The 4-Step Process of Creating Aluminized Steel
Aluminized steel offers fantastic benefits to those that know how to use it well. Unlike standard steel, aluminized steel offers dual-corrosion protection, meaning that its shielded from direct chemical corrosion and electrochemical breakdown. On top of that, aluminized steel performs well at high temperatures, and is effective in environments reaching up to 700° C. Most importantly, aluminized steel offers these benefits at a cost-effective rate.
With these benefits in mind, it’s no mystery why aluminized steel is such a beloved material across industries. However, making aluminized steel is no walk in the park. Aluminized steel undergoes a complex creation process that steel manufacturers like us at Atlas have been perfecting for decades. Today, we’re demystifying the process of creating the aluminized steel that we all rely on every day.
1. Cleaning the Steel
The first step to aluminizing steel is preparing regular steel for the hot dipping process (more on that later).
There’s a few different ways to clean steel, and each has its own benefits—that’s why some steel manufacturers use multiple or even all of them. Here’s a quick breakdown to each of the cleaning methods:
Degreasing. Degreasing is essential in cleaning steel. Steel is often left with a greasy residue after its created, and even old steel will generally need to be cleaned of leftover grease.
Pickling. “Pickling” may seem like an odd thing to do to steel, but that’s essentially what this step entails. In order to remove rust and surface contaminants, we’ll dip steel sheets in an acidic solution.
Rinsing. After pickling, we’ll rinse the steel with water to remove all acid residue.
Drying. Finally, we’ll dry the steel with hot air to make sure its moisture-free before hot dipping it.
2. Hot Dipping
As the name implies, hot dipping is the process of dipping steel sheets into molten aluminum. It’s absolutely essential the steel has no moisture on it at this stage, since it will rapidly convert to steam upon contact with the molten material. Sometimes, manufacturers will actually bury the steel in a powder-like mixture, which is then heated to achieve a similar effect.
3. Metallurgical Bonding
While the steel is dipped in molten aluminum, interdiffusion occurs on the steel’s surface. Essentially, “interdiffusion” is a fancy way of saying that the aluminum and steel melt together to become one new substance. The bonding process is essential to get right, since an uneven coat will create issues down the line.
4. Oxidation
Finally, the surface of the still finishes aluminizing during the oxidation process. When the coated steel is removed from the molten aluminum, it’s immediately exposed to oxygen again, which rapidly oxidizes the steel to form aluminum oxide. This oxide is not only thin and chemically stable, but also impermeable to oxygen and moisture, giving aluminized steel the qualities we rely on every day.
Get Quality Aluminized Steel from Atlas Steel
With so many uses for aluminized steel, it’s hard to manufacture or construct anything reliable without it. That’s why we at Atlas Steel have mastered the process of aluminizing steel we talked about today—because everyone should have the tools they need to succeed. For more information on our aluminized steel sheets or to request a quote, click here to contact us today!
