Abstract
In recent years, the range of silicon-containing steels subjected to hot galvanizing has been expanding. Alloying of steel with 0.5–1 % of silicon leads to the formation of a zinc coating of great thickness with a matte or multi-colored surface. This is associated with the changes in phase reactions between iron and zinc in the Fe–Zn–Si system. The development of ways to neutralize the negative influence of silicon on the formation of zinc coating is an urgent task. The purpose of the work is to study the influence of preliminary plasma cutting and plasma surface hardening of 09G2S (S355J2) steel on the thickness and structure of zinc coating formed on treated surfaces. It was found that after plasma cutting, the structure of the surface layer of steel is martensite, and after plasma surface hardening, it is martensite and ferrite. Analysis of the change in microhardness from the steel surface to the middle showed that the hardened layer depth is 400 μm. A zinc coating consisting of a δ-phase and a ζ-phase is formed on the surface of the steel without pretreatment. On the surface of the steel after plasma treatment, a zinc coating is formed characteristic of low-silicon steels and consisting of the δ-phase, ζ-phase, and η-phase. It was found that the thickness of the zinc coating on the surface after plasma cutting is two times less than on the untreated surface, and the reduction in the coating thickness occurs due to a decrease in the ζ-phase thickness. A hypothesis was suggested that the martensite formation on the steel surface leads to the disappearance of the ordered FeSi phase and changes the phase equilibrium in the Fe–Zn–Si system. Consequently, preliminary plasma treatment of the steel surface allows controlling the structure and thickness of the resulting zinc coating and is therefore recommended for introduction into the hot galvanizing process of silicon-containing steels.
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