Surface properties in S500MC steel with zinc coating

Institute of Material Engineering, Faculty of Processing Engineering and Materials Technology, Czestochowa University of Technology, Armii Krajowej 19, 42-200 Czestochowa, Poland

^* Corresponding author: dudek.agata@wip.pcz.pl

Abstract

Zinc metal has a number of characteristics that make it a wellsuited corrosion protective coating for iron and steel products. Due to the zinc’s corrosion resistance on most environments, it provides an effective protective coating on many products and in many exposure conditions. Zinc, like all metals, corrodes when exposed to the atmosphere. However, because of its ability to form dense, adherent corrosion byproducts, the rate of corrosion is considerably lower than ferrous materials (10 to 100 times slower depending on the environment). In this study, a comparison of two series of specimens of alkaline electrochemical galvanizing steel S500MC (HSLA) was made. One series of samples was not stripped of the oxide layer from the substrate. The analysis was made using optical microscopy, electron scanning microscopy and X-ray diffraction.