ABSTRACT
Lars Wallin SIS - Swedish Standards Institution, Stockholm, Sweden
and Mats Foghelin Swedish Corrosion Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
INTRODUCTION
Very resistant and robust rust protection systems are now available for steel structures which ensure a long life in severe corrosion environments. The same system cannot however be used in all environments. Nor should excessively high-quality and expensive rust protection systems be indiscriminately recommended for all applications; it is not appropriate and it leads to unnecessary costs. For outdoor structures in corrosive industrial or coastal environments one of the more resistant and high-quality systems should be chosen. However, most steel structures are located either indoors or built within non-corrosive or only slightly corrosive atmospheres, where only a light rust protection is needed at the most. Many steel structures are also painted for aesthetic reasons and not mainly for protection against corrosion.
