2012/10/17 by Robert E. Melchers, R.E. Melchers
Engineering · Materials Science · #Concrete Corrosion and Durability #Corrosion Behavior and Inhibition #Non-Destructive Testing Techniques
paper · doi:10.5006/0728
crossref issued 2012/10/17 · crossref published 2012/10/17 · crossref published-online 2012/10/17 · openalex publication_date 2012/10/17 · crossref created 2012/10/17 · crossref published-print 2013/01/01 · crossref deposited 2025/03/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/26 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/26
Accelerated low water corrosion (ALWC) is the term given to unusually high levels of corrosion immediately below the low water level in seawater exposures of steel piling. It has been associated with microbiologically influenced corrosion but conclusive evidence is lacking. Using published data for the corrosion of steel piles exposed for periods up to 27 years at various U.S. harbor and other locations, it is shown that the severity of ALWC is correlated with the concentration of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, a critical nutrient for microbiological (bacterial) activity in seawater. This was shown previously for short-term exposures and establishes that ALWC is indeed microbiologically influenced. It also provides a means of assessing the likelihood of long-term risk of occurrence of ALWC.