Weathering steel offers advantages such as self-rust protection, low maintenance, and strong adaptability. It is widely used in outdoor steel-structure fields including bridges, photovoltaic (PV) support systems, architectural façades, and landscape projects. So how exactly is weathering steel applied? This article introduces several case studies to help you better understand and select .
This bridge is a representative example of Nordic weathering-steel bridges. It was built using SSAB Weathering 355 steel (highly comparable in performance to the S355 series). The bridge spans 126.2 meters with a total steel consumption of 231 tons and a maximum steel thickness of 35 mm. Located in a national park north of Helsinki, the project required both natural integration and structural durability. The steel's simple welding process requires no pre-heating, significantly reducing fabrication and installation time. Its patina evolves from light brown to deep brown, blending harmoniously with the forest environment. Meanwhile, the steel effectively resists corrosion under Finland's variable climate, minimizing future maintenance, reducing lifecycle cost, and limiting environmental disturbance.
Xinjiang 500 MW Gobi Desert Photovoltaic Project
This is China's first large-scale PV project to adopt weathering steel in Gobi Desert conditions. The region experiences more than 50 days of sandstorms annually, with instantaneous wind speeds reaching level 14, and the soil contains alkali and salt, demanding strong corrosion and sand-erosion resistance from PV structures. Weathering steel's self-protective rust layer ensures a service life of up to 30 years. Its sand-resistance capability exceeds that of traditional supports by more than 50%, and the patina strength is more than twice that of galvanized coatings.
The marine environment surrounding the HZMB has extremely high salt-spray concentrations, posing severe corrosion challenges to steel structures. Its auxiliary facilities were built using S355J0WP weathering rectangular and square tubes. With alloying elements such as copper and chromium, the steel forms a dense protective oxide film, providing atmospheric-corrosion resistance 2–8 times that of ordinary carbon steel. After 10 years of real-world application in coastal, high-salt environments, the steel developed only a 50–80 μm compact rust layer, with structural strength fully retained.
36 MW Distributed Photovoltaic Project Along Irrigation Canals, Shanxi Province
This is China's first weathering-steel truss PV support project. The canal environment is rich in moisture, which accelerates corrosion in ordinary steel, while weathering steel's corrosion resistance makes it well-suited for long-term humid environments. Moreover, it requires no post-weld anti-corrosion treatment-components can be used directly after forming. This streamlined the construction schedule, allowing the project to go from groundbreaking to grid connection in just 120 days.
Built in the 1990s, this bridge experienced corrosion, fatigue cracks, and deterioration due to long-term exposure to river moisture. During reinforcement, Q355NH weathering H-sections were selected. This steel contains copper, phosphorus, and chromium, enabling rapid formation of a dense patina in corrosive environments. Prefabricated H-sections allowed factory manufacturing and on-site assembly, shortening the construction period by 40% and reducing traffic closure time. Compared with traditional carbon steel plus coating systems, total cost decreased by 25%, maintenance demand dropped by 80%, and service life was extended to over 50 years.
Australia Pavilion, Expo 2010 Shanghai
The pavilion's exterior heavily utilized weathering steel plates as a core material to evoke the characteristic red-earth landscapes of Australia. Exposed long-term to Shanghai's rainy and humid climate, the natural patina provided excellent corrosion resistance while reducing coating and maintenance costs. The resulting distinctive aesthetic-combining functionality with architectural artistry-made the pavilion one of the iconic visual highlights of the Expo.
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