Without adequate salt fog corrosion testing, state and local governments may find that the bridges they rely on are crumbling faster than they expect due to corrosion. Such a problem exists in Pennsylvania.

Of all the states, Pennsylvania contains the most structurally-deficient bridges. According to a report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, about 4,500 bridges qualify for that designation, meaning that "any of three elements—superstructure, substructure or deck—is found by inspectors to be in poor or worse-than-poor condition." In the counties of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland, for example, a quarter of bridges are showing signs of deterioration that could lead to future closings.

Luckily, the problem is slowly being addressed. The article states that the number of structurally-deficient bridges is dropping: In 2010, there were 5,600 such structures under that designation. However, recent funding problems are leading state officials to question whether this progress can be sustained in years to come.

"While we've been able to make progress over the past four years, it was because of additional money that no longer exists," Dan Cessna, PennDOT district executive for Allegheny, Beaver and Lawrence counties, told the Post-Gazette. While Governor Tom Corbett reportedly has a plan to raise additional funds, it is not yet clear if the state legislature will approve. Without the money, the number of deteriorating bridges is expected to rise to 4,800 by 2020.

Bridge corrosion is a problem, especially if it is unexpected. Salt fog corrosion testing simulates the stressful conditions that the metallic components and their protective coatings will face, thereby giving an idea of how bad the deterioration might be. State and local governments should always seek out salt spray test experts when constructing a bridge.

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Italian luxury sports car maker Maserati announced that it will be voluntarily recalling about 7,400 vehicles due to a potentially dangerous corrosion issue, according to a New York Times report.

Maserati is the fourth automaker whose recall has been featured in this blog in the past year. In April, Subaru was forced to recall 215,000 vehicles after reports detailed a brake line problem. In March, both Ford and General Motors also took action in light of corrosion issues.

In this case, the 7,400 Maserati vehicles appear to have rusting rear tire rods, the Times reports. The problem was caused by "insufficiently applied zinc-nickel anti-corrosion compound material," said the article, which added that any failure in the component could result "in loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of a crash."

Officials from the company said that they were not aware of any accidents resulting from the defect. Maserati added that it would replace the left and right rear tire rod assemblies.

Safe driving requires expert corrosion testing 

Because of the danger associated with auto part failures, proper cyclic corrosion testing is of the utmost importance. 

Unlike standard methods of testing for corrosion, the cyclic method is a variation of salt spray corrosion testing that is meant to accurately mimic real-world conditions. Drivers operate in both wet and dry conditions, which testing must take into account in order to provide accurate results. When conducted properly, the cyclic test alternates between these states, making it ideal for auto parts.

Companies should be sure to consult with expert corrosion testing service providers before declaring their vehicles safe for the road. 

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When important steel infrastructure does not receive adequate salt fog corrosion testing, rust can occur prematurely, requiring further maintenance. This results in structures that are unsightly, if not downright dangerous.

Such a situation is occurring in Kentucky, where transportation officials are facing a potential $22 million bill for repainting the U.S. 41-North Twin Bridges, also known as the Bi-State Vietnam Gold Star Memorial Bridges.

According to The Henderson Gleaner, the bridge's current paint job was done between 2007-2008 with a calcium sulfonate paint that was supposed to last 15 years or more. However, only five years later, motorists are noticing rust covering the bridge's steel beams.

The problem is that the original job caused significant traffic delays, since workers had to close one bridge at a time and direct motorists in a single lane across the other bridge. More than 37,000 drivers cross the Ohio River each day, the Gleaner reported.

"In the strongest terms possible, I'm pretty darn unhappy," state transportation spokesman Keith Todd told the Gleaner. "With all the grief we went through [to get them repainted], that our traffic people went through and that commuters went through, to have something not last 15 to 20 years [is disappointing]."

Todd suggested that part of the problem is that calcium sulfonate paint is not meant to adhere to bare metal, but rather to coat the paint underneath. After taking several samples of the paint, state transportation officials found that the manufacturer altered the recipe in such a way as to change how the paint bonded to the beams.

Todd said that the state will no longer use that paint on its bridges. Plans for re-coating the Twin Bridges have yet to be determined.

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When transporting natural gas or other volatile compounds, it is crucial to ensure that the metal piping that contains the gas will remain free of corrosion. The risk of a leak or explosion highlights the importance of conducting proper salt fog corrosion testing.

The Federal Government has been asking natural gas companies to phase out cast iron piping for four decades. In 1973, government officials warned gas operators of their fears that this material would eventually deteriorate and requested "necessary action," according to local Texas station WFAA.com. These fears were realized in 2011, when an 80-year-old cracked pipe in Dallas caused an explosion that killed a family of three. Texas gas companies, however, have been slow to act on these warnings, and state regulators have done little to compel them.

In fact, top regulatory officials in Texas recently ruled that Atmos Energy, which has 800 miles of cast-iron pipes in North Texas, does not have to remove the piping, with the exception of those that are in the "worst 5 percent," according to the article. The article added that about 600 miles of the piping is located below the streets of Dallas.

Not all gas companies in the state have been so reluctant. Earlier this month, Texas Gas Service announced the voluntarily removal of 16 miles of corroding cast iron gas pipes in response to several explosions that occurred in 2011, reports WFAA.com.

The fact that many gas companies are unwilling to remove their at-risk pipes demonstrates the importance of using corrosion testing to find structural problems long before they occur.

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When industries do not properly utilize cyclic corrosion testing, the results can be dire. This is especially true for nuclear reactors, which contain radioactive material that poses a danger to the surrounding area.

Officials in Wake County, North Carolina, were forced to shut down the Shearon Harris nuclear plant on Thursday in response to corrosion in the reactor vessel, according to The News & Observer. The 26-year-old plant is located about 25 miles from the state capital of Raleigh. 

The article reported that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) discovered this weakness on a routine inspection of ultrasonic data, which revealed a quarter-inch defect in the vessel's lid. This component covers the reactor's nuclear fuel rods and extremely hot, high-pressure water.

The NRC does not believe that the 6-inch vessel wall has fractured, meaning it is highly unlikely that radioactive water was able to leak out of the container. 

"Initial evaluation indicates that the flaw is not through wall, and there is no evidence of leakage based on inspections performed on the top of the reactor vessel head during the spring 2012 refueling outage," read a press release from NRC.

David Lochbaum, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, explained that water stress corrosion is common in nuclear plants. 

"Impurities in the water can collect in tiny cracks formed in metal by stress," he said. "These impurities, called corrosion, exacerbate stress factors accelerating the propagation of tiny cracks."

It's important for potentially dangerous nuclear reactors to be built with structural integrity. That's why utilities should make use of corrosion test equipment to ensure that the materials in these structures can withstand high levels of pressure.

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Just two years shy of its 50th birthday, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri stands as a reminder of our nation's pioneering spirit—and the need for corrosion testing services.

The steel arch, which stands along the west bank of the Mississippi River, is corroding, according to a report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. After six years of investigation by National Park Service officials, it is still unclear when the arch will be cleaned.

While a report by the Chicago-based engineering firm Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates found that the corrosion does not appear to threaten the structural integrity of the Gateway Arch, it does leave the structure with unsightly stains and blemishes. The arch has not been cleaned since its completion in 1965, reported the Post-Dispatch.

Local officials are hoping to implement a $380 million renovation of the grounds surrounding the monument in time for the anniversary celebration in 2015. But the structure itself is still being studied, and Frank Mares, the deputy superintendent of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, told the Post-Dispatch that he is still waiting on funds for the third stage of that investigation.

"We would certainly like to see this phase completed by the 50th, but again, we don't have a time frame at this point," Mares said.

That stage will send technicians up the arch to determine the best cleaning methods. The actual cleaning process has not yet been planned, though the Post-Dispatch estimated that it could cost millions.

When building major structures that will be constantly exposed to the elements, it's important to ensure that the materials will not corrode in a way that will be unsightly or dangerous. Providers of cyclic testing services can test material coating under more realistic circumstances.

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The Japanese government is reconsidering the country's approach to its infrastructure after a recent fatal tunnel collapse demonstrated a need for widespread repairs.

In December 2012, the Associated Press reported that a concrete slab fell from the roof of the Sasago Tunnel on Japan's Chuo Expressway, killing nine people. Subsequent investigations suggested that the collapse of the three-mile tunnel, located about 50 miles from Tokyo, was caused by the deteriorating adhesive that held the anchor bolts that suspended the slabs. The tunnel first opened in 1977.

This accident came as a shock to many Japanese citizens and officials, who had assumed their infrastructure was safe and reliable. 

"Before the rapid economic growth in the postwar era, building infrastructure was time-consuming," said Ichiro Iwaki, a Nihon University professor specializing in social infrastructure maintenance engineering, in AsiaOne News. "As a result, the structures had been kept in good condition for long periods of time."

For example, the AsiaOne article cited the north breakwater at Otaru Port in Hokkaido, which was built more than 100 years ago and has changed little since. Iwaki said that such structures helped spread the myth that infrastructure could be used indefinitely, as long as it is maintained. The myth persisted even when construction techniques deteriorated.

"During and after the postwar economic boom, speedy building methods were preferred for infrastructure, but resulted in weaker-than-expected durability and faster-than-expected corrosion in reinforcing steel," Iwaki said.

This trend has become apparent in a number of bridges in the country that have seen significant steel corrosion, the article said.

While infrastructure doesn't last forever, its use can be prolonged if governments invest in proper corrosion test equipment before beginning construction. Along with proper planning, a salt spray test can alert designers if the coating on metallic parts is not capable of withstanding corrosion. 

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Salt fog corrosion testing is a vital first step in the construction process. Before metallic materials can be assembled, they must be tested to ensure that their protective coatings will be effective throughout the life of the finished structure.

One reason why this is so important is that structural repairs can be costly if something goes wrong. Take Ohio, for example, which is struggling to find the funds to maintain its bridges.

The Ohio Department of Transportation has identified 2,230 bridges in the state that are considered "structurally deficient," according to a report by The Toledo Blade. Bridges at this stage must eventually be repaired or replaced, but state officials are not sure if this will be possible.

"There's not enough money to stay ahead of it," said Montgomery County Engineer Paul Gruner. "The more we let them go, the more it costs to replace them, and we need more money to be able to replace them."

While the state is trying to prioritize repairs, many of these structures don't have much time left. For example, the Blade reports that the Third Street Bridge in downtown Daytona will not be replaced until 2019 at a cost of $10 million. That's 116 years after the bridge's foundation was first put in and 70 after the final structure was finished. 

It's not just Ohio that is experiencing this problem. The American Society of Civil Engineers recently found that the federal government is spending $12.8 billion on bridge projects each year, when it should be spending close to $20.5 billion to keep up with its replacement schedule.

One way to avoid all these costs is proper prevention. When building any major structure, businesses and governments should work with a corrosion testing services provider to ensure structural integrity.

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Corrosion can pose an immense threat to busy bridges that carry commuters to and from work every day. Luckily, this damage can be fixed without incident if it is discovered quickly enough.

Recently, the city of Chicago was able to reopen its Wells Street Bridge for the CTA's Brown and Purple train lines after several weeks of repairs. The cause of the damage, reports the Chicago Sun-Times, was "salt corrosion and weather-related wear and tear." The lines carry 77,000 passengers daily, according to the report.

Another Sun-Times article from last year detailed just how dire the situation had become on the bridge. Built in 1922 over the Chicago River and currently the second-longest bridge in the city, the Wells Street Bridge had not received any repairs to its corroding structure since 1955. 

"A low rating doesn't necessarily mean damage, but it means that it requires a lot of rehabbing or it will get to the shape where it becomes dangerous very, very soon," Farhad Ansari, professor of civil and materials engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago said at the time. "I think [the city] trying to do that now is the right thing to do."

All told, the bridge was closed for two nine-day periods. Due to faster than expected work, the repairs were actually finished eight days ahead of schedule, saving taxpayers about $500,000 according to the Sun-Times.

While it's always good to hear about aging infrastructure finally receiving the repairs they deserve, this does not trump the need for corrosion tests while they are being built. The components of structure, especially those being erected in a harsh environment, should undergo salt spray testing before completion.

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In previous posts, this blog has discussed the ongoing delays facing the new structure replacing the eastern span of California's Bay Bridge. Spanning the gap between San Francisco and Oakland, the $6 billion bridge is yet another example of the importance of salt spray testing.

Recently, a number of steel rods stabilizing the bridge were found to have fractured, presumably due to premature corrosion. As the weakened rods would make the structure far more susceptible to earthquake damage, the bridge's opening has been held off until repairs can be made. As recently as May 8, California Governor Jerry Brown declined to say when traffic would be able to cross safely.

That's because architects have chosen a "saddle design" to support the portion of the bridge that contains the fractured rods, according to the San Francisco Examiner. Steel saddles will attach a shock absorber to the bridge that was originally supposed to be held by the rods. The saddles will then be tied down by cables encased in concrete. This will cost an estimated $5 to $10 million.

Meanwhile, officials must test the remaining 1,200 rods used throughout the bridge to ensure that the rest of the structure is holding up as expected. This corrosion testing will focus on the rods' ability to withstand wear from salt water and chemicals.

"We're dealing here with not only engineering concerns but public confidence," Steve Heminger, executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, told the Modesto Bee. "Public confidence has taken a beating over the last few weeks, and we are mindful of that."

Brown, on the other hand, told reporters that he believed the public still had confidence in the bridge.

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