Corrosion of Metallic Coatings

A sacrificial coating applied to a steel substrate can add 20 years or more of life to the substrate, depending on its thickness and composition. Different techniques to apply sacrificial coatings offer various characteristics that contribute to corrosion resistance. This article discusses thermal spray, hotdipping, and electroplating processes used to apply coatings in steel structures. It describes the corrosion attributes of the resulting coatings and discusses the methods of protecting steel from corrosion using aluminum and zinc coatings.