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| Case Histories |
Corrosion Compromising Integrity of Structural Steel Floor
Location: Crawlspace beneath a grocery store
Material: Wide Flange Steel Beams, Steel Decking, Concrete Floor
Background: A corrosion investigation was performed in a 100,000 ft2 store
crawlspace which was built over what was once a low lying marsh
and landfill site. The wide flange steel beams had severely
corroded reducing their life assessment to only an additional 2 to 5
years. Additionally, severe deterioration to the underside of the
floor was detected, requiring immediate repair.
Service Life: The grocery store was built 15 years prior to the corrosion
inspection.
Findings: The corrosion inspection concluded that there was virtually no air
movement in the crawlspace area. The lack of air movement
combined with the extremely wet environment of the crawlspace
had resulted in this severe condition. Recommendations were
provided for the repair of the concrete and to increase airflow and
reduce moisture in the crawlspace to mitigate the corrosion
problem and increase the life expectancy of the floor structure. |
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