Coil-coated steel: corrosion resistance and adhesion as a function of the composition of the intermediate galvanic layer

The corrosion behaviour of coil-coated steel (CCS) sheets with different intermediate zinc-based coatings was examined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Corrosion tests were performed in a 0.5 M NaCl aqueous solution in contact with the air, at ambient temperature. The results of pull-off adhesion test are also presented. The impedance data show that the improvement in the protective behaviour of the composite system is connected with the higher resistance values for the samples in which aluminium was added to the galvanized layer, and the best results are shown by CCS with aluzinc (Zn-55Al). These effects have been related to differences in the adhesion of the organic coating to the underlying metal substrate, as determined from both non-exposed samples and samples exposed to the electrolyte solution.