Meeting the Challenges of Galvanizing Advanced High Strength Steels

In recent years, advanced high strength steels (AHSS) have been increasingly used for manufacturing
lightweight vehicles (Figure 1). However, applications of AHSS in vehicles are often challenged by poor
galvanizability. Alloying elements such as manganese (Mn) and silicon (Si) contained in AHSS are oxidized
under the in-line annealing conditions. The existence of surface oxides on the steel could impair the steel
wettability, resulting in defects and bare spots in the coating.

Figure 1: Applications of high strength steels in the manufacturing of the car body
To assist our galvanizing customers with this challenge, Tecks Product Technology Centre (PTC) launched
a research project on galvanizing of AHSS in 2007. A variety of AHSS, including DP (dual phase), TRIP
(transformation induced plasticity) and CP (complex phase), were systematically investigated using a hot-dip
galvanizing simulator and state-of-the-art analytical techniques. The studies suggested that it is possible to
improve the galvanizability of AHSS through control of critical factors, such as steel composition, dew point
and bath chemistry. This article provides a brief overview of the project study.
Effect of Steel Composition
The effect of steel composition on galvanizability is manifested by the type and nature of oxides formed on
the steel surface. CP and DP steels generally have better galvanizability than CMnSi TRIP steels because
of the high Si contents in TRIP steels that result in the formation of Mn-Si complex oxides (e.g. MnSiO4) and
SiO2, both of which impair the galvanizability. Among various surface oxides, SiO 2 is the most detrimental to
the galvanizability while MnO is least harmful. To avoid the formation of SiO2, it is desirable to either lower
Si content in the steel or anneal the steel at a high dew point (e.g. 0C).
The [Si]/[Mn] ratio in the steel composition was found to have a strong influence on the nature of oxides
formed on the steel surface during annealing. A high [Si]/[Mn] ratio (>0.4) results in the formation of Mn-Si
complex oxides while MnO becomes a major oxide if the [Si]/[Mn] ratio is below 0.2.
Effect of Annealing Conditions
The oxidation-reduction process was found to lead to a much better quality of coating than the direct
reduction process. However, most galvanizers are reluctant to adopt this process due to the difficulty in
controlling the dew point and the severe decarburization that occurs on the strip surface.
The direct reduction process was systematically investigated at a fixed dew point of 0C, -35C or -65C.
Galvanizing ultra high strength steels 1180CP and 1180TRIP at a dew point of 0C resulted in much better
coating quality than at -35C or -65C. The improvement was attributable to the promotion of internal
oxidation and the changes in the type of oxides formed on the strip surface.

Recently, an Alloying Element Selective Oxidation Program (AESOP) was developed to simulate the
selective oxidation of the alloying elements in the steel, such as Mn, Si and Cr (chromium), during the in-line
annealing treatment. It can be a useful tool to facilitate the selection of annealing parameters (Figure 2).

(b)
(a)
Figure 2: (a) A screen shot of AESOP and (b) simulated and real depth profiles of alloying elements Mn and
Si after annealing
Effect of Bath Chemistry
A Si-containing 780TRIP steel was galvanized in baths containing various aluminum (Al) contents. The
examination of the galvanized steel samples revealed that a full inhibition was not materialized in the
coatings until the bath Al level reached 0.17 wt.%. In contrast, 0.15 wt.% Al in the bath can readily achieve a
complete inhibition on conventional IF steels. It is recommended that an optimized Al level should be used
when galvanizing AHSS.

Figure 3: The perspective view of the liquid Domain of the Zn-Al-Fe-Mn system at 460C
Increasing the bath Al level improved the galvanizability of steels with MnO being the major surface oxide.
For steels predominated by surface oxides SiO2 and Mn2SiO4, however, a low bath Al level (e.g. an Al level
in GA bath) resulted in a better wettability. A low bath Al level promotes Fe dissolution from the steel, thus
increasing the chances of lifting off these surface oxides from the steel substrate.
2

Since Mn is the most important alloying element used in AHSS, the effect of Mn on galvanizing baths was
experimentally investigated. The study revealed that, with increasing Mn content in the system, the /
transition occurs at an ever-decreasing effective Al level, and the knee point shifts to a higher Al level (Figure
3). This finding provides important implications for galvanizing high Mn-containing AHSS.
Galvannealing Kinetics
DP steels, including 590DP and 780DP, were readily galvannealed with good quality. Low Si-containing
(0.2%Si) 1180CP showed galvannealing kinetics sufficient for production purposes. In contrast, the
galvannealing kinetics of 1180TRIP containing 1.7% Si was significantly retarded. It is suggested that the
formation of SiO2 must be avoided to obtain good coating quality and fast reaction kinetics. This can be
achieved by reducing the Si content in steel and using a high dew point.
Conclusions
Although it is more challenging to galvanize AHSS than conventional IF (interstitial-free) steels, an optimized
control of critical factors, such as steel composition, dew point and bath chemistry, can greatly improve the
coatability of AHSS. Equipped with advanced bath management technologies and an established
knowledge base, PTC is fully capable of assisting continuous galvanizers with the challenges of galvanizing
advanced high strength steels.