Recent development of UHSS and its hot-dip galvanizing processes in Baosteel

Baosteel has excelled in automotive steel sheets in the past three decades.It has made a significant contribution to the development of China’s automotive industry by producing a wide range of high-quality steel products.Some milestones achieved by Baosteel automotive steel sheet were briefly reviewed.The current challenges in producing ultra-high strength steel(UHSS),especially hot-dip galvanized UHSS,were summarized.The most current advancements in UHSS and the corresponding hot-dip galvanizing processes were discussed.The galvanizability of Si-Mn-added QP steel and DP steel, Mn-added TWIP steel, and Al-added low-density steel has been improved by different techniques in Baosteel.

Application of WC cermet sprayed composite coating in hot-dip galvanizing lines

With the rapid development of the automobile industry, the use of galvannealed and galvanized steel sheets in automobiles is on the rise. These sheets must meet very high surface quality requirements. The surface treatment of line rolls is known to have a great impact on strip quality. To prevent dusts such as zinc ash from pressing into the strip surface, we used a composite thermal spray surface treatment technique to treat rolls. The successfully developed tungsten carbide （WC） ＋ Ni-P composite plating technology improved the quality of the tungsten carbide thermally sprayed WC roll surface. This technique is also helpful to control defects such as adhered foreign materials in hot-dip galvanized automobile outer panel surfaces.

Effect of hot-dip galvanizing processes on the microstructure and mechanical properties of 600-MPa hot-dip galvanized dual-phase steel

A C–Mn dual-phase steel was soaked at 800°C for 90 s and then either rapidly cooled to 450°C and held for 30 s(process A) or rapidly cooled to 350°C and then reheated to 450°C(process B) to simulate the hot-dip galvanizing process. The influence of the hot-dip galvanizing process on the microstructure and mechanical properties of 600-MPa hot-dip galvanized dual-phase steel(DP600) was investigated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy(SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), and tensile tests. The results showed that, in the case of process A, the microstructure of DP600 was composed of ferrite, martensite, and a small amount of bainite. The granular bainite was formed in the hot-dip galvanizing stage, and martensite islands were formed in the final cooling stage after hot-dip galvanizing. By contrast, in the case of process B, the microstructure of the DP600 was composed of ferrite, martensite, bainite, and cementite. In addition, compared with the yield strength(YS) of the DP600 annealed by process A, that for the DP600 annealed by process B increased by approximately 50 MPa because of the tempering of the martensite formed during rapid cooling. The work-hardening coefficient(n value) of the DP600 steel annealed by process B clearly decreased because the increase of the YS affected the computation result for the n value. However, the ultimate tensile strength(UTS) and elongation(A80) of the DP600 annealed by process B exhibited less variation compared with those of the DP600 annealed by process A. Therefore, DP600 with excellent comprehensive mechanical properties(YS = 362 MPa, UTS = 638 MPa, A_(80) = 24.3%, n = 0.17) was obtained via process A.

Preparation and hot-dip galvanizing application of CeO_2/Zn nanocomposite

CeO2/Zn nanocomposite was fabricated by high-energy ball milling and subsequent hot-press sintering under vacuum. The produced nanocomposite powders and bulks were characterized using X-ray diffraction （XRD）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrum （EDS）. The as-fabricated nanocomposite bulks were added successfully into the hot-dip galvanizing bath to improve the corrosion resistance of coatings. The results show that after milling for 120min, nano-sized CeO2 particles are distributed homogeneously on the surface of fine Zn particles to form spherical-like nanocomposite powder with narrow grain size distribution. The subsequent sintering does not lead to a dramatic grain growth, and the distribution of CeO2 nanoparticles in the composite bulk is also homogeneous. With the addition of as-prepared bulks, the corrosion resistance of the galvanized coatings is improved obviously. It provides a feasible route for adding CeO2 nanoparticles into the hot-dip galvanized coating.

A Study of the Influence of Air-knife Tilting on Coating Thickness in Hot-dip Galvanizing

Gas wiping is a decisive operation in hot-dip galvanizing process. In special, it has a crucial influence on the thickness and uniformity in coating film, but may be subsequently responsible for the problem of splashing. The progress of industry demands continuously the reduction of production costs which may relate directly with the increase of coating speed, and the speed up of coating results in the increase of stagnation pressure in gas wiping system in final. It is known that the increase of stagnation pressure may accompany a harmful problem of splashing in general. Together with these, also, from the view point of energy consumption, it is necessary to design a nozzle optimally. And there is known that the downward tilting of nozzle using in air knife system is effective to prevent in somewhat the harmful problem of splashing. In these connections, first, we design a nozzle with constant expansion rate. Next, for the case of actual coating conditions in field, the effects of tilting of the constant expansion rate nozzle are investigated by numerical analysis. Under the present numerical conditions, it was turned out that the nozzle of constant expansion rate of p = having a downward jet angle of 5^0 is the most effective to diminish the onset of splashing, while the influence of small tilting of the nozzle on impinging wall pres- sure itself is not so large.

Influence of Air-Knife Wiping on Coating Thickness in Hot-Dip Galvanizing

In hot-dip galvanizing process, air jet wiping control is so crucial to decide the coating thickness and uni- formity of the zinc layer on the steel strip. The mathematical models developed predict the zinc coating thickness as a function of pressure and shear stress. The required pressure and shear stress profile on the strip surface were calcu- lated using regression analysis, and carried out using numerical simulation as FLUENT, a finite element analysis software. The influences of the outlet pressure, the nozzle to strip distance, the slot opening, the edge baffle plate, as well as the tilting angle of air knife were discussed. Combining with these results and regression analysis on the practical data, four first-order polynomial multi-parameter models were established for different targeted coating thicknesses with better regression coefficients. The validated model was used to carry out sensitivity analysis to de- termine the favorable controlling regime for the air jet wiping process.

Investigation and improvement of tiny spot defects on hot-dip galvanized automotive steel sheets

The causes of tiny spot defects on the surface of hot-dip galvanized automotive steel sheets were studied using scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS),and effective control measures were introduced.The results show that rubbing against the top roller after galvanizing is easy due to the local thickness of tiny spot defect location coating;therefore,the surface morphology is different from the normal part.Three kinds of defects,namely zinc slag,small slivers,and pitting,are likely to cause local thickening of the coating after galvanizing,leading to the formation of tiny spots.Therefore,resolving the three types of defects can effectively control the generation of tiny spot defects.Among them,due to the hereditary nature of the small sliver defect,focusing on its control and supervision is necessary.

Hot-dip Galvanizing of Carbon Steel after Cold Rolling with Oxide Scale and Hydrogen Descaling

A new processing method for producing hot dip galvanized steel is designed and tested, in which pickling is skipped. Hot-rolled low carbon steel sheets are roiled with oxide scale in an experimental mill at room temperature, prior to annealing under a 20% hydrogen reducing atmosphere and galvanizing on a hot-dip galvanizing simulator. Micro-cracks formed in the oxide scale during cold rolling roughen the steel surface and enlarge the specific surface. Through-thickness cracks provide transport channels for hydrogen, and hence the reduction of oxide scale is en- hanced. When the sheet is dipped in the zinc bath, cracks are submerged by liquated zinc and the defects are not dis- tinct after hot-dip galvanizing. The overlay coating occludes with rough surface of the sheet, whereby a superior coat- ing adherence is realized.

Development and application of a neural network based coating weight control system for a hot-dip galvanizing line

The hot-dip galvanizing line(HDGL) is a typical order-driven discrete-event process in steelmaking. It has some complicated dynamic characteristics such as a large time-varying delay, strong nonlinearity, and unmeasured disturbance, all of which lead to the difficulty of an online coating weight controller design. We propose a novel neural network based control system to solve these problems. The proposed method has been successfully applied to a real production line at Va Lin LY Steel Co., Loudi, China. The industrial application results show the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method, including significant reductions in the variance of the coating weight and the transition time.

Effect of dew point on hot-dip galvanizing behavior of a high-manganese TWIP steel for automotive application

The effect of dew points(-50,-l0 and+10℃)on the galvanizing properties of a high-manganese twinning-inducedplasticity(TWIP)steel was studied.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM),glow discharge optical emission spectrometry(GDOES)and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)were used for microscopic observation and qualitative analysis of the interfacial layer between the steel surface and the zinc layer after hot-dip galvanizing.SEM analysis results show thatthree diffcrent morphologies of metallic oxides are formed on the interfacial layer under the different dew points.GDOES results show that Al is present in the molten zinc,reacting with Fe on the steel surface to form Fe2Al5,which can increasethe galvanizing properties.XPS results show that the valence states of Mn in the interfacial alloy layer are Mn'*and Mn*+,and the valence stales of Fe are Fe^0,Fe^2+and Fe^3+.The experimental results show that the hot-dip galvanizing performanceis the best at-10℃ and the formation of Mn and Fe intermetallic oxides has a bad effect on hot-dip galvanizing behaviorof the high-manganese TWIP steel.The types of the formed surface oxides(MnO,Mn3O4,Mn2O3,FeO3,and Fe2MnO4)onthe surface of the steel sheet are confirmed.It can obtain the best hot-dip galvanizing performance of the high-manganese TWIP steel by controlling the dew point from-10 to-5℃.

ToF-SIMS characterization of a bare-spot defect in a hot-dip galvanized boron-added steel sheet

To determine the root cause of a bare-spot defect in a hot-dip galvanized boron-added steel sheet,we performed metallurgical characterizations using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry(ToF-SIMS)in addition to glow discharge optical emission spectrometry,field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM),and energy dispersive spectroscopy.Mn and B enrichments on the steel surface in the bare-spot area were detected through various methods.FE-SEM revealed external oxide nodules and zinc droplets,which indicated poor wettability.ToF-SIMS further revealed considerably more detailed lateral and depth distributions of Mn,B,and Al.The formation of external Mn-B compound oxides on the steel surface prior to hot dipping,which substantially deteriorated the wettability and prevented the formation of a Fe_(2)Al_(5)inhibition layer,resulted in the formation of a bare-spot defect.ToF-SIMS mapping of Al ion proved that a slight reaction still occurred between the dissolved Al in the molten zinc bath and steel substrate,although no evident Fe_(2)Al_(5)inhibition layer formed in the bare-spot area.

Hot-dip galvanizing of cold-formed steel hollow sections: a state-of-the-art review

A good understanding of the effects of galvanizing on the short-and long-term behaviours of steel components is essential for structural design.This review paper is motivated by a series of recent reports on cracking in galvanized cold-formed tubular steel structures and the limitations of current steel product standards and steel design specifications in this field.The steel-related and galvanizing-related factors,different pre-galvanizing countermeasures for brittle cracking and the available technical documents are summarized.An extensive bibliography is provided as a basis for future research and development in this field.

Innovative integrating of hot-dipped(aluminizing) galvanizing lines and engineering of related equipment

Based on the continuous hot(aluminizing) galvanizing lines and related non-standard equipment of Meishan Steel,this paper presents the main contents of such integrated engineering and designing of equipment for the two hot-dipped galvanizing lines,as well as innovative techniques and their features.Led by Cold Rolling Project Department of Meishan Steel,Baosteel Engineering and Technology Group Co.,Ltd. ,working as the responsible unit of this project,develops key technologies and integrates the system by combining the equipment design and development capacity of Baosteel Engineering,research and development capacity of Research Institute of Baosteel,process production and equipment maintenance experience of Cold Rolling Plant,Equipment Department and Manufacture Department of Baosteel Corporation.Core technologies of the two lines are developed and designed through original and integrated innovation and innovation after digestion,focusing on eight core techniques in process equipment,annealing furnace,fluid installation and EIC system.As a result of integration in key process equipment,industrial furnace and EIC control,the cold rolling hot dipped(aluminizing) galvanizing lines take on a new look and reach an annual capacity of 200 000 t galvanized products and 250 000 t galvanized aluminium base strips respectively.These two world advanced lines are able to produce hot-dipped galvanizing products with high quality surface and fine shape,such as household appliance board and senior construction board.As a result, the process and equipment technology of the lines have formed domestic intellectual property.Thus,the technology has reference value for self-integration and equipment technology innovation of similar lines.

Analysis of causes and influence factors of small black spot defects in hot-dip galvanized pure Zn products

In this study,the factors affecting the formation of small black spot defects on the surface of a hot-dip galvanized pure zinc strip are analyzed. These defects are primarily formed w hen the iron-aluminum inhibition layer is incompletely formed or fails to form or when foreign matter adheres to the surface or embeds in the zinc layer.The defects can be reduced by controlling the cleanliness and activity of the strip base before coating,regulating the zinc pot process parameters,and ensuring the cleanliness of the passline and workshop.

Growth and corrosion behavior of rare earth film on hot-dip galvanized steel

Hot-dip galvanized(HDG)steel sheets were treated for 30 s?24 h by the rare earth aqueous solution containing 20 g/L Ce(NO3)3·6H2O,and the growth behavior and corrosion resistance of the rare earth film were investigated by SEM,EDS,AES and NSS.The results reveal that the rare earth film becomes thick while the mass gain of the samples does not distinctly change due to the zinc dissolution with the increase of treatment time.The film grows up more quickly and is apt to cracking in the vicinity of zinc grain boundaries,and eventually the film partly warps and flakes off with increasing film thickness.The NSS results show that the corrosion resistance of the film is dominated by both the film thickness and the cracks.With increasing treatment time,the corrosion resistance of the film increases within 1 h due to the increased film thickness and decreases after 1 h because the cracking and flaking off gradually become dominant factor.

The Influence of Al on the Surface Properties of the Hot-dip Galvanized Melt

Wettability of Zn-Al alloy melt on the pure iron substrate at 450℃was studied.The effect of Al content(Zn,Zn-1Al,Zn-2Al,Zn-3Al,Zn-4Al,and Zn-5Al)on the wetting behavior and interfacial reaction was investigated by high-temperature contact angle measuring device and scanning electron microscope(SEM).The results show that,with the increase of Al content,the initial contact angle of the molten alloy on the substrate decreases gradually and the wettability increases gradually.Compared with the initial contact angle,the final contact angle is slightly reduced,because the Fe-Al inhibition layer is preferentially formed at the interface when adding Al to the alloy.The presence of Al will promote the occurrence of the reactive wetting,leading to an insignificant wetting spreading process,and the final contact angle negligibly differs from the initial contact angle.The adhesion work and charge density distributions of interface systems were calculated based on the first-principles.The results show that the adhesion work of the Fe/Zn and Fe/(Zn-Al)interface model is 2.0171 J/m^(2)and 13.7944 J/m^(2),respectively.The addition of Al greatly increases the adhesion work between alloy melt and iron substrate.Compared with the Zn-Fe and Al-Fe interface models,it can be seen that a significant charge migration phenomenon occurs between the interfaces.The amount of charge migration in the Al-Fe interface model is much larger than that in the Zn-Fe interface model,indicating that the bonding between Al-Fe atoms can occur more easily and the interaction between Al-Fe interfaces is stronger.This is also the reason why the addition of Al increases the adhesion work between interfaces.

Design of TRIP Steel With High Welding and Galvanizing Performance in Light of Thermodynamics and Kinetics

A new type of transformation induced plasticity （TRIP） steel with not only high strength and high ductility but also superior welding and galvanizing properties was designed and developed recently. Low carbon and low silicon content were preliminarily selected with the aim of meeting the requirements of superior quality in both welding and galvanizing. Phosphorus was chosen as one of the alloying elements, because it could reduce carbon activity in cementite and increase the stability of austenite. In addition, the possibility of phosphorus segregating at grain boundary was also discussed by thermodynamics as well as kinetics. Phase diagram was estimated at high temperature and the composition of the steel was then selected in the hyperperitectic range to avoid problems, which might occur in sheet steel continuous casting. Phase diagram in the inter.critical temperature was estimated for the steel to obtain the starting temperature of fast cooling. For understanding the minimum rate of fast cooling, pearlite growth kinetics was calculated with self-developed diffusion coefficients of elements in grain boundary. Overaging temperature was determined through the calculation of To temperature by both equilibrium and para-equilibrium assumptions, which was different from the current determination, which is only based on an equilibrium estimation.

Hot-Dip Galvanized Sheet Production and Application

Hot-dip galvanized sheet is wildly used in construction,household appliances,ship,vehicle and vessel building and machinery,etc.In last ten years,with the development of automobile industry,the anti-eorrosion requirements for car body are increasingly strict,by which the rapid development in technology has been promoted.The application of hot-dip galvanized sheet,technological progress in production and some Chinese large units were introduced.

Corrosion behavior and mechanism of the automotive hot-dip galvanized steel with alkaline mud adhesion

The corrosion behavior and mechanism of hot-dip galvanized steel and interstitial-free （IF） substrate with alkaline mud adhesion were investigated by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS）, and linear polarization. The results show that non-uniform corrosion occurs on the galvanized steel and IF substrate during 250 h with the mud adhesion. The corrosion products on the galvanized steel are very loose and porous, which are mainly ZnO, Zn5（OH）8C12·H2O and Zn（OH）2, and Fe-Zn alloy layer with a lower corrosion rate is exposed on the galvanized steel surface; however, the corrosion products on IF substrate are considerably harder and denser, whose compositions of rust are mainly FeOOH and Fe3O4, and several pits appear on their surface. The results of continuous EIS and linear polarization measurements exhibit a corrosion mechanism, that is, under activation control, the charge transfer resistances present different tendencies between the galvanized steel and IF substrate; in addition, the evolution of linear polarization resistances is similar to that of charge transfer resistances. The higher contents of dissolved oxygen and Cl^- ions in the mud play an important role in accelerating the corrosion.

Roll Shape Setting Technology of Hot Galvanizing and Planishing Mill

A roll shape setting model was built for the hot galvanizing and planishing mill. The uniform transversal distributions of the front tension in the exit and the unit pressure were considered as the objective function. At the same time, the quality of the products, the stability of zinc layer, and the homogeneity of spangles were of considerable significance in the planishing process. The model was applied to the roll shape setting of the 1800 cold rolling 3# CGL hot galvanizing and planishing mill of Baosteel Co Ltd. After being planished, the flatness of a strip that was less than 6 I was more than 97%, and the flatness of others were less than 10 I; the pass percentage of the zinc lay- ers reached 100%.