Corrosion Risk of Welded Steel Frames in the Urban Areas of Taiwan

Abstract

This paper reviews the recent experimental work on steel welds and connections, as to investigate the effects of corrosion on steel welded frames in the urban areas in Taiwan. In the first part of the paper, the tensile strengths have been compared for steel welds with and without rust. In the worst case, the steel plates were placed outdoors for 9 months, as to cause pitting on the welding surface (i.e. the rust level was raised to the SSPC level D). The rust was found to reduce the strength 5% on average. In the second part, the hysteresis loops were depicted and compared for the 2 connections taken from an existing building. The connections were tested after being exposed to air and moisture 10 years. The non-rehabilitated connection developed strength well until the top beam flange fractured at the interstory drift over 3%. Despite that, the connection tests didnt show any impacts of corrosion. Based on the above work, corrosion can be considered to affect the steel welded frames in Taiwan, but to a limited extent.