CORROSION AND CORROSION CONTROL IN BUILDING EXTERIORS: A REVIEW OF MATERIALS, DESIGN AND FABRICATION

摘要

The durability of a building exterior depends on factors such as construction materials, the design and the aggressiveness of the environment, all of which must be taken into consideration by the designer. This paper looks at 1. the types of electrochemical degradation that building materials may be subject to, such as uniform, pitting and galvanic corrosion, 2. the various metallic materials and pre-coated materials that are used for building exteriors, including steel and pre-coated steel, aluminium, zinc, titanium and copper, 3. the types of environments they are exposed to, and 4. some considerations for design, maintenance and selecting fasteners. Non metals such as concrete, glass and plastic materials can also suffer chemical degradation, but this paper will concentrate on metallic materials. The paper will show that the durability of metals used in construction is highly dependent upon the corrosion characteristics of the metals being used and their reactions in the service environment. An understanding of these relationships, careful selection of materials and attention to construction detail will result in a long-term, aesthetically pleasing building as envisaged by the designers with minimal maintenance costs to the owner.