Selective Oxidation and Reactive Wetting during Galvanizing of a CMnAl TRIP-Assisted Steel

A transformation induced plasticity (TRIP)-assisted steel with 0.2 pct C, 1.5 pct Mn, and 1.5 pct Al was successfully galvanized using a thermal cycle previously shown to produce an excellent combination of strength and ductility. The steel surface chemistry and oxide morphology were determined as a function of process atmosphere oxygen partial pressure. For the 220 K (–53 °C) dew point (dp) + 20 pct H2 atmosphere, the oxide morphology was a mixture of films and nodules. For the 243 K (–30 °C) dp + 5 pct H2 atmosphere, nodules of MnO were found primarily at grain boundaries. For the 278 K (+5 °C) dp + 5 pct H2 atmosphere, nodules of metallic Fe were found on the surface as a result of alloy element internal oxidation. The steel surface chemistry and oxide morphology were then related to the reactive wetting behavior during continuous hot dip galvanizing. Good wetting was obtained using the two lower oxygen partial pressure process atmospheres [220 K dp and 243 K dp (–53 °C dp and –30 °C dp)]. An increase in the number of bare spots was observed when using the higher oxygen partial pressure process atmosphere (+5 °C dp) due to the increased thickness of localized oxide films.