Field investigation of the degree of corrosion of beams in steel bridges

Abstract

The paper presents a brief description of field investigations of the degree of corrosion of beams in steel bridges. In all, a total of 9 bridge structures were tested. The results of the degree of corrosion of 2 bridges are presented in this paper. The effect of corrosion on the load capacity of steel bridge structures is also discussed. A simulation of the presence of corrosion losses on specific sections of l-bars was undertaken in order to assess the effect of the degree and location of corroded element on the change in geometric characteristics. From the analysis, it has been shown that, the decrease in load capacity is dependent on the location of the corrosion losses in the element, its size as well as the geometry of the section.