Method for coating a hot-rolled or cold-rolled steel flat product containing 6-30 wt% Mn

1. A method for coating a hot-rolled or cold-rolled steel flat product, containing 6-30% wt. Mn, with a metallic protective layer by hot-dip coating in a melt bath, wherein the steel flat product is subjected to a pickling treatment before entering the melt bath, in which the steel flat product is exposed to at least two pickling baths, wherein the pickling baths each comprise 20-200 g/l of hydrochloric acid or sulphuric acid and optionally 10-200 g/l Fe and an acid concentration of the second pickling bath is higher than an acid concentration of the first pickling bath, so that manganese oxide adhering to the steel flat product is removed.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pickling treatment is completed in a continuous pass.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein a dwell time of the steel flat product in at least one of the pickling baths is 5-60 seconds per unit of length.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature of at least one of the pickling baths is 40-90° C.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the steel flat product is dried before entering the melt bath.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the steel flat product is heated to a bath-entry temperature before entering the melt bath.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the steel flat product when heating to the bath-entry temperature is first heated to a peak heating temperature which is above the bath-entry temperature and is subsequently cooled from the peak heating temperature to the bath-entry temperature.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein a surface temperature of the steel flat product during heating does not exceed 700° C.

9. The method according to claim 6 , wherein heating to the bath-entry temperature takes place under a protective atmosphere protecting a surface of the steel flat product from oxidation.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the protective atmosphere is formed of nitrogen and 5-30% vol. hydrogen.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein a dew point of the protective atmosphere is −50° C. to −15° C.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the steel flat product is cold-rolled and subjected to re-crystallizing annealing before the pickling treatment.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the hot-dip coating is carried out as hot-dip galvanizing.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the hot-dip coating is carried out as hot-dip aluminizing.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein a zinc layer is applied onto the protective layer obtained after hot-dip aluminizing.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the hot-dip coating is completed in a continuous pass.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the steel flat product comprises (in % wt.) C: ≦1.6%, Mn: 6-30%, Al: ≦10%, Ni: ≦10%, Cr: ≦10%, Si: ≦8%, Cu: ≦3%, Nb: ≦0.6%, Ti: ≦0.3%, P: ≦0.1%, B: ≦0.01%, N: ≦1.0%, the remainder being iron and unavoidable impurities.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the steel flat product comprises (in % wt.) C: ≦1.00%, Mn: 20.0-30.0%, Al: ≦0.5%, Si: ≦0.5%, B: ≦0.01%, Ni: ≦3.0%, Cr: ≦10.0%, Cu: ≦3.0%, N: ≦0.6%, Nb: ≦0.3%, Ti: ≦0.3%, V: <0.3%, P: <0.1%, the remainder being iron and unavoidable impurities.

19. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the steel flat product comprises (in % wt.) C: ≦1.00%, Mn: 7.00-30.00%, B: <0.01%, Ni: <8.00%, Cu: <3.00%, N: <0.60%, Nb: <0.30%, Ti: <0.30%, V: <0.30%, P: <0.01%, Al: 1.00-10.00%, Si: >2.50-8.00%, the remainder being iron and unavoidable impurities, wherein Al content+Si content>3.50-12.00%.