Conference "Chemical Industry"

The phenomenon of corrosion, its processes and dependence on the physicochemical properties of the corroded material and the environment in which it occurs, as well as issues related to corrosion protection, are the subject of numerous research papers. Despite the preliminary recognition of the impact of corrosion pitting on the fatigue of structural steel elements, in particular, the impact of notches on the reduction of fatigue strength, appropriate coefficients have not yet been introduced in most of the standards for the design of steel bridges in the world, including Poland. The paper will present the results of the author's research work on the estimation of the effect of corrosion on the fatigue capacity of rail and road steel bridge structures in service. The study was performed on two types of bridge steel commonly used in existing, in-service bridge structures. In order to determine the magnitude of the title phenomenon, an atmospheric corrosion simulation facility was set up for the tests. The experimental results unequivocally showed a significant decrease in the fatigue limit for both bridge steels and up to 50% of the initial condition.