Atmospheric corrosion

ATMOSPHERIC CORROSION
OF FASTENINGS AND
INSTALLATION SYSTEMS.

Hilti. Outperform. Outlast.

Atmospheric corrosion

Lasting and reliable.

Fastening and installation systems
for demanding environments.
It takes roughly one fifth of the world’s annual steel production to replace parts damaged
by corrosion. While this amounts to a considerable economic loss, a greater concern is the
safety risks, where corrosion can lead to significant impairment to the functionality of the
fastening systems of the structural elements.

Corrosion Protection is the principle measure to mitigate these risks. Active corrosion
protection comprises the measures that directly influence the corrosion reaction, e.g.
galvanic separation, resistant materials, or cathodic protection. Passive Corrosion Protection
prevents or at least decelerates corrosion through the isolation of the metal material from the
corrosive agent by the application of metallic or non-metallic protective layers of coating.

For fastening and installation systems, such as post-installed anchors, powder actuated
fixings, screws or channel supports, the use of resistant material or a protective coating
is considered to be the safest and most economical corrosion protection method.

This brochure presents a general guideline for selecting a suitable corrosion

protection method for fastening systems in commonly accepted applications for
given environmental conditions.

Tested protection
Hilti conducts comprehensive laboratory and field based tests to assess the corrosion
resistance of its products. Thanks to the in-house research and close collaboration with
renowned universities and laboratories, Hilti can offer the right solutions with the suitable
corrosion protection for a wide variety of environmental conditions.

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 Atmospheric corrosion

Corrosion is expected to occur when the material, the protection or the structural
design of a metallic component do not match the requirements imposed by the
surrounding environment.

To evaluate the risk of corrosion, it is essential to assess the interaction

between environmental conditions, material properties, material combinations and
design characteristics.

To understand this interaction, you would need to consider the following influencing
factors to atmospheric corrosion:

• Humidity: is a requirement for all atmospheric corrosion reactions “ On real jobsites, corrosion
resistance is one of the most
• Temperature: The higher the temperatures, the higher the rate of corrosive attack
underestimated aspects when
• Salt: Salt-laden air near the sea coast and the salt used for de-icing in winter
it comes to fastening products.
accelerate corrosion
Knowing the basic facts can help
• Industrial pollution: the high content of sulphur dioxide accelerates corrosive reactions the customer to find a suitable
• Bimetallic corrosion: is caused by the contact of dissimilar metals (where one metal is and sustainable solution.”
less noble than the other)
Alexander Tomandl,
Hilti Corporate Research and Technology
Special applications demand special attention to the corrosion protection of the metallic
components. This could be for example the conditions prevailing in road tunnels, buildings
with indoor swimming pools, or in chemical plants. For such specific applications, it is
advisable to consult a specialist. Your local, qualified Hilti engineers will be pleased to
provide you with technical support on your application.

Zinc-coated carbon steel Stainless steel Hydrogen assisted cracking

Zinc coated steel typically corrodes Stainless steel has the ability to form very This is the process by which high-strength or
uniformly. Steel corrosion starts when thin but dense oxide layers to protect the hardened carbon steel under stress become
the zinc protection is mostly consumed. surface against corrosion. However, in brittle and suddenly fails. This type of steel
highly corrosive environments, stainless failure results when hydrogen is induced to
On duplex-coated products the zinc steel may suffer from pitting corrosion, the steel material during production or by
is further protected by an organic or which is a localised attack that significantly corrosion attack.
inorganic coating. decreases the lifetime of stainless steel.

To maintain the service life of fasteners, e.g. to prevent hydrogen assisted cracking, the application conditions for each product
given in Hilti’s published literature must be followed.

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 Atmospheric corrosion

Selecting the right corrosion protection for anchors,

powder-actuated fasteners and screws
For fasteners to be perfectly satisfactory and reliable for their entire service life, all the
influencing factors must be identified before a suitable fastener can be selected.

The following table provides a general guideline for the most common applications of fastening
elements. The appropriate corrosion protection for each fastening material is shown based on
the typical atmospheric environments (see notes).

product examples
Anchors, HSA, HUS, HUS-HF HSA-F, HSA-R2 HUS-HR, HSA-R HST-HCR
Anchors HST, HIT-V HIT-V-F HST-R, HIT-V-R
powder-actuated HIT-Z-R
fasteners and
Screws S-DS01, S-MD Z, S-CD C, S-MD S, S-MD SS,
screws S-DD01 S-MP Z S-IT C S-CD S S-CD SS

Powder-actuated X-ENP 1), X-U X-FCM-M X-BT, X-CR, On demand

fasteners X-GHP, X-GN X-FCM-R

Coating/ Carbon steel Electro­ Duplex- HDG/ A2 A4 HCR,

material without corro- galvanized coated carbon sherardized AISI 304 AISI 316 e.g. 1.4529
sion protection steel 45-50 µm

Environmental conditions Fastened part

Steel (zinc-coated, painted),

Dry indoor aluminium, stainless steel n n n n n n n

Steel (zinc-coated, painted),

Indoor with tempo- aluminium n n
‒ – n n n
rary condensation
Stainless steel – –
Steel (zinc-coated, painted), 2) 2)
Outdoor with low aluminium    
‒ ‒ 2)
n  n n
pollution
Stainless steel – –
Outdoor with mode­ Steel (zinc-coated, painted), 2)
  2)
 
rate concentration aluminium ‒ ‒ 2)
n  n n
of pollutants Stainless steel – –

Steel (zinc-coated, painted),

Coastal areas aluminium, stainless steel
‒ ‒ – ‒ ‒ n n

Outdoor, areas with

Steel (zinc-coated, painted),
heavy industrial aluminium, stainless steel
‒ ‒ – ‒ ‒ n n
pollution

Close proximity to Steel (zinc-coated, painted),

‒ ‒ – ‒ ‒ n n
roads aluminium, stainless steel

Special
Consult experts n
applications

n = expected lifetime of anchors made from this material is typically satisfactory in the specified environment based on the typically expected lifetime of a building. The assumed service life
in ETA approvals for powder-actuated and screw fasteners is 25 years, and for concrete anchors it is 50 years.
= a decrease in the expected lifetime of non-stainless fasteners in these atmospheres must be taken into account (≤ 25 years). Higher expected lifetime needs a specific assessment.
‒ = fasteners made from this material are not suitable in the specified environment. Exceptions need a specific assessment.
1)
Outdoor exposure for up to 6 months during construction is permissible for high-strength electro-galvanized siding and decking fasteners such as the X-ENP (see instructions for use for
details).
2)
From a technical point of view, HDG/duplex coatings and A2/304 material are suitable for outdoor environments with certain lifetime and application restrictions. This is based on long-
term experience with these materials as reflected e.g. in the corrosion rates for Zn given in the ISO 9224:2012 (corrosivity categories, C-classes), the selection table for stainless steel
grades given in the national technical approval issued by the DIBt Z.30.3-6 (April 2009) or the ICC-ES evaluation reports for our KB-TZ anchors for North America (e.g. ESR-1917, May
2013). The use of those materials in outdoor environments however is currently not covered by the European Technical Approval (ETA) of anchors, where it is stated that anchors made of
galvanized carbon steel or stainless steel grade A2 may only be used in structures subject to dry indoor conditions, based on an assumed working life of the anchor of 50 years.

Hilti anchor channel (HAC) is available in hot-dip galvanized according to E ISO 1460:2009-10. HBC special bolts are available in electro-galvanized, hot-dip galvanized and A4 versions.
HAC may be used together with HBC in any material combination in dry indoor environments according to ETA-11/0006 (28th February 2012). When HBC are hot-dip galvanized, they may
be also used in indoor environments with temporary condensation

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 Atmospheric corrosion

Selecting the right corrosion

protection for wood nails
Wood can be corrosive due to the organic acids it contains. Besides atmospheric conditions,
corrosive attack by the wood itself must also be considered when selecting the type of
corrosion protection for wood nails.

The following table provides a general guideline for common applications in which wood nails
are used in typical atmospheric environments for wood-to-wood connections.

Wood nails Service Classes Service class 1 Service class 2 Service class 3
Hilti GX-WF in accordance with
EN 1995 (Eurocode 5)

Coating/ Carbon steel Electro­ HDG A21) A4

material without corro­ galvanized 45-50 µm AISI 304 AISI 316
sion protection

Environmental conditions lifetime in years

Dry indoor 20 to 50 up to 50 up to 100 n n

Indoor with temporary

‒ 10 to 50 60 to 100 n n
condensation

Outdoor with low pollution ‒ 5 to 20 40 to 100 n n

Outdoor with mode­rate

‒ 2 to 10 20 to 40 n n
concentration of pollutants

less
Coastal areas ‒
than 5
10 to 30 ‒ n

Outdoor, areas with heavy less

‒ 10 to 30 ‒ n
industrial pollution than 5

Close proximity to roads ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ n

Special
Consult experts
applications

The table above provides typically assumed service life estimations based on corrosion considerations. Other factors determining the
service life of fasteners must be evaluated separately.

n = expected lifetime of nails made from this material is typically satisfactory in the specified environment based on the
typically expected lifetime of a building.
‒ = nails made from this material are not suitable for the environment or the typical lifetime of a building is not achieved.
1)
For nails made of A2 material, discoloration of nail heads can occur before the service life in the table above is reached. To avoid this,
use A4 material.

Certain wood species including, but not limited to, oak, Douglas fir or western red cedar, require the use of stainless steel nails, independent
of Service Class and environmental conditions.
The use of certain wood treatments including, but not limited to, fire retardants or preservatives can change the chemical composition of the
wood and may require the use of stainless steel nails, independent of Service Class and environmental conditions.

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 Atmospheric corrosion

Selecting the right installation system

The typical lifetime rating of the coatings depends on the =RQH
corrosivity of the atmosphere which differs significantly
throughout the world. For a practical approach, Hilti
differentiates between two zones. Zone 1 is countries where
air quality and climate data prove the absence of polluted and
tropical environments. Today these countries are European
Countries and North America. Zone 2 countries are those
outside Zone 1, which either lack the availability of reliable air
quality data or the data proves the presence of heavy pollution
(especially in urban zones) and/or hot tropical climate regions. =RQH

The typical lifetime expectancy of Hilti installation systems is shown in the below table. For environmental
conditions where the lifetime for Zone 1 and Zone 2 differ, the number of years for Zone 1 are show below
those of Zone 2 between parentheses.

Installation Channel system MM + MQ + MQ-F MQ ASTM MI HDG MQ system MQ system

MC system MC-OC MC-OC-A system stainless A2/ stainless A4/
systems system system AISI 304 AISI 316

Pipe fastening Indoor pipe HDG pipe rings2 MI-UB, Stainless pipe rings3
rings1 MI-PS

Environmental conditions lifetime in years (zone 2)

Dry indoor 70 to 100 up to 100 up to 100 up to 100 n n

Indoor with temporary

25 to 70 40 to 100 60 to 100 60 to 100 n n
condensation

2 to 10 15 to 60 25 to 100 25 to 100
Outdoor with low pollution (4 to 10) (25 to 90) (40 to 100) (40 to 100) n n

Outdoor with mode­rate 10 to 40 20 to 50 20 to 50

‒ n n
concentration of pollutants (20 to 40) (25 to 50) (25 to 50)

7 to 20 10 to 40 10 to 40
Coastal areas ‒
(10 to 20) (15 to 40) (15 to 40)
‒ n

Outdoor, areas with heavy 5 to 20 10 to 40 10 to 40

‒ ‒ n
industrial pollution (10 to 20) (15 to 40) (15 to 40)

Close proximity to roads ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ ‒ n

Special
Consult experts
applications

n = expected lifetime of an installation system made from this material is typically satisfactory in the specified environment
based on the typically expected lifetime of a building.
1)
Indoor pipe rings: MP-H, MP-HI, MP-LH, MP-LHI, MPN, MP-MI, MP-MIS, MP-M, MP-MXI, MP-MX, MP-PI, SDC, MP-SP
2)
HDG pipe rings: MP-MI-F, MP-M-F, MP-MXI-F, MP-MX-F
3)
Stainless pipe rings: MP-SRN, MP-SRNI, MP-MR, MP-MRI, MP-MRXI

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 Atmospheric corrosion

Environment categories
Applications can be classified into various environmental categories,
by taking the following main factors into account:

Indoor applications
Dry indoor environments
(heated or air-conditioned areas) without condensation, e.g. office buildings,
schools

Indoor environments with temporary condensation

(unheated areas without pollutants), e.g. storage sheds

Outdoor applications

Outdoor, rural or urban environment with low pollution

Large distance (> 10 km) from the sea

Outdoor, rural or urban environment with moderate concentration

of pollutants and/or salt from sea water
Distance from the sea 1-10 km

Coastal areas
Distance from the sea < 1 km

Outdoor, areas with heavy industrial pollution

Close to plants < 1km (e.g. petrochemical, coal industry)

Close proximity to roadways treated with de-icing salts,

Distance from roadways < 10 m

Special applications
Special applications
Areas with special corrosive conditions, e.g. road tunnels with de-icing salt,
indoor swimming pools, special applications in the chemical industry (exceptions
possible).

Important notes

The ultimate decision on the required corrosion protection must be made by the customer. Hilti accepts
no responsibility regarding the suitability of a product for a specific application, even if informed of the
application conditions.
The tables are based on an average service life for typical applications.
For metallic coatings, e.g. zinc layer systems, the end of lifetime is the point at which red rust is visible over a large
fraction of the product and widespread structural deterioration can occur – the initial onset of rust may occur sooner.
National or international codes, standards or regulations, customer and/or industry specific guidelines must be
independently considered and evaluated.
These guidelines apply to atmospheric corrosion only. Special types of corrosion, such as crevice corrosion or
hydrogen assisted cracking must be independently evaluated.
The tables published in this brochure describe only a general guideline for commonly accepted applications in
typical atmospheric environments.
Suitability for a specific application can be significantly affected by localised conditions, including but not limited to:
• Elevated temperatures and humidity
• High levels of airborne pollutants
• Direct contact with corrosive products, such as found in some types of chemically-treated wood, waste water,
concrete additives, cleaning agents, etc.
• Direct contact to soil, stagnant water
• Electrical current
• Contact with dissimilar metals
• Confined areas, e.g. crevices
• Physical damage or wear
• Extreme corrosion due to combined effects of different influencing factors
• Enrichment of pollutants on the product

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Atmospheric corrosion

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