• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.40-47
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• 2016

The Zn coating on automotive galvanized steel sheets can improve corrosion resistance. However, the boiling temperature of Zn is lower than the melting temperature of steel and it causes well-known spatter and porosity problem. One of most prominent solutions is a pretreatment of Zn coating by an additional welding arc prior to the main welding process. In this research, GTA and GMA are selected as heat sources for pretreatment and main welding processes, respectively. The authors suggested three possible mechanisms to reduce weld defects by the GTA pretreatment: (1) Formation of gap between the sheets; (2) Evaporation of Zn layer; (3) Oxidation of Zn layer. Among them, Zn Oxidation is the most important mechanism to reduce weld defects in the GTA-GMA hybrid process.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.74-80
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• 2010

For the purpose of applying a hot-dip Zn-6mass%Al-3mass%Mg alloy coated steel sheet (ZAM) to automotive body materials, a laboratory study of the general properties required for inner and outer panels of automotive bodies was performed. Even with only light coating weight, ZAM showed an excellent corrosion resistance in terms of both cosmetic and perforation corrosion compared to the currently used materials for automotive bodies, GI70 and GA45. In our study, it was confirmed that ZAM exhibits as good as or better properties than GI70 in terms of spot weldability and press formability. Furthermore, since the same corrosion resistance can be achieved with less coating weight by applying ZAM, laser weldability is better than GI and GA.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.16-23
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• 2019

Steels for automotive fuel tank require unique properties such as corrosion resistance for fuel, welding for joining, forming for press, and painting for exterior. Recently, automakers have been requiring excellent seam weldable steels to enhance manufacturing productivity of fuel tank. Thus, POSCO developed a new type of functional steels coated with nano-composite thin layer on Zn-Ni plating steels. The nano-composite coating solution was prepared by mechanical fine dispersion of solutions consisting of polymeric resin and nano-composite materials in aqueous media. The composite solution was coated on the plating steel surface by using roll coater and cured through induction furnace. These new developed plating steels were evaluated for quality performances such as seam and spot weldability, press formability, and corrosion resistance. These new functional steels coated with nano-composite layer exhibited excellent seam weldability and press formability. Detailed discussion of coating solution and experimental results suggest that nano-sized composite dispersion as coating layer plays a key role in enhancing the quality performance.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.57-65
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• 2020

As competition among global automakers intensifies, demand for materials that are better in price and performance is increasing. While steel and plastic materials compete for automotive fuel tanks, plastic materials have advantages such as light weight for automobiles. However, they have high prices. Accordingly, in this paper, four types of Zn-X plated steel sheets, electroplating (X = none, Sn) and galvannealed (X = Fe, Fe-Mg), were manufactured and their applicability as a fuel tank material was evaluated. Nano-composite coating solution with good conductivity was treated on the surface of plated steels using a roll coater and then cured through induction furnace to improve corrosion resistance. Quality characteristics such as corrosion resistance, fuel resistance to diverse gasoline and diesel fuels, and seam weldability were evaluated for the above plated steels. Their properties were compared and analyzed with conventional Zn-Ni electroplating steels. Among the above plated steels, Zn-Fe-Mg galvannealed steels coated with nano-composite coating exhibited better properties than other steels. Detailed experimental results suggest that evenly distributed Mg elements on the coating layer play a key role in the enhanced quality performance.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Machine Tool Engineers Conference
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• 1997.10a
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• pp.310-315
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• 1997

An extensive corrosion study was initiated by galvalume steel sheet manufacturing company to clarify the corrosion behavior of zinc and zinc and zinc-alloy coated automotive sheet steel in out panel and electrical application. Since the early 1980's the use of zinc and aluminum alloy coated steel for vehicular corrosion protection has increased drastically. This paper describes the evaluation of formability, weldability and painted corrosion performance of galvalume steel sheet. This paper presents an overview of the program and some initial test results on the weldability, lifetime of the electrode tip shape of the spot welding and corrosion protection. Galvalume steel sheet improved corrosion performance and spot weldability of galvalume steel has no problem for the variation of welding current. And tip lifetime was changed according to the influence of shape.

• Korean Journal of Metals and Materials
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.455-462
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• 2012

Al-Si coated boron steel and Zn coated DP steel plates were laser-welded to manufacture a Tailor Welded Blank (TWB) for a car body frame. Hot-stamping heat treatment ($900^{\circ}C$, 5 min) was applied to the TWB weld, and the microstructural change and transformation mechanism were investigated in the Al-rich area near the bond line of the Al-Si coated steel side. There was Al-rich area with a single phase, $Fe_3(Al,Si)$, which was transformed to ${\alpha}-Fe$ (Ferrite) after the heat treatment. It could be explained that the $Fe_3(Al,Si)$ phase was transformed to ${\alpha}-Fe$ during heat treatment at $900^{\circ}C$ for 5 min and the resultant ${\alpha}-Fe$ phase was not transformed by rapid cooling. Before the heat treatment, the microstructures around the $Fe_3(Al,Si)$ phase consisted of martensite, bainite and ${\alpha}-Fe$ while they were transformed to martensite and ${\delta}-Fe$ after the heat treatment. Due to the heat treatment, Al was diffused to the $Fe_3(Al,Si)$ and this resulted in an increase of Al content to 0.7 wt% around the Al-rich area. If the weld was held at $900^{\circ}C$ for 5 min it was transformed to a mixture of austenite (${\gamma}$) and ${\delta}-Fe$, and only ${\gamma}$ was transformed to the martensite by water cooling while the ${\delta}-Fe$ was remained unchanged.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.83-88
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• 1999

In this paper resistance projection weldability of Zn coated steels with post treatment has been discussed. Projection welding was performed by a condenser discharge type power source which was equipped with welding parameter monitoring system. Mechanical test results indicated that the effect of post coatings on the projection front changed showing very small very small spattering at the weld strength was negligible. However, contamination rate of the block electrode varied depending on the post treatment coatings. Test results also showed that projection height before welding should be kept to be 80-100% of the specimen thickness as far as the surface quality was taken into consideration. Based on the high speed photography, discharge condition at the beginning stage of the welding process. It was considered that the spattering reduced the weld strength slightly at the optimum heat input range.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.233-238
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• 2010

Hot-dipped Al-Mg-Si coatings to alternate Zn and Zn alloy coatings for steel were examined on metallographic structure, corrosion resistance, sacrificial ability, formation and growth of inter-metallic compounds, and mechanical properties. Near the eutectic composition of quasi-binary system of Al-$Mg_2Si$, very fine eutectic structure of ${\alpha}$-Al and $Mg_2Si$ was obtained and it showed excellent corrosion resistivity and sacrificial ability for a steel in sodium chloride solutions. Formation and growth of Al-Fe inter-metallic compounds at the interface of substrate steel and coated layer was suppressed by addition of Si. The inter-metallic compounds layer was usually brittle, however, the coating layer did not peel off as long as the thickness of the inter-metallic compounds layer was small enough. During sacrificial protection of a steel, amount of hydrogen into the steel was more than ten times smaller than that of Zn coated steel, suggesting to prevent hydrogen embrittlement. Al-Mg-Si coating is expected to apply for several kinds of high strength steels.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.325-330
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• 2010

Many surface protection methods have been developed to apply for constructional steels used under severe corrosive environment. Thermal spray coating has been known to be an attractive technique due to its relatively high coating speed. Furthermore high corrosion resistance of coated film with thermal spray is required to expand its application. Four types of coated films(DFT:300 um) such as pure zinc, pure aluminum and two Al-Zn alloy (Al:Zn=85:15 and Al:Zn=95:5) onto the carbon steel (SS401) were prepared with arc spray, and the corrosion behavior of their samples were evaluated by electrochemical method in this study. Pure aluminum sample showed high corrosion resistance behavior exposed to sea water solution and pure zinc and alloy (Al:Zn=95:5) samples followed pure aluminum sample. The other alloy(Al:Zn=85:15) so called galvalume coated onto the carbon steel ranks the 4th corrosion resistance in this study. The results of porosity ratio of those samples by observation are well matched with the electrochemical data.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.165-170
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• 2003

Atmospheric corrosion behaviors of Zn, Zn-5%Al and Zn-55%A l coated steels have been investigated under cyclic wet-dry environments containing chloride ions. The wet-dry cycle was carried out by alternate exposure to immersion in 0.5 M (or 0.05 M) NaCl solutions and drying at $25^{\circ}C$ and 60 %RH. The polarization resistance $R_p$ and solution resistance $R_s$ were monitored by AC impedance technique. From the obtained $1/R_p$ and $1/R_s$ values, the corrosion rate of the coatings and the Time of Wetness (TOW) were estimated, respectively. Effects of chloride ions and TOW on the corrosion rates of Zn, Zn-5%Al, Zn-55%Al coatings and appearance of red rust (onset of underlying steel corrosion) under wet-dry cycles are discussed on the basis of the corrosion monitoring data.