3 Reasons to Use Hot-Dipped Steel Lintels to Support Brick Exteriors
Although brick is a common finishing material, brick exteriors must be supported by steel structures underneath. The horizontal supports within a brick structure are referred to as lintels. Lintels play a critical role in ensuring the stability and aesthetic of brick surfaces over time.
Investing in steel lintels that have been treated with a hot-dip galvanizing process could prove beneficial.
1. Hot-dipping prevents rust jacking.
One of the problems that you must be aware of when designing and constructing brick surfaces is rust jacking. Since brick is a porous material, moisture can seep through a brick exterior and affect the steel support structure. Moisture interacting with metal often results in corrosion.
Any rusting of the steel supports within a brick surface could cause expansion and cracking—conditions associated with rust jacking. Hot-dipping your steel lintels creates a galvanized steel surface that is impervious to corrosion, this preventing rust jacking from compromising your expensive brick exteriors over time.
2. Hot-dipping allows metal to self-heal.
The hot-dipping process relies on a chemical bath filled with zinc that adheres to the surface of structural metal lintels to transform them into galvanized materials. Zinc has the unique ability to give metal self-healing properties.
Since water molecules interacts with zinc to create a rust-resistant layer at the point of contact, your steel lintels will have an added layer of protection against corrosion. You can rest assured knowing that your steel lintels will be able to withstand even the wettest weather conditions when they have been hot-dipped during fabrication.
3. Hot-dipping increases tensile strength.
Brick can be extremely heavy, so you need a strong steel structure to support the weight of your brick exterior. When steel lintels are galvanized through the hot-dipping process, the additional protective layer that adheres to the surface of the steel during fabrication adds to the tensile strength of the lintels.
Creating a hard and corrosion-resistant shell around your steel lintels will make these structural pieces harder and able to withstand greater loads without bending or shearing. Hot-dipping can be a valuable tool when trying to construct more structurally sound brick buildings in the future.
There are many ways to finish steel lintels in preparation for the construction process. Opting to invest in lintels that have been treated through hot-dipping ensures that you will enjoy the corrosion-resistant, self-healing, and tensile strength properties associated with galvanized steel created through exposure to zinc via hot-dipping in the future. To learn more, contact services such as Knowlton Industrial Steel Supply.
Share