BUILDING ENVELOPE

CORROSION
DESIGN ISSUES
R.S. Charlton, P.Eng.
Levelton Engineering Ltd.
Prepared for
British Columbia Building Envelope Council
June 14, 2000
Design Issues as
Related to Corrosion
Design Issues
l Choice of materials
l Type of coating
l Thickness of coatings
l Thickness of base material
l Wet/dry conditions
Due Diligence
l Have we done all that is
reasonable in light of current
knowledge to prevent or
minimize corrosion
problems?
Early Symptoms
l Early symptoms of possible corrosion
or rot may not be evaluated and
corrected early enough, e.g.
u Musty odours
u Staining
u Wetness
u Condensation
Zinc Coating Life Expectancy
l Impossible to predict precisely
l Depends on many factors
u Zinc coating thickness
u Sulphur pollution
u Proximity to sea coast
u Time and temperature at wetness
u Proximity to highways
u Agriculture and industry in area
Corrosion Rates of
Zinc and Steel
Weight Loss (g)
Enviromment
Steel Zinc
Steel/Zinc
Loss Ratio
Desert 2.2 0.13 17
Mild* 11.2 0.51 22
Semi-Industrial 23.8 0.84 28
Industrial 41.0 0.79 52
Marine 71.0 0.89 80
*Previously called rural
Source: Hot Dip Galvanizing - Lifetime Corrosion Protection, Doug Rourke, NACE Canadian
Region, Eastern Conference, Montrial, Quebec, November 14-16, 1989
Corrosion of Zinc in Various
Atmospheres
Enviromment
Years to Corrode
1 mil
Semi-arid 100+
Mild* 22
Southwestern Seacoast 14
Heavy Industrial Seacoast 4.6
Heavy Industrial 3.8
*Previously called rural
Source: Hot Dip Galvanizing - Lifetime Corrosion Protection, Doug Rourke, NACE
Canadian Region, Eastern Conference, Montrial, Quebec, November 14-16, 1989
Protection Offered by Zinc Coatings
Coating
Designation*
Minimum Expected Service Life in Years to
Appearance of First Significant Rusting
Imperial Metric Mild Suburban Moderate Heavy
G-90 Z275 8.5 5.1 2.7 1.3
G-115 Z350 10.8 6.8 3.4 1.5
G-185 Z565 15.0 12.0 5.1 2.5
G-235 Z700 22.2 14.1 9.1 3.4
*Total both sides
Source: British Standard 5493, 1977, Table 3, Figure 1
Z275
G90
Ref: Galvanizing for Corrosion Protection - a Specifiers Guide, Figure 15,
American Galvanizers Association, 1995
Treated Wood
l CCA (most common)
l ACA
l Borate
l Others
Treated Wood - ACA/CCA
l Copper leached from wood
l Precipitation reaction
u Steel
u Zinc
u Aluminum
l Galvanic corrosion
Galvanic Series
CORRODED END
Anodic or less noble
(ELECTRONEGATIVE)
Zinc
Aluminum
Cadmium
Iron or Steel
Soft Solders
Copper
Stainless Steels (passive)
Silver Solder
PROTECTED END
Cathodic or most noble
(ELECTROPOSITIVE)
Anode - the electrode at which
oxidation or corrosion occurs
(opposite of cathode)
Zn Zn
+2
+ 2 electrons
Cathode the electrode where
reduction and normally no
corrosion occurs (opposite of
anode)
4 electrons + O
2
+ 2 H
2
O 4 OH
-
Galvanic Couple
Zn, Fe or Al
Base metal - anode
Cu deposited on
surface - cathode
Rapid corrosion
Zinc Coatings
l Hot-Dip Galvanizing (HDG)
l Continuous Galvanizing
l Mechanical Galvanizing
l Electrogalvanizing
l Zinc Plating
l Metallizing
l Sherardizing
l Zinc Painting
Hot-Dip Galvanizing
l Bath of molten zinc metal
l Metallurgical reaction
l Zinc-iron alloy layers
l Wide size range possible
l Thickness normally greater than
specification
l 3.4 mil (86 ) coating typical
l 6-8 mils (150-200 ) common on structural
steels
Zinc Coating Thicknesses
l 100 gm/m
2
equals 14.3
l 2 oz/ft
2
equals 3.4 mils
Ref: Hot Dip Galvanizing Costs Less and Lasts Longer, Figure 2, American Galvanizers
Association, 1997
Ref: Galvanizing for Corrosion Protection - a Specifiers Guide - Figure 9,
American Galvanizers Association, 1995
Continuous Galvanizing
l Hot-dip galvanizing process
l Used for coating steel sheet, strip or
wire
l Coating almost pure zinc
l Standard product G-90/Z275
l Zinc-aluminum alloys
u 55% Al - 45% Zn
u 95% Zn - 5% Al
Hot-Dip Coated Steel Sheet
Coating Designations* ASTM
Specification Type
Inch Pound Units S1 Units
A 653 Zinc G30-G360 Z120-Z1100
Zn-Fe A25-A60 ZF75-ZF180
A 792 Al-Zn AZ50-AZ60 AZ150-AZ180
A 875 Zn-Al GF30-GF235 ZGF90-ZFG700
*Total weight both sides
Mechanical Galvanizing
l Used for coating small parts by drum tumbling
u Propriety promoter chemicals
u Zinc powder
u Glass beads
l Thicknesses range from 0.2-4.3 mils (5-110 )
l Commercial fasteners 2 mils (50 )
l Coating > 30% less dense than HDG
l Alternate method to HDG in ASTM Fastener
Specifications
Ref: Zinc Coatings - American Hot Dip Galvanizers Association, Inc.
MA-14, 1988
Electrogalvanizing
l Used for zinc coatings on
steel sheet and strip
l Coating weights both sides
up to 0.2 oz/ft
2
(60 g/m
2
)
l Thicknesses of up to 0.14 mil
(3.6 ) per side
Zinc Plating
l Electrodeposition process
l Used for small parts such as
fasteners
l Thin coating < 1 mil (25 )
l Only suitable for very mild
(indoor) exposures
Metallizing
l Melted zinc is sprayed on surface of
part to be coated
l White metal abrasive blast required
l Usually sealed with an organic
coating
l Coatings in excess of 10 mils (250 )
Sherardizing
l Not widely used in North America
l Used for fasteners
l Parts charged with powdered zinc
and flux
l Tumbled at temperature less than
melting point of zinc
l Coating formed by diffusion
l Maximum thickness 1 mil (25 )
Zinc Painting
l Paints contain 92-95% metallic
zinc in dry film
l Classified as organic or inorganic
l White metal or near white blasting
required
l Normal thickness: 2.5-3.5 mils
(64-90 )
Ref: American Galvanizers Association
Steel Sheet Hot-Dip Process
Specifications
l ASTM A 653/A 653M Standard Specification for Steel
Sheet, Zinc-Coated (Galvanized) or Zinc-Iron Alloy-
Coated (Galvannealed) by the Hot-Dip Process
l ASTM A 924/A 924M Standard Specification for
General Requirements for Steel Sheet, Metallic-Coated
by the Hot-Dip Process
l ASTM A 792/A 792M-94 Standard Specification for
Steel Sheet, 55% Aluminum-Zinc Alloy-Coated by the
Hot-Dip Process
l ASTM A 875/A 875M-94 Standard Specification for
Steel Sheet, Zinc-5 % Aluminum Alloy-Coated by the
Hot-Dip Process
Zinc Coating Specifications
l ASTM B 695-91 Standard Specification for Coatings
of Zinc Mechanically Deposited on Iron and Steel
l ASTM A 591/A 591M-98 Standard Specification for
Steel Sheet, Electrolytic Zinc-Coated, for Light Coating
Mass Applications
l ASTM B 633-85 Standard Specification for
Electrodeposited Coatings of Zinc on Iron and Steel
l ASTM A 123-89a Standard Specification for Zinc (Hot-
Dip Galvanized) Coatings on Iron and Steel Products
l CAN/CSA-G164-M92 Hot Dip Galvanizing of
Irregularly Shaped Articles
Adhesion of Metallic
Coatings
l ASTM B 571 Standard Test
Methods for Adhesion of
Metallic Coatings
u 3.1 Bend Tests
l Mandrel diameter 4 X t
Building Envelope Design
l Has the building envelope
been designed to prevent or
minimize corrosion problems
and provide a long and
problem-free life ?