Performance testing conversion coating

Chromate conversion coatings perform poorly in environments containing acidified chloride. In salt/S02 spray tests the substrate metal is heavily pitted after three to four days of exposure. In this work, a new coating was developed which itiproved the corrosion resistance of the conventional chromate coating remarkably. 

Testing of Painted Products. The enhancement of paint adhesion is one of the principal functions of conversion coating (20—22). A group of tests based on product deformation is used to test the painted product. The appHance and cod-coating industries use the mandrel bend, the cross-hatch adhesion test, and the direct and reverse impact tests. Adhesion after a water soak is judged using a cross-hatch test performed on the exposed surface. 

Product Utilization. The principal appHcation for chromium phosphate coatings is as a paint base for painted aluminum extmsions and aluminum beverage can stock. In these appHcations, extremely demanding performance criteria are met by the chromium phosphate conversion coatings. As an example, the Architectural Aluminum Manufacturer s Association Voluntary Specification 605.2-92 requires humidity and salt spray testing for 3000 hours and allows only minimal incidence of paint failure after testing (26). 

On zinc phosphate conversion coatings, the "Mannich" derivatives of poly-4-vinylphenol have demonstrated performance equivalent to chromic chromate systems in salt spray, humidity, and physical testing. In addition. Table III illustrates results observed with automotive body paint systems evaluated by the "scab" or "cycle" test which causes failure more typical of actual end use conditions than do salt spray evaluations. Again, results equivalent to chromic-chromate post-treatments were obtained. In addition, the humidity resistance and adhesion tests were essentially equivalent to the chromium controls. 

Although the panel with the plasma deposited film followed by priming with E-coat is visually better, the use of the corrosion width provides a method for quantifying the improvement in the corrosion performance. Also the factor of about 2 difference in corrosion width between the two chromate conversion-coated panels is difficult to obtain from the qualitative difference observed from the scanned images. It can be seen from this comparison of three panels that the use of the measured corrosion width makes the differentiation of corrosion performance much easier. This method of evaluating corrosion test results is used to determine if the combination of the two bests could indeed yield the better corrosion protection of aluminum alloys. 

Adhesion of the cathodic E-coat to the plasma polymer surfaces is an important parameter in the corrosion protection of A1 alloys. In general, the adhesion performance of E-coat applied to plasma polymers was found to be far superior to that of the control panels. A-Methylpyrrolidinone (NMP) paint delamination was not observed after 120 min for E-coat on plasma polymer surfaces as compared to a maximal time for complete delamination of 5 min for E-coat on chromate conversion coating [2B] CC/E panels. The adhesion performance of cathodic E-coat on the plasma polymer surfaces could not be differentiated by the conventional tape test (ASTM D3359-93B), since E-coat on all of the combinations... 

While the work carried out thus far has appeared promising, and several patents to many parties have been issued on the technology, to date no extensive studies yet exist of field performance of CP-based anti-corrosion coatings. And of course, no CP anti-corrosion coatings are yet commercially available. Field performance tests would be required to encompass not only corrosion protection, but also durability (e.g. against abrasion), and environmental impact (e.g. runoff or leaching from P(ANi) coatings). Thus, as compared to the tried-and-true chromate conversion... 

Results from exposure corrosion testing show that aluminum surfaces prepared with a chromate conversion coating and a chromate-free primer perform much better than a chromate-free sol-gel type of conversion coating with the same chromate-free primer, " leading to the necessity for enriching the sol-gel coating with efficient inhibitors. 

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