Page 404 - Corrosion Engineering Principles and Practice

372 C h a p t e r 9 A t m o s p h e r i c C o r r o s i o n 373

FIGURE 9.45 A 35-m-high highway lamppost made of weathering steel.

The Chrysler Building completed in New York, in 1930 was the
first high-profile stainless steel application in the world. Type 302
stainless steel was used for the production of six rows of arches
topped with a stainless steel spire. Stainless steel gargoyles were
installed on the 31st and 61st floors. The present day condition is
estimated to be very good. Only small dents from the cleaning
equipment have been observed. Minor pitting above the 61st floor
balcony has been removed with polishing.
The exterior of the Empire State Building completed one year later
(1931), only a few blocks from the Chrysler Building, was made of
stainless steel, gray limestone, and dark gray aluminum. Over 300 t of
1.3-mm-thick Type 302 stainless steel have been used for its construction.
This historic landmark with a height of 282 m was the world’s tallest
building for 41 years. The stainless steel was estimated to be in excellent
condition 70 years after the construction of this historical landmark.
804 metric tons of Type 304 stainless steel plates, 6.3 mm thick, were
used more recently for the construction of the Gateway Arch erected in
1965 in St. Louis, Mo. on the bank of the Mississippi River. The 190-m-high