Corrosion prevention is a widely discussed topic within the steel industry. All metals will corrode over time when exposed to the atmosphere. Galvanization is a method used to fight corrosion and extend the life of metals. Knowing this, it makes sense to galvanize your metal to protect it, but the question becomes deciding what type of galvanization you should use.
While all galvanization methods produce some type of protective zinc coating on metal, they are not all equal. Some processes, like galvannealing, are much better to use when the metal is going to be painted because it is less likely to need a primer and is more scratch-resistant. Other processes, like electroplated zinc coating, are much more budget-friendly, but don’t provide as many benefits, or last as long. This is why it can be difficult to decide which galvanizing process is best. Choosing the wrong one could lead to major issues down the road, costing you even more than the original investment.
With so much at stake, it is important to ensure that you are receiving what you paid for. LECO Corporation’s GDS950 has the ability to analyze metals that have been treated with any galvanization process. Determine what your coatings are comprised of with full confidence, knowing that the GDS950 has full wavelength coverage. This instrument can even perform compositional depth profiling (CDP) of solid, electrically non-conductive samples. Download our Application Note to see the complete CDP of six types of galvanized metals performed by LECO’s GDS950.
