Owing to its high strength, durability, flexibility and cost-effectiveness, steel is one of the most widely used materials in the modern construction sector. Regrettably, substrate steel's performance can be limited by its susceptibility to corrosion.
Iron, one of the main elements found in steel, readily reacts with oxygen when exposed to the air. This causes unprotected steel to easily catch rust and degrade quickly. The good news is that steel fabricators invest in corrosion protection systems to increase the performance, versatility and durability of construction products.
There are numerous ways to protect steel from corrosion. Here are some common methods of preventing steel structures from corroding:
Paint Application
Like other metallic construction products, steel products can be painted to prevent corrosion. There are several types of industrial paints that can be applied over steel surfaces. These include epoxy paints, acrylic paints, PVC paints, alkyd paints, chlorinated rubber paints, water-borne dispersion paints and many more.
Paints designed for metal surfaces are wet-applied. Wet paints can be applied in a variety of ways including industrial spray-painting, brush application and roller application.
A paint protection system for metal can comprise only a single type of paint, which is applied several times until a sufficient film thickness is achieved. Or, the paint system may be made up of multiple paints which serve different functions.
Powder Coating
Powder coating generally involves applying electrostatically-charged powder to the surface of the steel substrate and then baking and curing it in an industrial oven. The different types of powders out there come in a variety of colours, chemical compositions and coating properties. The most widely used powders include epoxy, vinyl, urethane, nylon, acrylic and polyester.
Powder-coating systems are single-coat systems that are preferred for applications where a tougher, more durable finish than a wet-applied paint coating system is required.
Galvanic Protection
Also referred to as sacrificial or cathodic protection, this form of corrosion protection involves coating steel substrate with another metal, which then oxidises in preference to the steel. Zinc is the most preferred metal for the protection of steel because it corrodes in preference to the steel and at a much slower rate.
Need steel products for your construction project? For a particular corrosion protection system to work well, it must be suitable for the intended application of a steel product. Talking to a steel fabricator about your project needs can help to identify the best way to prevent corrosion of your steel build.