DIN 50 929, Part 3, page 3

Table 1: Data for the Evaluation of Soils

No. Characteristic and Measurand Unit Measuring range Rating value

In well-aerated to very well-aerated soils, with a specific soil resistance of more than 10,000
a) Evaluation of soil samples Ohm x cm, having a content of settleable solids (< 0.063 mm) of less than 30 percent of weight
and a water content from 3 to 14 percent of weight, the protective zinc coating is subject to an
1 Type of soil initial rate of corrosion (up to 2 years) of 2 μm/a. Once a covering layer has formed, the
a) Cohesiveness: Content of settleable % of corrosion rate is 0.5 μm/a.
solids weight to
to In moderately aerated to well-aerated soils, with a specific soil resistance of more than 5,000
to Ohm x cm, having a content of settleable solids (< 0.063 mm) from 30 to 70 percent of weight
and a water content from 20 to 35 percent of weight, the protective zinc coating is subject to an
b) Peat, moor, warp, and marshy soils, % of initial rate of corrosion (up to 2 years) of 5 to 9 μm/a. Once a covering layer has formed, the
organic carbon weight corrosion rate is 2 μm/a.
c) Severely polluted soils
In poorly areated to moderately aerated soils, with a specific soil resistance from 1,300 to 1,500
2 Specific soil resistance Ohm cm Ohm x cm, having a content of settleable solids (< 0.063 mm) of more than 70 percent of weight
ASTM G57-06 and a water content from 20 to 38 percent of weight, the protective zinc coating is subject to an
to
initial rate of corrosion (up to 2 years) of 8 to 32 μm/a. Once a covering layer has formed, the
to
corrosion rate is 2 μm/a.
to
to
If an elevated content of salts is present in such soils and the specific soil resistance ranges from
60 to 150 Ohm x cm, the initial rate of corrosion (up to 2 years) reaches 22 to 30 μm/a. Once a
3 Water content % of covering layer has formed, the rate of corrosion lies between 2 and 9 μm/a in these cases.
ASTM D2216-10 weight
In very poorly aerated soils, with a specific soil resistance of 406 Ohm x cm, having a content of
settleable solids (< 0.063 mm) of more than 70 percent of weight and a water content of 29
4 PH value percent of weight, the protective zinc coating is subject to an initial rate of corrosion (up to 2
ASTM G51-95 years) of 48 μm/a. Even after a covering layer has formed, the corrosion rate remains at 48
to 9 μm/a.
to
Source: Reports of KIWA MPA Bautest GmbH.

5 Buffer capacity ASTM D1067-16 mmol/kg

Acid capacity up to pH 4.3 The probability of corrosion of metallic materials in soils has so far been evaluated on the basis
(alkalinity ) to of
1) the assessment of the quality of covering layers on hot-dip galvanized steels as indicated by
Base capacity up to pH 7.0 0
the value of .
(acidity ) to 5
to 10 Note: This approach does not take into account a number of factors including the value of ,
to 20 which is important for assessing the soil type.
to Peat soil e.g. (share of weight ) may be highly corrosive even if the quality of the protective
zinc layer has been rated “good.”

6 Sulfides ( —
) mg/kg It is therefore advisable to determine at least the value of . In this case, all rating values to
are determined, which has the additional advantage of allowing a lab such as “Kiwa Bautest
to GmbH” to estimate the average annual degradation of the zinc layer* as well as the maximum
period of time during which it provides protection.
7 Neutral salts in aqueous extract mmol/kg [* Translator’s note: The word „degradation” is missing in the original, an obvious error.]
( ) ( )

to -1
to -2 Information
to -3 8.3 Hot-Dipped Galvanized Steels
-4 The points made in section 8.1 regarding ungalvanized steels essentially obtain here, too. Hot-
dipped galvanized steels should only be used if the zinc layer offers sufficient protection as
8 Sulfates ( , hydrochloric acid extract) mmol/kg
indicated by table 5. An additional protective layer does not provide synergistic protection for
objects in soil or water, in contrast with cases in which the objects are exposed to the
to atmosphere.
to
Source: DIN 50 929 – Part 3 (1985)
b) On-site evaluation
Information
9 Location of object relative to groundwater
No groundwater present Hot-dipped galvanized construction elements such reinforced earth may be used only in soils
Groundwater present of classes I or II.
Groundwater changes over time
10 Soil homogeneity, horizontal Source: Stahl-Informations-Zentrum, Merkblatt 400 (Corrosion properties of hot-dipped
Soil resistance profile: The variation of (see | | galvanized steel)
line 2) above across neighboring soil areas is
determined: | |
(All positive values of are set to equal
“ .”) | |
11 Soil homogeneity, vertical
a) Soil in the immediate surroundings Homogeneous embedding with soil of
the same type, sand

Inhomogeneous embedding −6
containing extraneous material such
as wood, roots etc. or including more
strongly corrosive soils of different
types
b) 1 values varying across soil layers; | |
| | is determined in analogy to line 10
| |
12 Potential between object and soil V
(used to detect extraneous cathodes
If it is impossible to measure the potential, to
e.g. in the absence of the object from the soil, to
must be set to equal if pieces of coal -10
or coke are present.
Note on Table 1: For evaluations of soil type (line 1) and vertical soil homogeneity (line 11), the rating values are set to the most
negative alternatives.

Rating values nos. 9 to 12 and, whenever possible, rating value no. 2 are determined on site. Rating values nos. 1 to 8 are
determined on the basis of soil samples through lab analyses. It is important to make sure that the soil samples are sufficiently
representative of the object to be evaluated and for the question to be answered. It is advisable to analyze several soil samples
taken as suggested by the specific features of the object to be evaluated. The overall evaluation should then be based on the
results of all the analyses.

The table contain general designations of the various soil types. Anaerobic soils containing active sulfate-reducing
microorganisms often play an important role for the evaluation of corrosion risks. The following rating values characterize such
soils: , , and in particular .

Table 5.
-, -, values Quality of the coating
Very good
to Good
to Satisfactory
Insufficient

Soil Classes, Soil Aggressiveness and Probability of Corrosion in Soils for Unalloyed and Low-Alloy Iron Materials
values Soil Soil aggressiveness Probability of corrosion based on the values of
respectively class

based on the values of Pitting General corrosion

Ia In practice not aggressive Very low Very low
to Ib Weakly aggressive Low Very low
to II Aggressive Medium Low
III Highly aggressive High Medium

1
In the original, the index 3 is given as 3, which is an obvious typo.