In the last article, titled "Study Shows Galvanized Steel Lasting Longer Today Than In Decades Past," the newest model of predicting hot-dip galvanized steel service life was discussed. The model is easy to use, requiring the input of just five environmental variables to determine the long-term corrosion protection that galvanized steel will provide in any specific geographic location. This long-term corrosion protection of steel translates into even lower life-cycle costs for manufacturing facilities, water/wastewater projects, and myriad buildings and other structures that utilize hot-dip galvanized steel in construction. Because strict environmental regulation over the past 10-15 years has improved micro- and macro-environment (reducing sulfides & chlorides in the air), hot-dip galvanized steel performs even longer than before. Quantifying the life-cycle costs for hot-dip galvanizing is quite simple, but for most barrier protection systems, it can be a daunting task, especially when the time-value of money is used in the calculations. This article explains the components of the calculations and provides a simplified method of determining life-cycle costs.
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