Article ID: ISIJINT-2025-004
The friction-type joints using high-strength bolts are frequently employed for the assembly of structural steel components. The drawback of the combination of the friction-type joints and hot-dip galvanized steel plates for highly corrosive environments is the low slip coefficient at the friction interface in the as-coated condition. To increase the slip coefficient, labor-intensive blast processing or phosphate treatment is applied to the surface of the galvanized steel plates before assembly. In this study, we investigated the slip mechanism at the friction interface between as-galvanized steel plates through slip resistance tests on high-strength bolted friction joints, in hope of determining effective methods for overcoming the low slip coefficient in the as-coated condition. In the as-galvanized material, both the outermost Zn- and ζ(FeZn13)-phase layers exhibit c-axis texture. Since the easiest basal (dislocation) slip plane for the Zn phase with the hexagonal close-packed structure is parallel to the friction interface, the Zn phase is geometrically prone to plastic deformation due to the shear stress applied on the friction interface. The evidence that the coarse-grained Zn phase was refined to small crystal grains upon macroscopic slippage at the friction interface indicated that the low slip coefficient was attributed to the readily deformable nature of the outmost Zn phase. Potential strategies for increasing the slip coefficient without pre-surface treatment include strengthening the soft Zn phase through grain refinement or texture modification, or complete removal of the Zn phase during galvanizing.
