Investigation of The Effect of Steel Surface Treatments on Anti-Corrosion Performance and Adhesion of Epoxy/Glass Flake Coatings

Usually, in all applications where an organic coating is applied on the surface, physical and chemical surface preparations need to enhance adhesion and anti-corrosion resistance of the system. Control of surface roughness and chemistry of modified metal by conversion coatings are effective factors in the adhesion properties of organic coatings. In this project, the behavior of anti-corrosion resistance and adhesion of epoxy coatings in the presence and absence of anti-corrosion glass flakes pigments on the surface of steel prepared by applying the zirconium conversion coating and sandblast method were examined. Conversion coating was formed on the surface in the optimum condition of practical parameters. In the next step, the effect of the type of surface preparation on the anti-corrosion resistance and morphology behavior of the coating was investigated using electrochemical tests and atomic force microscope images. It was found that the samples prepared with conversion coating indicated the best anti-corrosion resistance and adhesion strength as a result of the change in the roughness and changing the surface chemistry. Finally, epoxy/glass flake coating with 10% of glass flake was applied on the prepared surface through conversion coating and it was found that adding glass flakes increase the anti-corrosion resistance of the coating and these results confirmed by the salt spray test.