Monitoring of Atmospheric Corrosivity inside Steel Upper Box Girder in Yeongjong Grand Bridge

The typical corrosion prevention method inside the steel upper box girder in a suspension bridge involves the use of paints. However, in an effort to reduce environmental impact and cost, the suspension portion of the Yeongjong Bridge, Korea utilizes dehumidification systems to control humidity and prevent corrosion inside its box girder. Maintaining a uniform humidity distribution at the proper level inside the box girder is critical to the successful corrosion control. In this study, the humidity and the resultant atmospheric corrosivity inside the box girder of the Yeongjong Bridge was monitored. The corrosion rate of the steel inside the box girder was obtained using thin-film electrical resistance (TFER) corrosion sensors. Time-of-wetness (TOW) measurements and the deposition rates of atmospheric pollutants such as $Cl^{-}$ and $SO_{x}$ were also obtained. Classification of the atmospheric corrosivity inside the box girder was evaluated according to ISO 9223. As a result, no corrosion was found in the upper box girder, indicating that the dehumidification system used in the Yeongjong Bridge is an effective corrosion control method.