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Galvanization

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Galvanization

Galvanization (also spelled galvanisation) is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting. The most common method is hot-dip galvanizing, in which the parts are coated by submerging them in a bath of hot, molten zinc.

Galvanized steel is widely used in applications where corrosion resistance is needed without the cost of stainless steel, and is considered superior in terms of cost and life-cycle. It can be identified by the crystallization patterning on the surface (often called a "spangle").

Galvanized steel can be welded; however, welding gives off toxic zinc fumes. Galvanized fumes are released when the galvanized metal reaches a certain temperature. This temperature varies by the galvanization process used. In long-term, continuous exposure, the recommended maximum temperature for hot-dip galvanized steel is 200 °C (392 °F), according to the American Galvanizers Association. The use of galvanized steel at temperatures above this will result in peeling of the zinc at the inter-metallic layer.

Like other corrosion protection systems, galvanizing protects steel by acting as a barrier between steel and the atmosphere. However, zinc is a more electropositive (active) metal in comparison to steel. This is a unique characteristic for galvanizing, which means that when a galvanized coating is damaged and steel is exposed to the atmosphere, zinc can continue to protect steel through galvanic corrosion (often within an annulus of 5 mm, above which electron transfer rate decreases).

The process is named after the Italian physician, physicist, biologist and philosopher Luigi Galvani (9 September 1737 – 4 December 1798). The earliest known example of galvanized iron was discovered on an Indian armour in the Royal Armouries Museum collection in the United Kingdom, known from inscriptions to be earlier than the 1680s

The term "galvanized" can also be used metaphorically of any stimulus which results in activity by a person or group of people.

In modern usage, the term "galvanizing" has largely come to be associated with zinc coatings, to the exclusion of other metals. Galvanic paint, a precursor to hot-dip galvanizing, was patented by Stanislas Sorel, of Paris, on June 10, 1837, as an adoption of a term from a highly fashionable field of contemporary science, despite having no evident relation to it.

The zinc coating, when intact, prevents corrosive substances from reaching the underlying iron. Its main function is to act as a sacrificial anode to prevent the iron from rusting by cathodic protection. Zinc is more reactive than iron, so the zinc coating preferentially oxidizes to zinc carbonate, preventing the iron from corroding, even if there are gaps in the zinc coating. Additional electroplating such as a chromate conversion coating may be applied to provide further surface passivation to the substrate material.

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