Prevent corrosion in buildings

We must consider that the cost of corrosion control will depend on the project and the engineer must include these aspects in its design. It is very difficult to protect the metal structure in the inclemency of time, either by one method or another, but if certain preventive measures are not projected, corrosion will be present much faster than planned.


Some prevention measures to prevent corrosion are the following:

• Avoid cracks where you can accumulate deposits of solvents and moisture. Any region where two surfaces are very close is considered to be a crack, so attention must be paid to screws, rivets, angles, irregular welds, weld shoots, discontinuities, etc. Any point where two surfaces are separated by a small distance is a potential corrosion cell

• Isolate moisture as much as possible. The profiles must be placed in such a way that moisture does not seep out and allows the paint to be properly integrated for better maintenance

• Avoid all possible bimetallic pairs. Corrosion will only occur in a galvanic cell that is formed, that is, if two metals are located at a distance in galvanic series and electrically connected they are immersed in the same electrolyte. For this it is suggested to use a thermal insulator, which should not be porous since this could absorb water and could cause the development of corrosion by cracks

• Avoid joining different materials. - To prevent corrosion, the homogeneity of the material is important, for this there are four methods:
• Using iron alloys that make it chemically resistant is the most satisfactory but also the most expensive. A good example of this is stainless steel, an iron alloy with chromium or with nickel and chrome
• Amalgamate with materials that react to corrosive substances more easily than steel, leaving it protected when consumed. It is equally satisfying but also expensive. The most frequent example is galvanized steel consisting of steel covered with zinc
• Coating electrolytically with an impermeable layer that prevents contact with air and water, is the cheapest and therefore the most common. This method is valid as long as no cracks appear in the outer layer, in which case the oxidation occurs as if there was no such layer
• Use paints, the most appreciated coatings are the baked enamels, and the least expensive are the paints of lead minium
• Analyze the geometry of the structure so that it does not favor the accumulation of dust or liquids.