"Ensuring the durability against corrosion in coastal environments requires rigour and collaboration"
We work closely with the Zarautz Town Hall
Zarautz Town Hall and TECNALIA have worked closely together to ensure maximum quality in the renewal of the railings located on the seafront, an area particularly exposed to the aggressive marine environment.
The new railings installed on the Zarautz seafront "are still intact"
One year after their installation, TECNALIA technicians have supervised the resistance to the marine environment of the railings on the Zarautz seafront. The new railings have replaced the former structures that were severely damaged by saltpetre on the seafront, the Borghetto area and the section between Narros Palace and the port, in areas such as Duke Enea and Lizardi Kalea, all of which are busy pedestrians areas.
The previous railings were in an advanced state of deterioration, with evident signs of corrosion and rust caused by the continuous pounding of the sea, making it necessary to urgently replace them for safety reasons. Aware of the corrosion problems affecting these structures, Zarautz Town Hall spearheaded their renewal in order to ensure the durability and reliability of the new installations.
We work with specialist aluminium and cladding companies
In coastal environments, where salinity and moisture accelerate the degradation mechanisms of materials, it is essential to have a suitable material and an effective protection system. Along this line, it was decided to improve the railings by changing the material, replacing the previous cast iron ones with cast aluminium - manufactured by the company from Bizkaia, COFUNDI- and apply a thick plastic coating in the workshops of COVER SYSTEMS in Hernani.
To guarantee the suitability of this solution, Zarautz Town Hall entrusted the Materials Engineering Team at TECNALIA to validate the anti-corrosion coating system and supervise its proper application. TECNALIA's technical team, made up of María Vaquero, Iñigo Arregui and Igor Herrero, carried out a validation of the protection by means of accelerated ageing tests in a climatic chamber, adhesion measurements and layer thickness control, as well as technical inspections in the workshop during the surface treatment, verifying that the system complied with the requirements for marine environments.
The evaluation carried out after the first year of service confirms the good performance of the protection system applied, revealing that the new railings maintain their integrity against corrosion and meet the expected durability criteria.
This collaboration reinforces Zarautz Town Hall's commitment to urban quality and the conservation of its heritage, while at the same time highlighting TECNALIA's experience in corrosion control, structural safety and increasing the durability of infrastructures exposed to severe environmental conditions.
At TECNALIA, we continue to work to support public administrations and companies in the prevention of corrosion and the extension of the useful life of their assets, contributing to safer, more sustainable and durable environments.