Enhancing Corrosion Resistance of Steels Through Advanced Surface Functioning During Hot Strip Rolling

Corrosion poses a significant threat to structural integrity, which results in surface degradation, mechanical failure, environmental pollution, and loss of life. Steel, a primary material used in various industries, has been subject to numerous corrosion prevention methods throughout history [1]. Protective coating has proven effective in extending steel structures' service life [2, 3]. Alloying, another essential methodology, involves adding alloying elements such as Cu, Cr, Ni, P, Si, and Mn to bulk steel. When exposed to a corrosive environment, these elements help form a protective passivation layer on the surface, thus protecting the material underneath [4]. Both protective coatings and alloying have their advantages and limitations. Applying protective coatings is time-consuming and expensive, requiring complex procedures for surface preparation and application [5, 6]. Alloying, on the other hand, involves adding expensive elements to the bulk material when only the surface is exposed to harsh environments. Moreover, alloying could alter the material’s mechanical properties of the bulk material, which is not always desirable. Surface alloying is an exciting technique to alter steel’s surface properties without compromising the properties of the bulk material. It has been implemented for several different purposes, such as enhancing surface hardness, scratch resistance, corrosion resistance, etc. Although the current surface alloying techniques successfully reduce the material cost, their application cost is significantly high as specialized equipment is required to perform complex procedures.