Because of the toxicity of hexavelant chromium ion, treatments of metallic surface with chromate compounds to retard corrosion are undesirable for safety control in industrial uses and protection of environment. In this study, we investigated several compounds such as inorganic, organic, and polymer materials in order to substitute the chromate conversion treatment on steel sheet. The corrosion property was investigated in a salt spray tester with 3.5 wt.% NaCl at 35℃. The results showed that the zirconium/silane/polymer triple coatings on the galvanized steel exhibited a significant retardation of corrosion. Although the multicoating system needs a complexed processing, we can confirm a possibility of development of a chromate-free chemical conversion treatment for galvanized steel sheet.
With the help of mechanical mixing method such as Banbury mixer and open 2 roll mill, ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) was blended with the chloroprene rubber (CR) then mechanical properties and ozone resistance test of blends were subsequently investigated. It was noted that the hardness increased with an increasing of CR contents. Generally the hardness was increased with heat aging time most likely due to the post cure. In ozone resistance test of blend, after 8 hours a portion of fine crack is obtained for pure CR. It is confirmed that ozone resistance is greatly improved by addition of 25wt% EPDM to CR.
This work aims the search of environmentally friendly pre-treatment technologies to develop chromate replacements for metal finishing industries due to its toxicological properties. Since the corrosion resistance of steel was strongly related to water permeation, galvanized steel sheets were treated with various hydrophobic silane compounds and water-suspended polymer solution. Also, plasma gas discharge was applied to modify the surface of a polymer coated-steel sheet to be hydrophobic. The surface hydrophobicity of materials was introduced by CF3H plasma exposure. The corrosion property before and after the plasma treatment was investigated in a slat spray tester with 3.5 wt.% NaCl at 35 ℃. The results showed that both silane/polymer double coatings and plasma treatment of the galvanized steel exhibited significant retardation of corrosion.