Springstar Sculpture

At the intersection of Imperial Highway and Leffingwell Road in Santa Fe Springs resides a sculpture shooting up from the pavement. For over 20 years, the Springstar sculpture has brought a feeling of up-welling, ascension from the earth and rising spirits to commuters passing by or working at the Golden Springs Development Company.

The sculpture is supported by twelve assemblies comprised of hot-dip galvanized plate, pipe, and cable anchors. Since the sculpture base became inaccessible for maintenance after installation, it was essential a long lasting, durable, and maintenance-free method of corrosion protection was used. Hot-dip galvanizing delivered all three requirements with complete zinc coverage throughout the assembly. In close proximity to the ocean, heavy duty corrosion protection was essential and after 20 years in service, hot-dip galvanizing has proven itself again as the premiere solution for these projects.

The fabricator, design engineer, and galvanizer collaborated early in the process on how best to fabricate and vent the material. This ensured that there were no voids in the coating either from possible air entrapment inside the pipe, bleed out from overlapping surfaces utilizing complete seal welding as well as a focus on wrapping welds completely. This partnership paid because, in a 2025 inspection, the galvanized material is still in excellent condition. A total of 180 mil readings were collected from the pipe, flat bar, tube structure, and bottom plate of the sculpture. The averages for all material types came be higher than the ASTM A123 requirements for newly galvanized material meaning it will last another several decades.

Hot-dip galvanizing fulfilled the original objectives of the project by providing a maintenance-free, quality coating that has been protecting the base and supports of the Springstar Sculpture for over 20 years.

Coating Thickness