Comparison of Atmospheric Corrosion Resistance between High Strength Weathering H Section Steel and Common C-Mn Steel

The differences of corrosion resistance between high strength weathering H section steel (HSWS-H) and common C-Mn steel (CMS) were investigated by cyclic immersion corrosion test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results showed that HSWS-H exhibited much higher corrosion resistance than CMS in the simulated industrial atmospheric environment. The difference between two corrosion products of the experimental steels was the main cause of the corrosion rate difference. The corrosion surface of CMS was rough, the rust layer was loose and had lots of perfoliate crack. The rust layer of HSWS-H was continuous, dense and mainly consisted of α-FeOOH and amorphous phase, which can inhibit the electrochemical corrosion reaction effectively.