance; and (3) Bridge design using new weathering steel.