Corrosion Resistance of Zinc-alloy Coated Steel in Construction Industry Environments

Considerable efforts are being made to improve the corrosion resistance of zinc coatings by alloying and application of compatible conversion coating treatments. These new systems have the potential for reliable and cost effective protective coatings on steel used in construction applications.

The present investigations have been concerned with: (i) development of a simple sensor that can be used to determine corrosion rates of zinc alloy coated steel in the macro/micro climates found in and around buildings and other structures.

(ii) determination of the compatibility and corrosion rates of zinc alloy coatings in contact with cementitious materials and preservative treated timber.

This paper describes the rationale for the investigations and the experimental techniques used, with a summary of the principle results and conclusions.