galfan coating: Galfan is a trade name for zinc-5% aluminum-mischmetal alloy-coated steel core wire. The Galfan coating contains 95% zinc, and a 5% mixture of aluminum and rare earth mischmetal (a mixture primarily of cerium and lanthanum). Galfan is used because it is thermally stable up to and beyond the wire's 250°C rated operating temperature for ACSS. Standard zinc galvanized steel core wire has traditionally been rated for a continuous operating temperature of 200°C. However, this rating is questionable as testing at 200°C has shown deterioration, full flaking, of the galvanized protective coating occurred at 49 days in one test and 120 days in another. Since the amount of deterioration is dependent on the applied temperature and the time of exposure, it is reasonable to assume that damage to the core begins to occur at temperatures below 200°C. An additional benefit is that Galfan coated steel core wire has excellent corrosion resistance, better than Class C galvanized steel.