Abstract
About 130 steel piles of 15 m length with L-shaped cross-section were driven into natural soil deposits at 10 stations for corrosion tests under a wide variety of soil conditions. Prior to driving, thicknesses of the test piles were measured and physical, chemical and electrochemical characteristics of the soil deposits were investigated. The piles were withdrawn approximately 2, 5, and 10 years after driving and the corrosion rates were evaluated.The test results obtained in this 10 years research indicate that(1) the withdrawn piles were generally in excellent condition, corrosion effects were minimal and independent of soil condition, (2) the average corrosion rate was approximately 0.01 mm/year per both faces of a pile over the period of 10 years, (3) the corrosion of the inner face of a pipe pile seems to be the same as the outer face, (4) it is difficult to find any particular soil parameter which influenced the corrosion rate most decisively, and(5) any effect on corrosion of steel composition (mild steel, copper-bearing steel or weathering steel), cathodic protection or protection by painting was not evident. Influences of welding, cold-working, and underground electric leakage current were insignificant.
