INVESTIGATION OF THE MATERIAL PROPERTIES OF SEASONING AND ALUMINIZING MILD STEEL FOR GARI ROASTING PANS

Abstract:
Two methods of protecting mild steel were tested to determine if they would be appropriate in making gari roasting pans for people in Ghana: a palm oil-base seasoning layer and aluminized mild steel made in house. These protected samples were then tested for corrosion with an open flame test and an immersion test in a simulated gari mixture made of flour and white vinegar to achieve the appropriate acidity. The seasoned mild steel showed significant decrease in corrosion compared with plain mild steel in our experimental methods, but wouldn’t hold up well to long term exposure to direct flame or acidic gari without any maintenance. However, maintenance is relatively easy and inexpensive, which are nontrivial factors to consider for the use case of these pans. The aluminized steel displayed considerable flame damage with the loss of the aluminum layer, but our conditions were possibly much more severe than the actual use case so the remaining existence of the intermetallic layer(s) shows promise. The aluminized steel held up very well after exposure to the simulated gari mixture and displayed very little corrosion. Therefore, aluminized steel is the stronger
contender amongst the two protective methods, but additional investigation needs to be done on industrial quality aluminized steel to support our preliminary findings. In addition the costs involved in using aluminized steel is potentially higher for both the initial product and the subsequent maintenance.