Abstract
A major problem related to the use of steel products, commonly used in the construction, machinery and automotive industries, is corrosion under the influence of the environment in which these products operate. One method of extending their working time is to apply an anti-corrosion coating in the hot-dip galvanizing process. Despite the widespread use of this method, there are still problems related to the quality of the produced coatings, process efficiency and environmental impact. Surface preparation of steel products prior to actual galvanizing is crucial to the quality of the resulting coating. A particularly important step is pickling.
The pickling process is considered as a one of the key stages in hot-dip galvanizing technology, and since this stage takes the longest to complete compared to other processes, it is a major factor that determines the duration of the entire process. It was assumed that setting the pickling bath in motion would shorten the pickling process time. The first studies concerned the analysis of the possibility of using forced flow in pickling tanks in a hot-dip galvanizing plant. A concept of such a system was proposed, numerical studies were carried out for a specific variants, and then tests were carried out on a physical model of the device. The qualitative analysis conducted allowed for positive verification of the proposed concept.