Microstructural Evolution of 11Al-3Mg-Zn Ternary Alloy-Coated Steels During Austenitization Heat Treatment

This study details the microstructural evolution of a commercial hot-dip 11Al-3Mg-Zn-coated steel during austenitization. After 5 minutes of austenitization at 1173 K (900 °C), the ternary alloy coating transformed to consist of a nearly pure Zn as the major layer, a Fe-Al alloy layer at the interface, and a thin oxide overlay. The Fe-Al alloy layer effectively acted as the inhibition layer to prevent Fe from diffusing and reacting with Zn, which in turn retained the molten Zn layer and the integrity of the surface oxide layer. Moreover, the potential difference between the 11Al-3Mg-Zn coating and the steel substrate remained similar after austenitization, signifying the resulting coating kept its sacrificial protection capability.