Corrosion Performance of New Cu–V Weathering Steels in Harsh Industrial Environments

The composition and characteristics of weathering steel are of great significance to ensure the safety of practical applications, and the structural composition of weathering steel itself and many external factors are important causes of corrosion. In this study, a series of microscopic testing methods were used to deeply study the structural characteristics of weathering steel and the corrosion mechanism of elements in weathering steel. It is worth noting the effect of copper composition on the corrosion mechanism of weathering steel and standard steel rods during corrosion. The experimental results show that HRB400aE (containing 0.3% Cu) and HRB500aE (containing 0.6% Cu) have less corrosion-related weight loss than HRB400E and HRB500E when copper and vanadium are synergistic in their corrosion resistant properties. Compared with HRB400E and HRB500E, HRB400aE (0.3% Cu) and HRB500aE (0.6% Cu) have lower potential drop, lower reduction rate, lower self-corrosion current, and lower electrochemical reactivity in electrochemical experiments. The results of this series of dry and wet corrosion tests, microscopic tests and electrochemical experiments also confirm that corrosion resistant elements such as copper and vanadium (as trace alloy additives) greatly improve the corrosion resistance of steel rods in industrial environments.