Formation of intermetallic phases on 55 wt.%Al–Zn–Si hot dip strip

A study has been conducted to probe the formation of intermetallic phases on steel substrates immersed in 55 wt.%Al–Zn–Si hot dip baths as a function of dipping time and bath silicon content. Two bath compositions containing 1.3 and 1.5 wt.% Si, respectively, combined with two immersion times of 3 and 9 s were studied. It was found that the reaction rate and intermetallic phase formation varied in response to silicon content. Optical microscopy revealed a quantifiable difference in the development of the reaction layer between the two bath compositions. SEM-EDS revealed that the reaction layer that evolved on samples dipped in the 1.5 wt.% silicon bath were comprised of two intermetallic species, α-AlFeSi/Fe2Al5, whilst in the 1.3 wt.% bath there were three clearly identifiable intermetallic species α-AlFeSi/FeAl3/Fe2Al5. A fourth phase appeared to be present in samples immersed in the 1.3 wt.% Si bath that, due to its fine structure, could not be conclusively identified. Experimental results from the literature and from this study have been assessed with reference to the phase stability predicted by MTDATA, a thermodynamic modelling package.