Students at Indiana University South Bend met together to design a project that would be both inspiring and supportive to our community. After much consideration, it was decided that the class would create a bench and bike rack for the local park which hosts many community events. The park is located in a lower income segment of the community and is in desperate need for aesthetically pleasing and sustainably useful design.

The purpose of this class was to focus on art and sustainability in the environment. Their professor required them to come up with a project design that would enhance the community while also providing the greatest level of corrosion protection and environmental sustainability. These requirements led to discussing the benefits of hot-dip galvanizing.

The team decided to do more than just explain the benefits of HDG and move on. The students were invited to tour the HDG facility in person. The galvanizers realized that this was a unique opportunity to inform and inspire the minds of the next generation. During their visit, the galvanizers walked them through each step of the process and introduced them to members of the team. The students watched material go from a caustic tank to an acid tank to a flux tank and the reasonings for each step in the process. It was explained to them how sustainable and environmentally friendly the HDG process was compared to competitors.

It’s easy to explain how beneficial galvanizing is but, there is something to be said about watching someone’s eyes light up as they see steel dipped in molten zinc. The metaphorical light bulb turns on when they realize how powerful a metallurgical bond is compared to a mechanical bond. After their visit was over, it was clear that HDG is the preferred method to protect steel from corrosion.

The hot-dip galvanizing team is proud to have worked with the students at Indiana University on this project. The finished product is a park bench and bike rack that will uplift the community for the next several generations!