Abstract
The effect of steel composition on iron solubility in molten zinc and coating microstructure was studied by immersing test coupons of four different steel grades in zinc bath for 20 min at 470°C. The amount of iron dissolved in the molten zinc depends upon the steel composition. The coating was characterized by energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and galvanostatic methods. The coating consists of mainly ζ (zeta) and δ (delta) phases along with zinc layer at the top, irrespective of the steel composition. The presence of a thin layer of gamma phase has also been confirmed by XRD and galvanostatic analysis. However, the proportion and distribution of the coating phases varies with the steel chemistry.
