Study of the comportment of fatty acids and mineral oils on the surface of steel pieces during galvanization

This study shows that vegetable oil like linseed oil can be used as flux in hot-dip galvanization. The natural fatty acids contained in them seem to be able to play similar role of chloride flux usually used. Moreover, it is also possible to use a mineral oil with an added acid function. “Pure” mineral oil well protects the steel from corrosion but leads to a very bad result in galvanization. When an acid function is added to this mineral oil, for example by an addition of hydrochloric acid, the result in galvanization is very good. The coat thickness and the inter-metallic composition depend not on the nature of the flux.