Corrosion Protection of Metal Connectors in Coastal Areas
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Corrosion Protection for Metal Connectors and Fasteners in Coastal Areas in Accordance with the National Flood Insurance Program NFIP Technical Bulletin 8 / June 2019 Comments on the Technical Bulletins should be directed to: DHS/FEMA Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (FIMA) Risk Management Directorate Building Science Branch 400 C Street, S.W., Sixth Floor Washington, DC 20472-3020 Technical Bulletin 8 (2019) replaces Technical Bulletin 8 (1996), Corrosion Protection for Metal Connectors in Coastal Areas for Structures Located in Special Flood Hazard Areas in accordance with the National Flood Insurance Program. Cover photographs: Inset photo: Corrosion of galvanized connectors (FEMA, Fire Island, NY, after Hurricane Sandy). Outset photo: Longer strap connectors helped maintain the connection between the beam and floor joists (FEMA, Seaside Heights, NJ, after Hurricane Sandy).. NFIP Technical Bulletin 8 contains information that is proprietary to and copyrighted by the American Society of Civil Engineers and information that is proprietary to and copyrighted by the International Code Council, Inc. All information is used with permission. For more information, see the FEMA Building Science Frequently Asked Questions website at http://www.fema.gov/ To order publications, contact the FEMA frequently-asked-questions-building-science. Distribution Center: Call: 1-800-480-2520 If you have any additional questions on FEMA Building (Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m., EST) Science Publications, contact the helpline at FEMA- Fax: 719-948-9724 [email protected] or 866-927-2104. Email: [email protected] You may also sign up for the FEMA Building Science email Additional FEMA documents can be subscription, which is updated with publication releases found in the FEMA Library at and FEMA Building Science activities. 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Table of Contents Acronyms ....................................................................................................................................................... iii 1 Introduction .....................................................................................................................................................1 2 NFIP Regulations .............................................................................................................................................1 3 Other Regulations ............................................................................................................................................3 3.1 International Residential Code .............................................................................................................3 3.2 International Building Code and ASCE 24 ..........................................................................................4 4 Importance of Selecting Proper Connectors and Fasteners for a Continuous Load Path ...............................6 5 Light Gauge Metal Connectors and Corrosion .................................................................................................8 5.1 Known Concerns Related to Nominally Galvanized Metal Connectors ............................................9 5.2 Metal Connector and Fastener Materials and Fabrication ................................................................11 6 Causes of Corrosion in Coastal Areas ...........................................................................................................13 6.1 Salt Spray from Breaking Waves and Onshore Winds .......................................................................13 6.2 Distance from Ocean ...........................................................................................................................13 6.3 Elevation Above Ground ...................................................................................................................... 14 6.4 Exposure to Corrosion and Building Orientation ............................................................................. 14 6.5 Weather and Rates of Corrosion ......................................................................................................... 14 6.6 Identifying Areas with Increased Corrosion Rates ............................................................................15 7 Exposure Classes for Connectors and Fasteners ..........................................................................................15 7.1 Partially Sheltered Exterior Exposure ................................................................................................16 7.2 Open Exposed Exterior Exposure ......................................................................................................16 7.3 Vented Enclosed Exposures .................................................................................................................16 7.4 Unvented Enclosed Exposures ............................................................................................................ 17 7.5 Interior Living Space Exposures ......................................................................................................... 17 8 Improving Corrosion-Resistant Materials and Coatings ................................................................................ 17 8.1 Thicker Galvanizing .............................................................................................................................19 8.2 Stainless Steel .......................................................................................................................................20 8.3 Applied Coatings and Paint .................................................................................................................20 i 8.4 Other Corrosion-Resistant Fasteners ..................................................................................................21 9 Guidance for Connector and Fastener Corrosion Control ..............................................................................21 9.1 Reducing Corrosion Rates ...................................................................................................................22 9.2 Maintenance and Replacement Considerations.................................................................................24 10 Summary of Best Practices for Corrosion Resistance ..................................................................................26 11 References and Resources ............................................................................................................................29 11.1 References .............................................................................................................................................29 11.2 Resources ..............................................................................................................................................31 List of Figures Figure 1: Example of using metal connectors and fasteners to create a continuous load path .................7 Figure 2: Common wind anchor and metal truss plate ................................................................................8 Figure 3: Common single- and double-joist hangers .....................................................................................8 Figure 4: Wood product identification tag ...................................................................................................10 Figure 5: Variation in the corrosion rate of steel with elevation at two distances from the ocean for Kure Beach, NC (LaQue, 1975) .............................................................................................. 14 Figure 6: Corrosion exposure classes and their locations ...........................................................................15 Figure 7: Galvanic chart of common metals ................................................................................................18 Figure 8: Approximate service life improvement from increasing galvanization thickness .....................19 Figure 9: Traditional wooden ledger boards used in place of joist hangers in high corrosion areas ......23 Figure 11: Wooden wind anchors used to connect floor joists to floor beams ............................................23 Figure 10: Detail of an elevated floor-to-beam connection using wood uplift blocking and full-depth solid blocking ...............................................................................................................23 Figure 12: Zinc galvanizing on connectors that has corroded .....................................................................25 List of Tables Table 1: Comparison of Select 2018 IRC and NFIP Requirements .............................................................3 Table 2: Comparison of Select 2018 IBC and ASCE 24-14 Requirements with NFIP Requirements .......4 Table 3: Recommendations on Corrosion-Resistant Materials and Methods ..........................................27 ii NFIP TECHNICAL BULLETIN 8 JUNE 2019 Acronyms ANSI American National Standards Institute ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers ASTM ASTM International AWC American Wood Council BFE base