Global Corrosivity Rates Based on Open-Source Climatic Data

Abstract Atmospheric corrosivity poses a severe threat to steel structures and assets. Hence, knowledge about the corrosivity is crucial in order to specify the suitable corrosion protection solution, estimate lifetime of assets and plan maintenance. The ISO 9223(1) provides guidance on how to calculate the corrosivity rate at a certain location based on input data such as temperature, humidity, pollution and chloride deposition1. And although weather and climatic data has been readily available in various open-source meteorological databases for several years, other required data is site specific and requires direct measurement at the location of interest over one full year, e.g. sulfur dioxide and chloride deposition. This paper presents a method for estimating first year corrosion rate for any given location based on data collected from various open-source data bases containing climatic and environmental data, including sea salt distribution and sulfur dioxide concentrations. The method utilizes various techniques such as linear interpolation for estimation of sea salt distribution, humidity and temperature, and correction of the coastal areas. ISO 9223 has then been used to estimate first year corrosion rate and corrosivity category for any location. Estimated corrosivity rates and categories have been verified and validated using literature data and collected data.