Investigation of the formation of physical damage on automotive finishes due to acidic reagent exposure

Journal Article · Fri Oct 15 00:00:00 EDT 1993 · Journal of Applied Polymer Science; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/app.1993.070500317· OSTI ID:5602710

White, D F; Fornes, R E; Gilbert, R D; Speer, J A ^[1]

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1. North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States)

Automotive paints with clear-coat surfaces can be physically damaged by exposure to acidic reagents produced in a smog chamber designed to reproduce real environmental conditions. Visual and reflectance microscopy observations show that deposition of material formed from the reaction of the clear coat and the reagent drop occurs on the paint surface after the drop evaporates to a critical size, with the greatest deposition occurring at the edge of the drop. This type of deposition suggests a free-energy minimization process favoring the formation of stable nuclei at the reagent drop edge. With heating after the drop evaporation to stimulate exposure to the sun, a damaged area containing sulfur that is in the shape of a circular ring is observed at the location of the deposits. The majority of the visual damage appears to result from an interaction between the deposit and the paint at elevated temperatures. Results from profilometry, scanning electron microscopy, and reflectance microscopy show that the damaged areas are ring-shaped cracked blisters on the surface resulting from the clear coat separating into layers.

• OSTI ID: 5602710
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Polymer Science; (United States), Vol. 50:3; ISSN 0021-8995
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ACID RAIN
ECONOMIC IMPACT
AUTOMOBILES
PAINTS
CORROSION
REAGENTS
ATMOSPHERIC PRECIPITATIONS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COATINGS
RAIN
VEHICLES
540120* - Environment
Atmospheric- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)
360604 - Materials- Corrosion
Erosion
& Degradation