Our Galvanneal Products

 

Our Continuous panels are made with 1 1/4” galvanneal round tube.  We purchase “dual phase” galvanneal material.  The steel runs 100,000 tensile strength and makes excellent cattle fencing. We use the same pipe for our uprights. We flatten the uprights on both ends and form them at each bar.  We have twice amount of welds as our competitors.  Strength with our galvanealed pipe is 100,000 tensile vs hot black pipe 50,000 tensile strength.

 

Strength is a measure of how well a material can resist being deformed from its original shape. Typically, metals are specified for their tensile strength or their resistance to being pulled apart, but compressible strength is also a legitimate material property describing resistance to being squeezed. Strength is measured in units of pressure, and is typically reported in units of ​ksi, or "thousands of pounds per square inch."

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What is Galvanneal?

Galvanneal is similar to other galvanized steels. It is perhaps most similar to hot-dip galvanizing. In order to create Galvanneal steel, the material is run through a liquid bath of zinc alloy. This zinc adheres to the surface without any large changes to the metallurgical properties of either the zinc layer or the steel. This is essentially the hot-dip galvanizing process. For the galvannealing process, the galvanized steel is then passed through a low pressure, high volume air knife which blows excesses coating off of the steel before it solidifies. This leaves the steel with a thinner zinc coating compared to standard galvanized steel. The material is then placed into a furnace where it remains until the steel hits an annealing temperature for a determined amount of time. This allows the zinc and the surface of the steel to alloy with one another. The Galvannealed steel is then cut into specified dimensions.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Galvanneal

There are advantages to using Galvannealed steel over uncoated steel or other coated materials. Galvanneal is primarily designed to be painted. The matte finish of the zinc coating is much more absorbent than standard galvanized steel which allows paints to adhere to the surface far better. Galvannealed steel also has a zinc coating that is harder than many other types of galvanized steels. This increases its resistance to scratching and other types of coating damage that could expose the steel underneath to the environment. The formability and weldability of the Galvanneal coating is typically better than other types of galvanized steel. Using Galvanneal will also provide much better corrosion resistance than uncoated carbon steels.

A disadvantage of Galvanneal is that it does not offer the same level corrosion resistance as galvanized steel due to the thinner coating.

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What Is Corrosion?

Corrosion is a deterioration of a material caused by environmental interactions. It is a natural phenomenon, requiring three conditions: moisture, a metallic surface, and an oxidizing agent known as an electron acceptor. The process of corrosion converts the reactive metal surface into a more stable form, namely its oxide, hydroxide, or sulfide. A common form of corrosion is rust.

Rust is the orange-brown discoloration that builds up on metal. Rust is unattractive and can affect any metal objects and structures which are exposed to oxygen and moisture.

It’s not just a question of appearances. If untreated rust can completely decimate an entire structure. For example rust was a major factor in the Silver Bridge disaster of 1967during which the steel suspension bridge collapsed in less than one minute.

Steel products are widely used in many industries. In these circumstances, rust prevention should be a priority.

 

What is rust?

Rust is a form of iron oxide. It occurs when iron combines with the oxygen in the air causing it to corrode. Rust can affect iron and its alloys, including steel. The main catalyst for rust to occur is water. Although iron and steel structures seem solid to the eye, water molecules are able to penetrate microscopic gaps in the metal. This starts the process of corrosion. If salt is present,  for example in seawater, the corrosion will be more rapid. Exposure to sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide will also hasten the corrosive process.

Rust causes the metal to expand, which can place great stress on the structure as a whole.  At the same time, the metal will be weakened and become brittle and flaky. Rust is permeable to air and water, so the metal beneath the rust layer will continue to corrode.