PURPOSE: To inhibit the evaporation of zinc in a snout which is liable to cause surface defects and inhibits stable operation by allowing ceramic pieces to float on the surface of a zinc bath in a snout connecting a cooling zone in an annealing furnace and the zinc bath and preventing the evaporation of the molten zinc.
CONSTITUTION: A steel sheet 5 continuously annealed and cooled in an annealing furnace is introduced via a snout 3 into a molten zinc bath 4, and, after the direction of advance is changed to a practically vertical direction by means of a sink roll 6, the steel sheet 5 is drawn up from the zinc bath 4 and then the molten zinc adhering to the steel sheet surface in excess is wiped out by means of gas wipers 7 to regulate the coating weight of zinc. In the method for producing the above-mentioned hot-dip galvanized steel sheet or galvannealed steel sheet, the evaporation of zinc from the zinc bath surface is inhibited by covering the surface of the zinc bath 4 in the snout 3 with ceramic pieces 8.
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