Magnetic force sealant for plating tank

Abstract

There is provided a molten metal plating method and apparatus wherein at each of the strip feeding and discharging ends of a horizontal molten metal plating tank arranged in a horizontal strip pass line, each of a current and a magnetic field which intersect each other at right angles is applied in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of a steel strip to apply to the molten metal at each end an electromagnetic force which is directed toward the inside of the plating tank, whereby by adjusting the intensity of the magnetic field or the amount of the current, the run-out or leakage of the molten metal from the strip feeding and discharging ends of the plating path is reduced to zero or controlled to a desired value. The effect of this is that the molten metal is effectively prevented from leaking out at the strip feeding end of the plating tank, while at the discharging end of the tank the coating thickness or the weight of coating on the plated strip is controlled, and a horizontal linear coating line is provided thus making the plating of heavy-gauge steel strip or plate and the application of thicker coatings possible.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.