Hi, I am looking for some information and found this great site, I need help about steel. I am studying Engineering of maitenance and I am doing a project about corrosion on steel. I have selected three pieces of metals and left them on a drydock, I will check them weekly and take pictures of the corrosion process, I chose a piece of naval steel (vessels), comercial steel (windows, doors, etc) and a piece of the average one (construction). The thing is, I need to know what is the composition of each of them, % of carbon, % of other metals, etc, etc. I have looked over the net with no result. I would appreciate your help so much. Thanks. Marcos A.J. Venezuela.

Didn't if the steel sandblasted also contributed to the slowing rate of corrrosion.

One of the easiest way will be ask the user about the steel grade they use. You may ask the construction people about the steel grade they are using and like. this may act as starting point. The best way to check the composition will be to get it tested in Lab or by spectography. Even the alloy analyser can be useful except it won't give you the % C. As the details of the experiment is not given, we are left to wondering about the methodology. If you are only taking photographs about the corrosion process, steel composition may not have much significance. Generally any corrosion study takes care about the surface area exposed, initial surface condition (paint or without paint), measurement of weight loss and pitting depth. Regarding the gritblasting part, if you don't paint a steel part after gritblasting, the corrosion rate will be higher. 'Hope it helps regards