Mg-rich coatings: A new paradigm for Cr-free corrosion protection of Al aerospace alloys

Abstract

Environmentally acceptable alternative coatings to chromate pigments and pretreatments for the corrosion control of Al alloy 2024 T-3, commonly used in aircraft, were designed, formulated, and tested as primer coatings to provide protection using particulate Mg-rich pigmentation. The system was designed by analogy to pigmented Zn-rich primer coatings used for the protection of steel. In the current study, four coating polymer systems were examined as possible candidates as polymer matrices for Mg-rich cathodic protect coatings. Mg-rich primers were formulated with ∼50-micron average particle size magnesium powder, near to the critical pigment volume concentration (CPVC) for this system. Top-coated scribed coatings systems have been subjected to Prohesion™ exposure in dilute Harrison’s solution for up to 5000 hr. These coatings are the first nonchromated coatings to satisfy 3000 hr of such exposure and remain shiny and undamaged in the scribe area, only showing damage at about 4800 hr. The corrosion byproducts generated in the scribe areas during Prohesion exposure were examined by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA), and the local pH of the coating determined by the nature of the salt formed as a function of exposure conditions and time, did not cause Al corrosion.