Extensive information on the atmospheric corrosion of weathering steel has been published in the scientific literature. The contribution of the present work is to provide a bibliographic review of the reported information, which mostly concerns the weathering steel ASTM A-242. This review addresses issues such as rust layer stabilisation times, steady-state steel corrosion rates, and situations where the use of unpainted weathering steel is feasible. It also analyses the effect of exposure conditions. Finally it approaches the important matter of predicting the long-term behaviour of weathering steel reviewing the different prediction models published in the literature.

The design of the first weathering steels was purely empirical and focused on a small number of conventional alloying elements such as manganese, silicon, chromium, nickel, copper and phosphorus, mainly. The environmental conditions that promote the formation of protective rust layers: existence of wet/dry cycling, absence of very long wetness times, atmospheres without a marine component, etc., were identified by trial and error. This paper makes a bibliographic review of the abundant literature that has been published on the atmospheric corrosion of weathering steels, setting out in chronological order the advances made in the scientific knowledge of important matters such as: atmospheric corrosion mechanisms of weathering steel, formation of protective rust layers, and the role played by alloying elements. The work ends with an overview of the scientific design of new weathering steels, placing special emphasis on the new compositions developed for application in marine atmospheres.

The atmospheric corrosion of mild steel is an extensive topic that has been studied by many authors in different regions throughout the world. This compilation paper incorporates relevant publications on the subject, in particular about the nature of atmospheric corrosion products, mechanisms of atmospheric corrosion and kinetics of the atmospheric corrosion process, paying special attention to two matters upon which relatively less information has been published: a) the morphology of steel corrosion products and corrosion product layers; and b) long-term atmospheric corrosion (>10 years). KeywordsAtmospheric corrosion; Mild steel; Long-term; Morphology; Review. corrosión atmosférica del acero suave resumenLa corrosión atmosférica del acero suave es un tema de gran amplitud que ha sido tratado por muchos autores en numerosas regiones del mundo. Este artículo de compilación incorpora publicaciones relevantes sobre esta temática, en particular sobre la naturaleza de los productos de corrosión atmosférica, mecanismos y cinética de los procesos de corrosión atmosférica, prestando una atención especial a dos aspectos sobre los que la información publicada ha sido menos abundante: a) morfología de los productos de corrosión del acero y capas de productos de corrosión, y b) corrosión atmosférica a larga duración (> 10 años).

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The atmospheric corrosion of weathering steel (WS) has been extensively discussed in the scientific literature, but a comprehensive overview of this topic from an engineering viewpoint is currently lacking. The present publication seeks to fill this gap, providing engineers, designers and steel manufacturers with an insight into the current state of knowledge on this important structural material and presenting key research findings in a way that promotes their practical application. The Part I of this review is addressed to various aspects of WS atmospheric corrosion, such as corrosion mechanisms, corrosion products and layers, effect of exposure environment conditions and long term performance. A number of design and metallurgical considerations is also focused.