Effect of Annealed Oxides on the Formation of Inhibition Layer During Hot-Dip Galvanizing of 590Mpa Trip Steel

The selective surface oxidation of a transformation-induced-plasticity (TRIP) steel containing 1.6 wt.% Mn and 1.5 wt.% Si during annealing at $800^{\circ}C$ was investigated for its influence on the formation of an inhibition layer during hot-dip galvanizing. The selective oxidation of the alloying elements and the oxide morphology were significantly influenced by the annealing atmosphere. The pure $N_{2}$ atmosphere with a dew point $-40^{\circ}C$ promoted the selective oxidation of Mn as a crystalline $Mn_{2}SiO_{4}$ phase, whereas the $N_{2}$ + 10% $H_{2}$ atmosphere with the same dew point $-40^{\circ}C$ promoted the selective oxidation of Si as an amorphous Si-rich oxide phase. During hot-dip galvanizing, the $Mn_{2}SiO_{4}$ phase was reduced more readily by Al in the Zn bath than the Si-rich oxide phase. Consequently, the pure $N_{2}$ atmosphere resulted in a higher formation rate of $Fe_{2}Al_{5}$ particles at the Zn/steel interface and better galvanizability than the $N_{2}$ + 10% $H_{2}$ atmosphere.