Zinc corrosion protection for steel
Hot-dip galvanizing — Principle

Corrosion is the destruction of metals under the effect of an aggressive environment, which in fact corresponds to the spontaneous return of a metal like iron, for example, to a natural state of greater physico-chemical stability, i.e. the combined state (oxide, hydroxide...).

Zinc is one of the most widely used metals for anticorrosion protection, not only for galvanizing, but also for electro-galvanizing, metallizing, zinc-rich paints, vapor deposition and sherardizing.

There are two reasons for this:

• characteristics of zinc corrosion products ;

• the sacrificial protection provided by zinc on ferrous substrates.