PROTECTION AND FINISHES

OF STEEL

AKASH.R 311221251003
PROTECTION AND FINISHES OF STEEL
INTRODUCTION TO STEEL

Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon with improved strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of
iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels, which are resistant
to corrosion and oxidation, typically need an additional 11% chromium.

Because of its high tensile strength and low cost, steel is used in buildings, infrastructure, tools, ships, trains,
cars, bicycles, machines, electrical appliances, furniture, and weapons.

Steel is a hard ductile and malleable solid and is probably the most solid material after plastic and iron.

If we draw a comparison between iron and steel ,we find steel in many ways even better than iron .
Steel may not be as strong as iron is but if far more resistant and does not corrode and get rusted like iron
does.
The major component of steel is iron, a metal that in its pure state is not much harder than copper.
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon containing less than 2% carbon and 1% manganese and small amounts of silicon, phosphorus, sulphur and oxygen. Steel is the world's most important engineering and construction material.
•PROTECTION AND FINISHES OF STEEL
Steel is a proven durable and efficient building material that has been used since the Industrial Revolution. It is
cost effective, aesthetically pleasing, sustainable, and strong. However, like all metals, steel corrodes when
exposed to the atmosphere. Therefore, it is important to consider corrosion protection methods when
constructing projects with exposed steel.

There are a number of different corrosion protection systems to consider including:

1.Hot dip - Galvanizing

2.Duplex systems

3.Zinc Coatings

4.Protective Coatings

5.Special Steels

6.Sacrificial Anodes
1.Hot dip Galvanizing

Hot-dip galvanizing is a process that involves immersing the steel component to be coated in a bath
of molten zinc (at about 450°C) after pickling and fluxing, and then withdrawing it.

The immersed surfaces are uniformly coated with zinc alloy and zinc layers that form
a metallurgical bond with the substrate.

The resulting coating is durable, tough, abrasion resistant, and

provides cathodic (sacrificial) protection to any small damaged areas where
the steel substrate is exposed.

The typical minimum average coating thickness for structural steelwork is 85μm.

2.Duplex system for corrosion

A duplex system is formed by painting or powder coating over hot dip galvanized steel.

Used for decades as a means to enhance corrosion protection ,the synergy between the two systems provides
protection for superior to either system used independently.

Duplex systems are most commonly specified for aesthetic reasons.

A duplex coating is defined as a combination of two different coating systems which often complement one another.
Typically this means a metallic coating overcoated by an organic system.

Examples of such systems are hot dip galvanizing surfaces which have been painted or powder coated.
3.Zinc coating

Zinc coatings are applied to steel surfaces by hot dip galvanizing, electroplating, sherardising, mechanical plating,
painting with zinc-rich coatings and zinc spraying (metallising).

While a fresh zinc surface is quite reactive when exposed

to the atmosphere, zinc corrosion products develop rapidly on the surface as the
coating is exposed to natural wet and dry cycles in the atmosphere.

These corrosion products, collectively known as the zinc patina, act as

an additional barrier between the steel and the environment.

Inorganic zinc coatings are extremely good for preventing rust on steel. They are also excellent for providing
protection from environmental factors like saltwater and harsh weather conditions. As a result, chemical plants and
refineries often use such coatings to shield their equipment from deterioration. Additionally, zinc-rich primers can be
coupled with super-durable polyester coatings in a vast array of colors—resulting in a finish that is both highly
corrosion resistant and aesthetically pleasing.

4.Protective coating

Protective coatings, such as paint and powder coatings, applied to steel provide barrier protection.

As barrier protection is dependent on the integrity of the coating, the selection, application, and handling of painted
and powder coated materials is very important.

It is imperative these coatings are handled with care during installation and if damaged are repaired to ensure they
are as durable as planned.
Most paints and powders are porous and easily damaged, allowing electrolytes (moisture, humidity) to reach the underlying steel. If
regular maintenance is not performed, underfilm corrosion begins and the coating can fail in a relatively short period of time.

5.Special steels

Special steels such as stainless and weathering provide corrosion protection by taking advantage of specific
chemistries and elements.
Weathering and stainless steel tend to work best in narrowly defined environments or applications and each has its
own limitations.

1.Stainless steel
Stainless steel is an alloy steel containing iron and chromium.
Because of the chromium content, usually 12-20 percent of the alloy, stainless steel
has excellent resistance to stain and rust.

There are more than 50 types of stainless steel identified by the microstructure.

Stainless steel is sold at a premium compared to coated (painted or galvanized) carbon steel, weathering steel and
other building materials. Additionally, it is only readily available in certain sizes and shapes, ages with an uneven
appearance, and is difficult to weld.

2.Weathering steel
Weathering steel, which contains copper, develops a natural iron-oxide (rust) patina
that is stable once formed, exhibiting increased corrosion resistance compared to carbon steel.
The corrosion-retarding effect of the protective layer is produced by the particular
distribution and concentration of alloying elements present.
The layer protecting the surface develops and regenerates continuously when subjected to the influence of the
weather.
6.Sacrificial anodes

Sacrificial Anodes are highly active metals that are used to prevent a less active material
surface from corroding.
Sacrificial Anodes are created from a metal alloy with a more negative electrochemical
potential than the other metal it will be used to protect.

A sacrificial anode is part of a cathodic protection system and is attached to a steel

structure to protect it against corrosion. It is made of a more active, less noble metal
(usually zinc or aluminium) than that of the structure itself.

Sacrificial anodes generally come in three metals: magnesium, aluminum, and zinc.

Cathodic Protection

Cathodic protection protects by electrochemical means.

To prevent corrosion, the active sites on the metal surface are converted to passive sites
by providing electrons from another source, typically with galvanic anodes attached on or
near the surface. Metals used for anodes include aluminum, magnesium, or zinc.
While cathodic protection is highly effective, anodes get used up and need to be
checked and/or replaced often which can drive up costs of maintenance. They also
increase the weight of the attached structure and aren’t always effective in high-
resistivity environments.
FINISHES OF STEEL
Plating
Metal plating uses chemical baths to coat or alter the surface of substrates with thin layers of metal such as zinc, nickel, cadmium, or
chromium. The electroplating method generates an electric current to coat the substrate, while electroless plating employs an autocatalytic
process in which the substrate catalyzes the reaction. As plating is a chemically intensive, large scale process, it is almost invariably
performed by plating service providers who specialize in the field.

Brushing/Cleaning
Unlike plating, metal finishing with brushes is an effective method for removing surface imperfections. These finishing machines create a
uniform, parallel grain surface texture to smooth out a product’s exterior. An abrasive belt or wire brush is usually employed to achieve this
effect. In addition, the singular direction of the belt or brush can create slightly rounded edges perpendicular to the grain. This type of
finishing is used for aluminum panels that are used for metal photo prints and signage.
In addition, wire brushing is used to remove the slag produced by some welding operations and to remove scale and grit from metal
surfaces prior to cleaning.
Chemical baths and acid baths are used to clean oil residue left over from the machining, forming, and other processes prior to plating or
coating.

Grinding
Grinding machines use abrasive wheels to smooth out surfaces. There are several types of grinding machines designed to deliver different
levels of finite smoothness. As noted above, grinding is used to reduce surface roughness left over from machining and as a final step in the
machining process to close in on a tolerance. A surface grinder is the most common form of grinding machine but there are numerous
specialty grinders such as centerless grinders and Blanchard grinders in everyday use as well, with precision Blanchard grinding being a
widely-used metalworking technique ideal for oversized parts.
Vibratory Finishing

Vibratory finishing machines are used to deburr products and remove sharp edges, sprue, etc.

They position parts inside a drum filled with abrasive pellets and apply tumbling vibration to create a uniform random texture.

The machine’s cycle speed and magnitude of vibration are usually variable, allowing effective treatment for a range of small- to
large-sized parts.

Blasting

Blast machinery, such as sand-blasting machines, is typically employed in projects requiring a uniform matte texture.

The sandblasting process (also known as bead blasting) forces sand, steel shots, metal pellets, or other abrasives onto a substrate
at high speed.
This results in a smooth, clean product texture, particularly in soft metals.

Shot peening is a blasting method used to impart compressive stress in the surface of metals as a way of improving fatigue
resistance, stress corrosion cracking resistance, fretting resistance, etc.

The cold working process imparts compressive stress to surfaces as a way of countering tensile stress induced during
manufacturing. Burnishing is another cold-work surface modification method used to impart compressive stress for fatigue
resistance.
Heat Treating

An important step in many metal manufacturing operations is heat treatment, which is used
to procure desirable characteristics in the material after its finished shape is attained.

For example, after gears are cut they are usually hardened through an inductive or flame
heating process to increase wear resistance at the teeth surfaces while improving the
strength of the underlying teeth.
Hardening usually applies a quenching operation which is a critical step in transforming the
grain structure of the metal.

Case hardening is used on the shackles of padlocks, for example, to produce a shell that
resists mechanical attack.
Heat treating is applied too to remove any residual stresses left by manufacturing. Nitriding is
another surface hardening process which can be done below the transformation temperature
of steel, eliminating the need for quenching and any part distortion that could result.