The use of coatings to prevent the corrosion of steel is one of the oldest and most studied areas of industrial science. Committee A05 on Metallic-Coated Iron and Steel Product considers its primary goal to promote the use of metallic and nonmetallic coatings to prevent corrosion. The committee celebrated its centennial anniversary in 2006.1
The ASTM centennial article includes a sidebar on how metallic coatings protect steel from corrosion. 2 There are two mechanisms: