Towards the development of a corrosion map for Abu Dhabi

Abstract

Infrastructure development in the United Arab Emirates continues to escalate, yet very few corrosion studies have been performed in the region. In a step to address this situation, this paper reports on a study of zinc and steel corrosion and salt deposition rates at five sites in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The sites are classified as either urban/marine, marine, inland or mountainous. The study found that zinc corrosion rates range from 15 µm/year on the coast to 0.6 µm/year inland, while steel corrosion rates are 56 and 10 µm/year, respectively, at the same locations. While the salt deposition rate ranges from 5 to 18 mg/m2/day, it is not directly related to distance from the coast. Although the salt deposition rates observed are consistent with those at locations at similar latitudes, the corrosion rates are higher than in locations with comparable salt deposition rates. However, when the data were analysed along with relevant local meteorological data, it was found to be consistent with the basic assumptions of the holistic model of atmospheric corrosion developed by Cole et al. In particular, it is suggested that the relatively high corrosion rates observed here are associated with a greater accumulation of salt, which can occur in Abu Dhabi because rainfall, and thus rain washing, is extremely low compared to similar exposure locations in Australia and South-East Asia.