You searched for: “galvanizes
galvanize (verb), galvanizes; galvanized; galvanizing
1. To stimulate, spur, or to jolt into action; to startle into sudden activity: The pollution in the river helped to galvanize the desire for cleaner water and the volunteers started their work immediately.
2. In medicine, to stimulate or treat muscles or nerves with induced direct current: The therapist galvanized Jim's wrist which had been operated on to help heal the tender scar.
3. To coat metal, especially iron or steel with zinc: Next to the old house Jim could see the old bucket which someone had galvanized a long time ago and which was still quite usable!

To galvanize steel means to go through a chemical process to keep it from corroding. The steel gets coated in layers of zinc because rust won't attack the protective metal. For countless outdoor, marine, or industrial applications, galvanizing steel is an essential fabrication component.

The principal method of making steel resist corrosion is by alloying it with another metal, such as zinc. When steel is submerged in melted zinc, the chemical reaction permanently bonds the zinc to the steel by galvanizing it. The zinc isn't exactly a sealer, like paint, because it doesn't just coat the steel, it actually permanently becomes a part of it.

The zinc goes through a reaction with the iron molecules within the steel to form by galvanizing it. The most external layer is all zinc, but successive layers are a mixture of zinc and iron, with an interior of pure steel. These multiple layers are responsible for the amazing property of the metal to withstand corrosion-inducing circumstances, such as saltwater or moisture. Besides being inexpensive and effective, galvanizing of metal is popular because it can be recycled and reused multiple times.

—Compiled from excerpts located in
"What is Galvanized Steel?" by S. Mithra; www.wisegeek.com/what-is-galvanized-steel.htm
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot-dip_galvanizing
This entry is located in the following units: galvano-, galvan- + (page 1) -ize (page 5)