Corrosion Wastage Models for Steel Structures: Literature Review and a New Interpretative Formulation for Wrought Iron Alloys

Damage due to atmospheric corrosion on metal structures is a significant aspect for both the design of new constructions and the maintenance of existing buildings. The paper discusses the corrosion depth trends for steel structures comparing an experimental campaign of measurements, given by Fratesi in 2002, with literature 2nd level models calibrated from experiments on immersed elements, literature models based on testing in atmosphere and standard codes (i.e. EN ISO 9224 and EN 12500). Results show a significant variability of values using different models and codes. In addition, the paper underlines that literature studies and codes neglect specific models for nineteenth-century “wrought iron” constructions, that are very sensitive to corrosion phenomena. Based on this, the paper discusses results obtained by a new interpretative model developed by authors for the prediction of corrosion depth on wrought iron structures.