Weathering steel

Corten redirects here. For the commune in Moldova, 1 Properties

see Corten, Taraclia.
Weathering steel, best-known under the trademark Weathering refers to the chemical composition of these
steels, allowing them to exhibit increased resistance to
atmospheric corrosion compared to other steels. This is
because the steel forms a protective layer on its surface
under the inuence of the weather.
The corrosion-retarding eect of the protective layer is
produced by the particular distribution and concentration
of alloying elements in it. The layer protecting the surface
develops and regenerates continuously when subjected to
the inuence of the weather. In other words, the steel is
allowed to rust in order to form the protective coating.[3]
The mechanical properties of weathering steels depend
on which alloy and how thick the material is.[5][6]

1.1 ASTM A 242

The original A 242 alloy has a yield strength of 50
kilopounds per square inch (340 MPa) and ultimate tensile strength of 70 ksi (480 MPa) for light-medium rolled
shapes and plates up to 0.75 inches (19 mm) thick. It has
yield strength of 46 ksi (320 MPa) and ultimate strength
of 67 ksi (460 MPa) for medium weight rolled shapes and
plates from 0.751 inch (1925 mm) thick. The thickest
rolled sections and plates from 1.54 in (38102 mm)
thick have yield strength of 42 ksi (290 MPa) and ultimate strength of 63 ksi (430 MPa).
Cor-Ten steel Fulcrum (1987) by Richard Serra

1.2 ASTM A 588

A 588 has a yield strength of at least 50 ksi (340 MPa),
and ultimate tensile strength of 70 ksi (480 MPa) for
all rolled shapes and plate thicknesses up to 4 in (100
mm) thick. Plates from 45 in (102127 mm) have yield
strength at least 46 ksi (320 MPa) and ultimate tensile
strength at least 67 ksi (460 MPa), and plates from 58
U.S. Steel holds the registered trademark on the name
in (127203 mm) thick have yield strength at least 42 ksi
COR-TEN.[1] Although USS sold its discrete plate busi(290 MPa) and ultimate tensile strength at least 63 ksi
ness to International Steel Group (now Arcelor-Mittal) in
(430 MPa).
2003,[2] it still sells COR-TEN branded material in stripmill plate and sheet forms.
COR-TEN steel and sometimes written without the hyphen as corten steel, is a group of steel alloys which were
developed to eliminate the need for painting, and form a
stable rust-like appearance if exposed to the weather for
several years.

The original COR-TEN received the standard designation

A 242 (COR-TEN A) from the ASTM International stan- 2 Uses
dards group. Newer ASTM grades are A 588 (COR-TEN
B) and A 606 for thin sheet. All alloys are in common Weathering steel is popularly used in outdoor sculptures, such as in the large Chicago Picasso sculpture,
production and use.
1

3 DISADVANTAGES
sheet piling along recently widened sections of Londons
M25 motorway.
The rst use of COR-TEN for architectural applications
was the John Deere World Headquarters in Moline, Illinois. The building was designed by architect Eero Saarinen, and completed in 1964. The main buildings of
Odense University, designed by Knud Holscher and Jrgen Vesterholt and built 19711976, are clad in CORTEN steel, earning them the nickname Rustenborg. In
1977, Robert Indiana created a Hebrew version of the
Love sculpture made from COR-TEN using the fourletter word ahava (, love in Hebrew) for the Israel
Museum Art Garden in Jerusalem, Israel. In Denmark,
all masts for supporting the catenary on electried railways are made of COR-TEN for aesthetic reasons.

Broadcasting Tower, Leeds, United Kingdom

COR-TEN was used in 1971 for the Highliner electric

cars built by the St. Louis Car Company for Illinois
Central Railroad. The use of COR-TEN was seen as
a cost-cutting move in comparison with the contemporary railcar standard of stainless steel. A subsequent order in 1979 was built to similar specs, including CORTEN bodies, by Bombardier. The cars were painted, a
standard practice for COR-TEN railcars. The durability
of COR-TEN did not live up to expectations, with rust
holes appearing in the railcars. Painting may have contributed to the problem, as painted weathering steel is no
more corrosion-resistant than conventional steel, because
the protective patina will not form in time to prevent corrosion over a localized area of attack such as a small paint
failure. These cars have been retired by 2016.[10]
COR-TEN was used to build the exterior of Barclays
Center, made up of 12,000 pre-weathered steel panels
engineered by ASI Limited & SHoP Construction. [11]
The New York Times says of the material, While it can
look suspiciously unnished to the casual observer, it has
many fans in the world of art and architecture.[12]

Abetxuko Bridge by J. Sobrino, PEDELTA, Abetxuko, Vitoria,

Spain

which stands in the plaza of the Daley Center Courthouse in Chicago, which is also constructed of the same
COR-TEN steel and as exterior facades, for its rustic
antique appearance. Examples include Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York,[7] The Angel of the North,
Gateshead, UK and the Humanities and Arts complex
at Leeds Metropolitan University Broadcasting Place
Leeds, UK[8]
It is also used in bridge and other large structural applications such as the New River Gorge Bridge, the second
span of the NewburghBeacon Bridge (1980), and the
creation of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art
(ACCA) and MONA.
It is very widely used in marine transportation, in the
construction of intermodal containers[9] as well as visible

3 Disadvantages
Using weathering steel in construction presents several
challenges. Ensuring that weld-points weather at the same
rate as the other materials may require special welding
techniques or material. Weathering steel is not rustproof
in itself. If water is allowed to accumulate in pockets,
those areas will experience higher corrosion rates, so provision for drainage must be made. Weathering steel is
sensitive to humid subtropical climates. In such environments, it is possible that the protective patina may not stabilize but instead continue to corrode. For example, the
former Omni Coliseum, built in 1972 in Atlanta, never
stopped rusting, and eventually large holes appeared in
the structure. This was a major factor in the decision to
demolish it just 25 years after construction. The same
thing can happen in environments laden with sea salt.
Hawaiis Aloha Stadium, built in 1975, is one example

3
of this.[13] Weathering steels normal surface weathering
can also lead to rust stains on nearby surfaces.

4 References
[1] Trademarks and Ownership. USS. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
[2] Plate Products, 2003-10-31, archived from the original on
2007-12-28, retrieved 2010-01-13
[3] Armstrong, Robert (14 April 2014). Metal Building Materials and Corrosion. Absolute Steel. Retrieved 25
September 2014.
[4] COR-TEN Weather & Corrosion Resistant Steel: Technical Data, archived from the original on 2010-01-13, retrieved 2010-01-13.
[5] Structural, Carbon & HSLA Steel Plate. A new vision of
steel. Chapel Steel. 1987. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
[6] Manual of Steel Construction, 8th Edition Second Revised
Printing. Chicago: American Institute of Steel Construction. p. Chapter 1, page 15.
[7] Elizabeth A. Harris (August 27, 2012). Constructing a
Facade Both Rugged and Rusty. nytimes.com. Retrieved
10 September 2012.
[8] Ruth Bloomfeld (November 11, 2009). Feilden Clegg
Bradleys Leeds complex completed. bdonline.co.uk.
Retrieved 24 September 2010.

US Steel Tower

The rate at which some weathering steels form the desired

patina varies strongly with the presence of atmospheric
pollutants which catalyze corrosion. While the process
is generally successful in large urban centers, the weathering rate is much slower in more rural environments.
Uris Hall, a social sciences building on Cornell University's main campus in Ithaca, a small town in Upstate
New York, did not achieve the predicted surface nish
on its Bethlehem Steel Mayari-R weathering steel framing within the predicted time. Rainwater runo from the
slowly rusting steel stained the numerous large windows
and increased maintenance costs.[14] Corrosion without
the formation of a protective layer apparently led to the
need for emergency structural reinforcement and galvanizing in 1974, less than two years after opening.[15]

[9] Shipping Container Homes Globally. Retrieved 200905-24.

[10] Photos of the South Shore Line in the Dunes region of
Northern Indiana. people.ku.edu. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
[11] Architectural Record: Barclays Center.
[12] Harris, Elizabeth (27 August 2012). Constructing a Facade Both Rugged and Rusty. NY Times. Retrieved 27
September 2013.
[13] Arakawa, Lynda (11 May 2007). Stadium rust to get
$12.4M treatment. Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved 25
September 2014.
[14] Olmstead, Elizabeth (2 October 1973). "'Old Rusty' Design Hikes Upkeep Costs. The Cornell Daily Sun. Ithaca,
NY. Retrieved 2015-03-29.
[15] Sennet, Charles (8 May 1974). Donor Wrote Corson
to Demand 'Old Rusty' Repairs Be Secret. The Cornell
Daily Sun. Ithaca, NY. Retrieved 2015-03-29.

The U.S. Steel Tower in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was

constructed by U.S. Steel in part to showcase COR-TEN
steel. The initial weathering of the material resulted in [16] Learn About Cor-Ten / F.A.Q. Corten.Com. Retrieved
17 October 2014.
a discoloration of the surrounding city sidewalks which
[16]
as well as other
is known as bleeding or runo,
nearby buildings. A cleanup eort was orchestrated by
the corporation once weathering was complete to clean 5 External links
the markings. A few of the nearby sidewalks were left
Report on Weathering Steel in TxDOT Bridges from
uncleaned, and remain a rust color. This problem has
the Texas Department of Transportation (4464 KB).
been reduced in newer formulations of weathering steel.
Contains recommended details to avoid staining.
Staining can be prevented if the structure can be designed
Note: wrapping of piers was later found not to be
so that water does not drain from the steel onto concrete
cost-eective.
where stains would be visible.

5
A Primer on Weathering Steel: a white paper from
the National Steel Bridge Alliance
Weathering steel: A technical overview of weathering steels for bridges and general construction

EXTERNAL LINKS

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