A Guide to Preserving Steel Materials

The engineering industry relies heavily on a wide array of metal compounds. One of the most popular among these is steel. Its prolific expediency covers an expansive range of trades from residential construction to shipbuilding. This popularity is due to steel’s intrinsic qualities, such as durability, versatility, and affordability. Despite these lauded qualities, however, steel is far from perfect. Susceptibility to corrosion is steel’s Achilles’s heel. For decades, experts have been figuring out how to solve this point of vulnerability. If you work closely with steel, whether coil steel or sheared, here are a few ways to preserve its strength over time.

Zinc Galvanization

Galvanization is the process of reinforcing metal with a coating of a protective compound. Manufacturers have been using zinc to galvanize steel for over 250 years. In a study conducted to determine steel field performance, results showed that zinc galvanization provides steel with 50–75 years’ worth of protection against corrosion. Researchers established this level of protection in a variety of environments, which included marine, industrial, and suburban. Zinc also requires minimal to zero maintenance, which means savings for manufacturers and engineers. If your work requires you to look for the best means to reinforce steel, zinc is your answer.

Galvanized Steel Clean Up

Despite not requiring consistent maintenance, experts still recommend cleaning up galvanized steel once in a while. This is mostly done to get rid of dirt and mud accumulation, wash off paint or dry wet spots — all of which can aid in preventing corrosion. Steel is a top choice many industries for its proven and tested strength and reliability over the course of engineering’s history. Given the continuing advancements in the field, this fact is not about to change.