Steel Corrosion

What is Steel Corrosion?

Steel Corrosion is a prosses that happens in stages. The beginning stages of corrosion take place when small amounts of moisture or when high humidity conditions are present. This prosses is called Electrochemical corrosion and occurs in stages. There are three main factors that have to be present for electrochemical to take place, moister, oxygen and iron, (the iron in the steel). Without these three key ingredients steel corrosion can not take place. The initial attack occurs at anodic areas on the surface, where ferrous ions go into solution. Electrons are released from the anode and move through the metallic structure to the adjacent active cathodic sites on the surface, where they combine with oxygen and water to form hydroxyl ions. These react with the ferrous ions from the anode to produce ferrous hydroxide, which itself is further oxidized in air to produce hydrated ferric oxide (i.e. red rust.)

Steel Pile Corrosion

The reason I did the research and verifying the steel corrosion prosses.  Foundation Masters, LLC specializes in deep foundation systems. The most popular piling system used today in residential construction is the steel pipe pile.  This piling system is utilized mostly in the new residential construction industry. The steel pile has almost no vibration issues that can damage neighboring structures like the timber pile and precast piles. The steel pipe pile is installed as bare steel no galvanizing and here’s the reason why. The steel will not corrode if all three conditions don’t exists, oxygen, water and iron. When a pile is driven in the ground there are only two of three conditions exists, water and iron. There is no oxygen 12″ and lower in the ground.  The top caps are sprayed with galvanizing to protect the top portion of the pile.

Push Pier Systems

The push pier system is utilized in the foundation repair industry. This system is installed directly under the existing foundation, using the heavy loads of the structure to advance the pier deep into the earth. This piering system is also installed as bare steel. The top portion of the pier is sprayed with galvanizing compound. Foundation Masters designs and installs the best piers in the United States with the highest lifting compacity. This is not a salesman pitch, its strictly fact.