Conversion coating treatment

As with chemical etches, developing optimum conversion coatings requires assessing the microstructure of the steel. Correlations have been found between the microstructure of the substrate material and the nature of the phosphate films formed. Aloru et al. demonstrated that the type of phosphate crystal formed varied with the orientation of the underlying steel lattice.<113) Figure 24 illustrates the very different phosphate-crystal morphologies that formed on two heat-treatment-conditioned steels made of the same alloy and prepared with the same conversion coating treatment. The fine flake structure formed on the tempered martensite... 

K. Chong, T. Shih, Conversion-coating treatment for magnesium alloys by a permanganate-phosphate solution. Mater. Chem. Phys. 80 (2003) 191—200. 

H. H. Sun, H. W. Wang,D. Chen,N. H. MaandX. F. Li, Conversion-coating treatment applied to in situ TiB2p reinforced A1 Si-alloy composite for corrosion protection . Surface and Interface Analysis, 40, 1388 (2008). 

C. H. Liang and R. F. Zheng, Conversion coating treatment for AZ91 magnesium alloys by a permanganate-REMS haSo,, Materials and Corrosion, 58,193 (2007). 

The appHcation of this type of conversion coating can be by spray or immersion and is easily tailored to the needs of the user (see Coating processes). The number of stages may vary from two, ie, clean and phosphate then rinse, to as many as five, ie, clean, rinse, phosphate, rinse, and post-treat. The performance requirements dictate the number of operation stages as well as the need for a post-treatment. 

Chromium Phosphate. Chromium phosphate treatment baths are strongly acidic and comprise sources of hexavalent chromium, phosphate, and fluoride ions. Conversion coating on aluminum precedes by the foUowing reactions (24) ... 

Chromium Chromate. Chromium chromate treatment baths are acidic and made up from sources of hexavalent chromium and complex fluoride, fluorosiHcate, fluorozirconate, fluorotitanate, and siHcofluorides. Optional additional components added to accelerate coating rate are free fluoride, ferricyanide, and other metal salts such as barium nitrate. Conversion coating on aluminum precedes by the following reactions (2,3,17) ... 

Finishes for aluminum products can be both decorative and useful. Processes in use include anodic oxidation, chemical conversion coating, electrochemical graining, electroplating (qv), thin film deposition, porcelain enameling, and painting. Some alloys respond better than others to such treatments. 

Surface preparation of the core foil was originally simple acid etching. As the importance of durable surface treatments became known, a more stable chemical conversion coating with an organic primer-like coating became standard. Still, water ingression into honeycomb structure continued to cause the occasional... 

Protective measures range from chemical conversion coatings and anodising to the application of more substantial protective layers, e.g. enamels. For a more detailed treatment of the subject, the reader is advised to consult References 19, 20, 21 and 22. 

The processes are dealt with fully in Chapters 11, 14 and 15. Because many paint systems include an initial surface pretreatment, e.g. chromated aluminium or phosphated steel, BS4479 1990, Part 3 deals with conversion coatings and should be consulted by designers. Whatever the method of treatment, liquids must be able to drain quickly and freely from the surfaces. Crevices where liquids can become entrapped are best avoided. The surface configuration needs to be such that active solutions can be washed away, leaving the surface to be painted completely free from unreacted pretreatment solution. Failure to achieve the requisite level of freedom from the surplus chemicals causes paint failure, e.g. osmotic blistering. 

In order to obtain maximum corrosion protection for painted metal articles, the metal parts are pretreated with an inorganic conversion coating prior to the painting operation. These zinc or iron phosphate coatings greatly increase both paint adhesion and corrosion protection. Traditionally, a chromic acid post-treatment has been applied to these phosphatized metal surfaces to further enhance corrosion protection. 

There are essentially three main steps in a conversion coating process cleaning, conversion coating, and post-treating. These three different, but equally important, steps in the pretreatment of metal articles will be discussed in more detail for the purpose of providing a background for the main emphasis of this paper, the post-treatment part of the conversion coating process, and more specifically chromium-free polymeric post-treatments which have been developed in recent years to replace the environmentally unacceptable chromate systems. 

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