
283Development Trials on Large-Scale Equipment
In the 1920s, a molten zinc coating process was employed to protect steel
surfaces from corrosion. However, this technology was not perfect. Patches
of coating often aked off, causing rust spots. Tadeusz Sendzimir studied
this problem and concluded that zinc adhesion was inhibited by an invis-
ible layer of iron hydroxide on the surface. Sendzimir’s innovation was to
destroy the hydroxide contaminant with a reducing atmosphere containing
hydrogen gas. This process step left a bare surface to which the zinc coating
RULE #56 GARBAGE IN = GARBAGE OUT
The development engineer is expected to invest more ...