Analysis of Electrochemical Porosity of Phosphatized Coatings on Galvanized Steel Substrate

This work refers to the application of a Voltammetric Anodic Dissolution (VAD) Technique in the analysis of coating discontinuities, focusing on pores and cracks that exposed the substrate. An evaluation was made of the influence of several parameters, such as the concentration of the passivation solution and sweep rate (SR), on the substrate passivation process and on the porosity indexes of tricationic phosphate coatings of Fe/Zn/Mn. The phosphatization process used was a commercial tricationic Fe/Zn/Mn phosphate bath applied on a galvanized steel (GS) substrate. Once the best experimental conditions for the use of the VAD technique had been defined, the grain size and layer weight were related to porosity indexes. The porosity was found to show a tendency to decrease with increasing grain size. The VAD technique consists of the anodic polarization of the substrate/coating system and measurement of the charge density involved in the substrate passivation process. A quantitative porosity index was obtained by comparing the passivation charge density of the substrate without coating (standard passivation charge density) and the passivation charge of the coated substrate

Adhesiveness of cold rolled steels for car body parts

The aim of this work was to evaluate the adhesiveness of uncoated and zinc-electrogalvanized steel sheets used in the automotive industry. Three types of adhesives, one acrylic and two epoxy resins, were employed to join low carbon cold rolled steels, one uncoated and another electrogalvanized, both previously degreased or chemically pickled. Mechanical strength of the joints was evaluated by the T-peel and tensile strength tests. Steel grade, surface condition and heating below the cure temperatures did not influence the joints' mechanical strength. However, their shear strength decreased drastically as the test temperature increased. The exposure of the joints to an atmosphere with 90% relative humidity at 40 °C caused reduction of their shear strength. Epoxy adhesives showed higher mechanical strength, but exhibited higher degradation by humidity