Galvanization: `DEFECTS IN CONTINUOUS HOT DIP GALVANIZED STEEL SHEET AND THEIR REMEDIES’

INTRODUCTION

The applications of zinc coated products are increasing day by day. The cold rolled steel sheet users are
switching over to zinc coated steel sheets for the purpose of aesthetic look as well as overall life of the
product particularly in roofing, automobile, and appliances industries. The quality requirements
particularly surface finish in all these sectors is similar to CR and electro galvanized sheets. In view of
this, the coating industry is also developing new products and processes to meet the specific needs of
the end users. The most significant features in the present market demand are the mechanical
properties of the base material, formability and draw ability of the coated product and the surface
finish. The surface finish plays an important role for the characteristics like paint ability, weld ability, etc.

Coating properties depends on the surface preparation and heat treatment and the parameters like
bath temperature, alloying elements (aluminum, antimony, and lead) in the zinc bath, use of spangle
minimizes, and skin pass parameters if the material is skin pass. Considerable changes have been made
in the area of strip surface preparation and heat treatment. In surface cleaning, the important change is
the introduction of a chemical cleaning section before the furnace. The main purpose of this chemical
cleaning section is to eliminate iron fines and excess oil from the strip in order to avoid surface defects
on coated strip.

Today with a large number of advances the continuous galvanizing process has become highly technical
and sophisticated and is capable to meet the requirements of most critical applications in automobiles,
appliances and construction industries.

The modern galvanized steel sheets have all desired mechanical properties (especially ductility) and
surface properties and are highly suitable for forming and stamping applications even in their
prepainted form.

The continuous hot dip galvanizing has several process steps with many parameters playing important
role in deciding the final properties of the galvanized sheet. These factors are: cold rolling of steel and its
surface condition, surface preparation, bath composition, and steel chemistry, wiping and cooling and
post galvanizing treatments. The interaction of these steps controls the final quality of the product.
Controlling the process parameters in galvanizing is important to achieve not only high performance but
also to ensure the reproducibility of properties. Therefore, a thorough knowledge of the mechanism
involved in various process steps is important. Any deviation in the furnace or other process parameters
or the base steel chemistry may results various types of defects which are not accepted to the intended
end application.

In this paper some important defects that can occur in continuous galvanizing, their root causes and the
remedies are discussed.

DEFECTS DUE TO STEEL QUALITY:

The demand of spangle-free zinc coatings with bright or matte finish and Zinc-Aluminum alloy hot dip
coatings attracted attention to the importance of cold rolled steel surface quality in order to achieve the
best possible surface finish for painting. Steel surface condition i.e. roughness, scratches, residual scale,
rust and the contaminations like oils, fine iron particles both are important. The steel chemistry plays an
important role in deciding the final properties of zinc coating and the mechanical properties. Various
grades of low carbon and low alloy steel are processed on Continuous Galvanizing Lines that includes
rimmed, aluminum special killed, and silicon semi killed steel. The effect of some important alloying
elements in the steel is as below.

Silicon and Phosphorous

Difficulties arising from these are usually associated with the production of unacceptably thick coating
which are either fully alloyed or have unsightly surface defects.

• Such coatings are frequently rejected by the customer largely as a result of their poor mechanical
properties.

• Rate of enhancement of reaction diffusion peaked at a silicon concentration of about 0.10%.

• Numerous studies have suggested that kinetically the effect is associated with a transition from
essentially parabolic, volume diffusion controlled reaction to a faster reaction having a linear or near
linear time dependence.

• Phosphorous also increase the reactivity of steel with molten zinc.

Carbon and Chromium

In case of higher carbon % i.e. more than 0.05% along with Cr % less than 0.015, the brightness found to
be at lower side. On the other hand higher % of Cr close to carbon % resulted into higher brightness.

The surface contaminations like iron fines and residual rolling oil are cleaned either by degreasing in flux
line or by heating in the annealing furnace in non-ox line. However, the surface defects that comes from
the steel making process or from hot and cold rolling process can not be removed by surface
preparation and gets reflected finally on the surface. The steel chemistry affects the zinc coating
properties and coating adhesion. In fact quality of the substrate is very important in any coating process.

The defects from steel making and hot rolling process like slivers, laminations, rolled in scale, and
scratches from both hot and cold rolling are linear along the rolling direction. These defects can be easily
identified and can not be hide by galvanized coating. They are visible through the galvanized coating.
These defects can be eliminated in steel making and by keeping various tension rolls clean and in order
in galvanizing by proper drive control and mechanical maintenance.

Thus, substrate control is unquestionably one of the most important requirements when producing
continuous hot dip galvanized steel for OEMs like automobile and home appliances industry. Any small
surface defect or cracking during forming may result rejection of the material at processing stage or
finish goods at final stage. No customer will by the refrigerator, washing machine, etc with even a very
small dent or surface defect because aesthetic look is very important for him. Similarly if mechanical
properties are not o.k. the component will get cracked during forming.

SURFACE PREPARATION RELATED DEFECTS

Surface preparation in non-ox line is a combination of various parameters like line speed, furnace
atmosphere, dew point, and annealing temperature in different zones. They exert a significant influence
on the galvanizing process. The oxidizing and reducing conditions are important to provide a clean
surface for dipping in molten zinc and ensuring proper zinc adhesion. Line speed and strip temperature
in the furnace and jet cooling decide the cleaning as well as mechanical properties of the galvanized
steel.

Annealing line equipment may be a source of a number of defects like scratch mark from hearth rolls,
black/bare spot, uncoated, poor adhesion, etc. and should be quickly identified and rectified. The
operator can easily decide the origin from the appearance of these defects.

Dents and scratches

Dents and scratches come when the rolls in the annealing furnace pick up iron powder etc from the
steel strip. Since it is practically impossible to synchronize the strip with hearth rolls speed, there is
always some slippage between them. Consequently, iron fines or iron oxide particles from the strip
bottom are scrubbed by the hearth roll surface. Once the build-up of these particles reaches a certain
thickness, it starts to cause dents and scratches on the strip. Due to the low hiding power of the
galvanizing process, these impressions are carried over to the coating also, giving rise to a defective
coating.

To avoid these defects the iron fines on the cold rolled strips needs to be controlled at rolling mill and
the hearth rolls of galvanizing annealing furnace should be made correct material with proper cooling
arrangements. Use of vertical type furnace which facilitates the speed matching between the strip and
the hearth roll, can also eliminate this defect.

Aggregated iron particles

These are loosely connected aggregate or iron particles embedded in the coating. These particles do not
indent the steel substrate. Possible root cause is the iron fines pick-up by the rolls in the annealing
furnace eventually breaks loose after attaining a certain thickness and adheres to the strip bottom
causing the pick up. This can be eliminated by controlling the iron fines on the strip from cold rolling.
Bare spots

This is a coating defect which appears as an uncoated spot on the galvanized sheet. This appears
essentially due to poor surface preparation i.e. improper reduction of the oxide scale on the sheet
surface and poor wet ability of the steel surface by molten zinc.

This defect can be controlled by maintaining proper oxidizing reducing conditions in the annealing
furnace, strip entry temperature into the zinc bath and bath composition. All these parameters are
directly related to the wet ability. Too low a strip entry temperature and an unbalanced bath
composition (especially with regard to aluminum) may also result in bare spots. Ideally, the strip entry
temperature should be 450 to 460 degree and the aluminum content in the bath should be 0.15 to
0.25%.

The cause of poor reduction of the oxide on steel surface is also the high dew point of reducing gas and
leakage at the snout or purging of the snout area before galvanizing. The dew point of the reducing gas
should be low i.e. -5 minimum depending upon the composition of the gas mixture.

Adhesion Failure

The most important requirement of hot dip galvanizing is the zinc coating adhesion with the steel
surface. If proper adhesion is not there the entire effort and purpose of corrosion protection goes
waste. Adhesion failure of hot dip galvanized coatings during forming often occurs when operating
conditions in galvanizing facilities are not stable. Coating adhesion is affected by surface contaminants
on the steel strip, strip temperature, atmospheric gas composition in the furnace, bath composition –
especially with respect to Aluminum content, coating thickness, and formation of the alloy layer during
steel and molten zinc reaction. The cause of adhesion failure can also be carbon deposition and oxide
film formation due to leakage in furnace or disturbance in furnace atmosphere. Carbon deposition on
the strip takes place due to insufficient removal of rolling oil, caused by increasing line speed and lower
strip temperature or by excessive Co+H2 content in the direct fired furnace i.e. low air-fuel ratio. This
failure can be reduced either by sufficient alkaline cleaning before entry into the annealing furnace or by
increasing air-fuel ratio in the furnace or by maintaining the strip temperature at about 650 ± 200 c. The
oil can be controlled at the time of cold rolling also for best results. It should be less than 100 mg per
square meter.
The oxide formation on the strip also takes place if the strip is too cold to be reduced and if the strip is
too heavily oxidized before reaching the reducing area. In either case, the oxide scale will remain on the
strip surface and adhesion failure will take place. This failure decreases markedly by increasing the gas
temperature above 12000c.

It is well known that Aluminum in the zinc bath prevents the Fe-Zn alloy layer formation.
Inhomogeneous Al distribution in the bath or reduction of Al content in the bath will lead to the
formation of a thick Fe-Zn inermetallic layer. To control this growth, the active Al content in the bath
should be more than the 0.15% minimum.

GALVANIZING PROCESS REALTED DEFECTS

Hot dip galvanizing is a metallurgical process which involves both physical (wetting) and chemical {Fe -Zn
(Al)} interactions at the solid-liquid interface. Therefore, any change in the physical and chemical
parameters will affect the coating. Important parameters which affect wetting are the strip inlet
temperature, fluidity and surface tension of the molten zinc/alloy. The factors which affect chemical
interaction are bath temperature, immersion time and chemical composition of the bath. Wiping and
cooling operations also affect the quality of the coating quality.

Dross pimples

It is not good for body panel applications. In zinc bath, concentration gradient of aluminum can exist if
there is no bath agitation. Further, at about 0.15% Al, the Al starts to react with Fe, which converts the
bottom dross (Fe-Zn compounds) into top dross (Fe-Al-Zn compounds), in this way, the iron is floated to
the top of the bath where it is removed by skimming at regular interval. Any temperature variation in
zinc bath increases the level of iron saturation (via an “iron pump” effect). Thus, there is dross formation
with some Al-Fe-Zn crystals growing to a large size due to iron super saturation. The resulting dross (Al-
Fe-Zn inclusions) is a problem in the production of free zinc coating for exposed automotive panels.

Dross formation is particularly more in the Sendzimir type process. Many efforts are being made to
suppress dross sticking to the coatings. Several continuous galvanizing lines adopt a specific method to
minimize top dross formation on the galvanizing bath surface by covering the bath with a seal box so as
to reduce oxygen concentration in the box. Some uses nitrogen wiping also. However, the dross pick- up
does not appear to be a major source of surface defects, provided skimming operations are performed
frequently during galvanizing.

Edge Buildup

Other important defect is edge buildup which finally results into edge waviness. The main reason of this
is the dross pick-up which mostly takes place from the top dross just after galvanizing. The dross pick-up
is more near the coated strip edge where dross pick-up is generally not wiped off efficiently. When such
dross particles are picked up by the coating, they can not be seen visually and will not be noticeable
after skin rolling.

Practice has proved that a slightly heavier wiping action is required towards the edge of the strip. A slot
profile known as the “bow-tie” which has a minimum opening in the center of the nozzle and a
maximum at either end yields the required impact pressure and resultant wiping action. There are many
methods to prevent iron build up in the zinc bath. Some of the important methods are, strict control of
bath temperature, cleaning of non-adherent iron and dust from the strip, continuous filtering of zinc
bath, molten zinc circulation/filtering using a bath/strip cooler and using a ceramic pot which eliminates
the source of iron and sufficiently stirs zinc for a dross less galvanizing pot.

Flow Line Marks

Many product applications require high coating weight i.e. Z275 instead of the normal thin coating i.e.
Z90. At these higher coating weights, new types of coating surface defects tend to occur looks like
Ocean Waves, Curtain, Ripple and Air Angle marks. These defects normally become more prominent at
lower line speeds i.e. < 30 meters per minute and at higher coating weights i.e.> 150 g/m2). While
spangles tend to mask these defects, they become more prominent on non-spangled, minimum spangle
or zero spangle skin pass coating surface.

The variation in the surface tension and viscosity (fluidity) of the molten zinc during the withdrawal of
the sheet may change the flow characteristics of the coating. Lowering the lead content of the zinc
increases the surface tension of the molten zinc. The major cause of these defects, however, appears to
be the reaction between the outer surface of the molten zinc and the oxygen in the air. This interaction
probably makes the top oxide layer of the coating more viscous than the bulk coating, creating ripples.
These defects can be avoided by increasing the line speed and using gas wiping. However, when thicker
coatings are required (lower line speed), use of nitrogen gas gives the best results. As nitrogen prevents
the formation of sticky oxides before the coating is wiped in the absence of oxygen, the coatings formed
are smooth and bright. Nitrogen-wiped galvanized sheet is virtually free from defects.

Nozzle Line Marks

Wiping lines or header lines or jet line defects are longitudinal defects in the coating that appear as
superficially raised and depressed bands respectively. Header lines are caused by the blockage of the
wiping gas (steam, air, nitrogen) knife slot with zinc particles or other foreign debris. As a result the
region where the gas pressure is lower has a slightly heavier coating than the surrounding areas. The
obvious solution for these problems is to clean the knife slot and the lips with a relatively soft tool such
as brush or scraper.

Black Stain

Al added in amounts of 0.15-0.25% forms a very thin, dense and adherent layer of Fe2Al5, which inhibits
the growth of zinc ferrites at the steel surface. However, when the Al content in the bath exceeds 0.30%,
the rate of attack by Al on steel also increases proportionately. Prior oxidation and reduction of the strip
also results in finely divided, unattached particles of iron on the surface of the sheet as it enters the
bath, which is quickly converted to FeAl3 particles by Al in concentration over 0.25%. They form films
which may accumulate in the bath as clumps to be brought out irregularly in the coating or rise to the
surface as floating dross and brought out as a black stain on the surface of the work, perhaps partly
embedded in the coating.

Control of iron impurities and Al content in the bath is very important for avoiding these defects. The
active concentration of Al should not exceed 0.30 and iron contamination of the bath should be less
than 0.02%. Use of easily soluble Al-Zn master alloys and bath circulation helps in this regard.

COATING WEIGHT NON-UNIFORMITY

Coating weight uniformity on the sheet in width-wise direction and on top and bottom sides of the sheet
is greatly affected by bending of the sheet in width-wise direction at gas wiping nozzle position. As the
nozzle to strip distance increases, coating thickness increases. This indicates that non-uniformity of the
zinc coating weight at continuous galvanizing line is attributed to cross-bow at the gas nozzle in the
strip’s lateral direction and strip vibration in the longitudinal direction.

In general, the temperature of the molten zinc bath is controlled to about 450 - 4600c and that of the
strip is controlled to a similar level. Consequently, the strip in the bath is soft and provides a low yield
point and Young’s modulus. Under this soft condition, the strip is subjected to bending by sink roll as
well as tension bending and back bending due to the line tension. In this process, the internal stress
exceeds the yield stress at the strip surface layer, generating localized plastic deformation in the
material. This plastic deformation produces longitudinal and lateral stress distributions (residual stress)
in and through thickness direction of the strip. The strip subjected to lateral constraints by sink roll
allows the lateral residual stress to develop after leaving SR and generates lateral cross-bow.

Therefore, to give a uniform coating weight, it is necessary to flatten the cross-bow and suppress strip
vibrations at the wiping section. To flatten the cross-bow, plastic back bending is carried out with front
support roll located above the sink roll. The roll gap is controlled to straighten the sheet bending. The
rolls may be driven or be idlers. It is possible now to control the coating weight with an accuracy of ± 5-
10 %.

Non Uniform spangles

Most continuous galvanizing lines use air knife, 30-60 cm above the bath to control the coating
thickness. Just below this knife the strip temperature across the strip width is fairly constant. However,
immediately after air wiping, there is a temperature variation across the width, which depends upon the
coating weight, strip shape, thermal history and ambient temperature. Since the strip edges lose heat
faster than the centre, areas at the edges of the strip solidify at a faster rate.

Moreover, if the strip has a centre buckle, this will be further so. This gives rise to a non-uniform spangle
growth rate areas at the edges of the strip solidify at a faster rate, providing smaller spangles.

Rough Surface
Hot dip continuous galvanizing baths containing about 0.25 % of Al and small amounts of lead (0.20 %
Pb) produce a medium to large spangled surface with bright appearance due to the dendritic growth of
zinc arms. A higher lead content yields a larger spangle with pronounced boundaries while lower lead
content (< 0.03 %) yields smaller spangles and slightly duller appearance. Thus lead plays an important
role in the formation of spangles in a galvanizing line in addition to providing smoothness of the surface.
However, if the content of lead in the bath is more than 0.2 %, due to the wide separation of zinc nuclei,
there may be unhindered and unfavorably oriented dendritic growth of zinc giving rise to large size
spangles and a very rough coating. This happens especially when the cooling rate is slow.

Roughness of the surface can be reduced by decreasing the size of the spangles. The spangles can be
controlled or eliminated by the following methods:

1. Controlled addition to the bath: Galvanizing lines which are designed to produce exclusively the
minimized spangled sheets adopt the coating bath with less than 0.03 % of lead so as to reduce spangle
without minimized spangle processing.

2. Skin passes after galvanizing.

CONCLUSIONS

Surface quality of the zinc coating is very important in many of the modern applications of galvanized
sheets. In addition to good adhesion and ductility which are critical for forming operations, uniformity of
thickness, surface finish and paint ability are also important for all such applications.

The surface quality of the coating depends not only on the quality of the steel used but also on many
other important process parameters which influence the coating process. Understanding of each stage
of the coating process and the physical and chemical surface phenomena involved is, therefore,
important to alter and control the coating quality.

REFERENCES
1. “Defects in Continuous Hot Dip Galvanizing Coatings”. By E P Rajiv, Technical Manager, India Lead Zinc
Information Centre, New Delhi.

2. “Some Important Factors Controlling the Continuous Hot Dip Zinc Coated Steel Sheet Surface”, by N C
Jain and Nilesh Mahakalkar from Ispat Industries Limited, Kalmeshwar, Nagpur, Conference organized by
ILZDA, Mumbai on 3 & 4th Dec 2003.

3. “Effective Operation of Furnaces used in Galvanizing Line to Save Fuel” paper presented by Mr. B D
Pawar, one day programme in Ispat Industries Limited, December 22, 2006.