Abstract:The morphology and texture of zinc coatings deposited on interstitial free (IF) steel sheets were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and orientation distribution function. It was shown that the microstructure of the coatings consisted of thin hexagonal platelets tilted with respect to the substrate surface. Zinc coatings exhibited low angle pyramidal {11.5} nonfiber texture component resulting from epitaxial growth via two-dimensional (2D) nucleation. The 2D nucleation was attributed to severe zinc hydroxide adsorption on the substrate surface during the nucleation stage, which can inhibit three-dimensional (3D) nucleation and promote nonfiber texture. The pyramidal texture was beneficial for plastic deformation of zinc coatings because a significant amount of resolved shear stress can be obtained when the uniaxial stress is applied.

Key words: zinc coatings; morphology; texture; deformation