Test and Simulation Analysis on the Corrosion Evolution over Time of H-shaped Steel Components

• • At 60 days of NSS exposure, the 45° inclined specimen's F1 surface exhibited average rust layer thickness and average pit depth 45.79% and 54.78% greater than the 0° horizontal specimen, respectively—quantifying the penalty for geometries that prevent protective electrolyte film formation and directly informing inspection intervals for inclined structural members. • • The 3D-CA corrosion model reproduced experimental pit morphology and depth with error below 5%, and simulated pit depth distributions followed a Weibull function, establishing a validated numerical tool for predicting spatially non-uniform corrosion damage without destructive testing. • • Spatial orientation dictates corrosion hierarchy: at 0° and 45°, upper flange > web > lower flange; at 90°, W1 > flanges > W2. This inversion at 90° means that inspection protocols derived from flat-plate data will systematically misallocate resources across H-section surfaces. • • The model's exclusion of coupled stress and external loading defines its current operational boundary; extrapolation to service conditions involving corrosion-fatigue interaction requires multi-scale extension, a limitation that must be accounted for in remaining-life assessments of load-bearing H-shaped steel components.