Performance of Submerged Hardware in Continuous Galvanizing

For over a decade, research and development on submerged hardware in continuous galvanizing pots has been carried out at Teck's Product Technology Centre. The outcome of numerous laboratory tests and field trials has demonstrated that dissimilar materials with comparable surface hardness are most suitable for the manufacture of roll bearings. Wear debris can be easily retained in bearings made of the same material, thereby negatively affecting bearing performance and service life. Bearings made of the same materials are also vulnerable to catastrophic failures. The dissolution of iron from the coated strip creates an iron-rich zone associated with a high concentration gradient in the vicinity of the sink roll. Consequently, the sink roll becomes a preferential site for dross pick-up. In operations involving extremely high temperatures, such as in Galvalume production, the material selection for pot hardware is immaterial to the final corrosion product of the hardware and the pick-up on the hardware.