In line Zinc Coating or Hot Dip Galvanization. In line produced zinc coating (sold with brand names like gatorshield, thundercoat and others) is very good and adequate for non-corrosive environments. The very best coating available is hot dip galvanization post fabrication. Welds are coated and the tubular chords are coated inside and out. We offer buildings with either option.
Hot-dip galvanizing is a form of galvanization. It is the process of coating iron, steel, or aluminum with a zinc layer, by passing the metal through a molten bath of zinc at a temperature of around 860 °F (460 °C). When exposed to the atmosphere, the pure zinc (Zn) reacts with oxygen (O2) to form zinc oxide (ZnO), which further reacts with carbon dioxide (CO2) to form zinc carbonate (ZnCO3), a usually dull grey, fairly strong material that stops further corrosion in many circumstances, protecting the steel below from the elements.
Hot-dip glavaning offers the best corrosion resistance for buildings.
click to the left for information on Hot-Dip Galvanized Coatings service life note that all structural members are >1/4" and will have an average Thickness of 3.5 mils of zinc.
For more information on galvanization please vist http://www.galvanizeit.org/aga/
Gatorshield is a step above our traditional Flo-Coat product, demonstrating a thicker layer of zinc protection for extended longevity in highly corrosive environments. Best of all, Gatorshield is processed utilizing 99.99% pure zinc alloy with significantly less harmful lead content than generally encountered with pregalvanized or hot-dipped products. This means that lead oxide fumes during welding are kept to an absolute minimum.
Gatorshield's meets a minimum strength characteristic of 50,000 yield/55,000 tensile, reaching a maximum of 60,000 yield/75,000 tensile.
Compared to the alternatives, Gatorshield performs extremely well in terms of fabrication properties:
For more information please visit Allied Tube website.