Where weathering steel can be used

Weathering steel features

It refers to the low alloy structural steel with protective rust layer and resistance to atmospheric corrosion, which can be used in the manufacture of steel structures such as vehicles, Bridges, towers and containers. Compared with ordinary carbon steel, weathering steel has better corrosion resistance in the atmosphere. Compared with stainless steel, weathering steel has only trace alloying elements, such as phosphorus, copper, chromium, nickel, molybdenum, niobium, vanadium, titanium, etc., and the total alloying element accounts for only a few percent, unlike stainless steel, which reaches ten percent, so the price is relatively low.

Weathering steel fireball

Weathering steel principle

After adding trace elements such as phosphorus, copper, chromium and nickel to the steel, a dense and highly adhesive protective film is formed on the steel surface, which prevents the corrosion from spreading and developing, and protects the matrix below the rust layer to slow down its corrosion rate. The amorphous spinel oxide layer of about 50μm~100μm thickness formed between the rust layer and the matrix is dense and has good adhesion to the matrix metal. Due to the existence of this dense oxide film, the atmospheric oxygen and water are prevented from penetrating into the steel matrix, which slows down the development of corrosion to the steel material, and greatly improves the atmospheric corrosion resistance of the steel material. Weathering steel is a steel system that can be thinned, exposed or simplified for painting, so that products can resist corrosion and prolong life, save labor and reduce consumption, and upgrade, and it is also a steel system that can be integrated into the new mechanism, new technology and new process of modern metallurgy to make its sustainable development and innovation.

Weathering steel furnace

Weathering steel manufacturing process

Weathering steel generally adopts the process route of fine feed into furnace - smelting (converter, electric furnace - micro-alloying treatment - argon blowing -LF refining - low superheat continuous casting (feeding rare earth wire)- controlled rolling and controlled cooling. During the smelting process, the scrap steel is added to the furnace with the charge and smelted according to the conventional process. After the steel is produced, the deoxidizer and alloy are added. The molten steel is treated by argon blowing and then cast immediately. Due to the addition of rare earth elements in steel, the weather-resistant steel is purified and the content of inclusions is greatly reduced.

Weathering steel gas furnace