Characteristics of Corrosion Products of Friction-Type High-Strength Bolted Joints of Steel Bridge: A Case Study

Abstract

The contact surface corrosion of friction high-strength bolt (FHSB) joints was analyzed to examine the characteristics of corrosion products and influence factors in steel bridges. Samples were selected from the Dongying Shengli Yellow River Bridge, which has been in service for 33 years. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were utilized to analyze the microscopic morphology and chemical composition of the corroded surface of the samples. The study identifies that construction quality issues accelerate corrosion of the contact surface and that the contact surface of the aluminum spraying layer transforms from rugged and dense to smooth and porous as corrosion increases. The findings also suggest that the friction coefficient of the FHSB connection node initially decreases and then increases as the corroded surface changes. Corrosion products contained S, Cl, Mn, Si, FeS, and their oxides, indicating that atmospheric, industrial, and Yellow River soil environments contribute to joint corrosion. The study proposes sandblasting and coating the corroded contact surface and deck steel plate with inorganic zinc-rich paint to prevent media penetration and delay substrate corrosion. Adopting ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) as the deck structure is also recommended to reduce top plate tensile stress, deck cracking, and media invasion. This study provides insights into the characteristics and mechanisms of FHSB joint corrosion to aid the maintenance, repair, and protection of steel bridges.