Galvanizing
Galvanizing is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to steel or iron, to prevent rusting and to improve the resistance of material against wear and fatigue.
Galvanizing protects the base metal in three ways:
- It forms a coating of zinc which, when intact, prevents corrosive substances from reaching the underlying steel or iron.
- The zinc serves as a sacrificial anode so that even if the coating is scratched, the exposed steel will still be protected by the remaining zinc.
- The zinc protects its base metal by corroding before iron.
