Improved Corrosion Resistance of a Micro‐Alloyed Carbon Steel Assessed by Multi‐Element Electrical Resistance Probes and Coupons in Natural Seawater and Soil

The corrosion behavior of two carbon steels, a conventional S355 GP and a newly developed micro‐alloyed grade (AMLoCor), was compared over 1 year in natural seawater and a corrosive soil using multi‐element electrical resistance (ER) probes and standard mass‐loss coupons. In both environments AMLoCor showed clearly improved uniform corrosion resistance, with reductions ranging from 25% in seawater to a factor of 2.4 in soil. Multi‐element ER probes provided real‐time corrosion kinetics and distribution information; average probe values agreed well with coupon mass‐loss data, particularly in soil. These results, obtained over 1 year of exposure, demonstrate the value of multi‐element ER monitoring for assessing and ranking the early‐stage corrosion performance of micro‐alloyed steels for piles and sheet piles in aggressive marine and soil environments, while highlighting that these short‐term rankings should not be directly extrapolated to long‐term service life.