Hot galvanizing process
“Hot galvanizing” means the coating process that is created by immersing steel in a molten zinc bath.
In this way a durable and durable mechanical protection against corrosion is formed thanks to the formation of a very hard Fe-Zn surface alloy and to the existence of electrochemical protection phenomena between zinc and the substrate to be protected.
In 1742, the French chemist Melouin discovered that steel could be protected from rust by means of a zinc coating. It was only in 1837, however, that French engineer Sorel patented the hot galvanizing technique. He observed how the potential difference between zinc and steel could protect him.
Zinc protects the product with a dual mechanism: by barrier effect, trapping between the surface of the steel and the aggressive atmosphere, and by cathodic protection, corroding to the place of the steel due to the difference of the electrochemical potential of the two metals.
In addition, in the case of cable wires, fluid zinc also penetrates inside, covering all the surfaces. The resulting metal coating is impact resistant and is perfectly continuous.
Thanks to its robustness, the hot galvanizing method has been continuously developed and refined, currently constituting one of the most technically advanced corrosion protection systems.Hot galvanizing