Abstract:
The disclosure is directed the formulation and application of an anti-corrosion coating system for use on an associated metallic substrate, the coating composition including at least a sacrificial binder and particles of at least one metallic compound comprising a metal which is anodic relative to the metallic substrate. The associated method includes the steps of applying the coating system to the metallic substrate to form an initial coating, heating this initial coating to remove the sacrificial binder and continued heating under controlled atmospheric conditions sufficient to reduce the metallic compound(s) to elemental metal and form a corrosion suppressing alloy coating on the metallic substrate.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to improved corrosion resistant coatings and methods for forming such coatings on base metal components. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to improved corrosion resistant coatings and methods for forming such coatings that produce a well-bonded, weldable coating with improved composition control suitable for treating vehicular components. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Corrosion is the disintegration of a base material as a result of chemical reactions with the surrounding environment(s) and generally refers to the electrochemical oxidation of metals resulting from contact with an oxidant such as oxygen or chlorine. Given the importance of metals in manufacturing and the exposure of the manufactured articles to a range of corrosive environments, methods and materials for controlling or suppressing corrosion are of continued interest in many industries. 
     Rusting of an iron or steel substrate is an electrochemical process that begins with the transfer of electrons from iron to oxygen, the rate of corrosion being affected by a number of factors including the presence of water and any electrolytes. The key reaction is the reduction of oxygen according to Reaction I:
 
O 2 +4 e   − +2H 2 O→4OH −   (I)
 
     Because it forms hydroxide ions, this process is strongly affected by the presence of acid. And, indeed, the corrosion of most metals is accelerated under lower pH conditions. Providing the electrons for Reaction I is the oxidation of iron that may be described as follows:
 
Fe→Fe 2+ +2 e   −   (II)
 
     The redox reaction illustrated in Reaction III also occurs in the presence of water and is crucial to the formation of rust:
 
4Fe 2+ +O 2 →4Fe 3+ +2O 2−   (III)
 
     Additionally, the following multistep acid-base reactions as illustrated in Reactions IV and V can affect the rate of rust formation:
 
Fe 2+ +2H 2 O           Fe(OH) 2 +2H +   (IV)
 
Fe 3+ +3H 2 O         Fe(OH) 3 +3H +   (V)
 
as do the dehydration equilibria illustrated in Reactions VI-VIII:
 
Fe(OH) 2           FeO+H 2 O  (VI)
 
Fe(OH) 3           FeO(OH)+H 2 O  (VII)
 
2FeO(OH)         Fe 2 O 3 +H 2 O  (VIII)

     From the reactions detailed above, it may be appreciated that the corrosion products are dictated in large part by the availability of both water and oxygen. Accordingly, in those instances with limited dissolved oxygen, the formation of iron (II)-containing compounds will be favored including, for example, FeO and black lodestone (Fe 3 O 4 ). Higher oxygen concentrations tend to favor the formation of ferric materials that generally fall within a nominal formula that can be expressed as Fe(OH) 3-x O x/2 . Furthermore, these complex “rusting” reactions will be affected by the presence of other ions including, for example, Ca 2+ , which can serve a double role as both an electrolyte, which tends to accelerate rust formation, and as a reactant species capable of combining with the hydroxides and oxides of iron to form precipitates comprising a range of Ca—Fe—O—OH species. 
     One method of protecting metals from corrosion involves forming a barrier coating in order to separate the metal from the surrounding and potentially corrosive environment. Examples of such barrier coatings include paints and nickel and chrome plating. Paints can be problematic for those components that will be subsequently subjected to one or more high temperature processes including, for example, welding and/or heat treating. Further, as with all barrier coatings, defects in or damage to the barrier coatings leave the underlying metal substrate susceptible to corrosion. Further, electrochemically active barrier coatings including, for example, nickel, chrome, and conductive polymer layers, can actually accelerate corrosion of underlying metals once an opening is formed in the coating. 
     Other coatings used to protect metal substrates include sacrificial coatings in which the coating material(s) react with the environment and is consumed while leaving the underlying substrate substantially intact. These sacrificial coatings may be subdivided into chemically reactive coatings including, for example, chromate coatings, and electrochemically or galvanically active coatings including, for example, aluminum, cadmium, magnesium, zinc and combinations thereof. The galvanically active coatings must be conductive and are commonly referred to as “cathodic” protection. 
     In the art, a major difficulty has been the creation of a coating that protects like a cathodic system but is applied with the ease of a typical barrier coating system. Furthermore, there are many environmental drawbacks associated with traditional barrier and sacrificial methods including, for example, high levels of volatile organic compounds, toxic or suspect compounds and/or expensive waste treatment and environmental requirements. 
     The present invention contemplates an improved anti-corrosion coatings and methods of forming such coatings which address some of the limitations and concerns associated with conventional coating methods while providing improved coating performance. 
     DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,678,184 describes an anti-corrosion coating for protecting steel parts which utilizes a composition of particulate metal in a liquid medium that is applied to the substrate and cured to form a protective layer. The particulate metal utilized in the composition comprises at least 50 wt % zinc alloy in flake form, the balance being a non-zinc alloy metal. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,440,332 describes a cathodic corrosion resistant coating system that can be applied to a metal substrate in a more environmentally sound manner. More particularly, the coating system utilizes a curable polymer composition in combination with galvanically anodic metals dispersed in a resin matrix and applied to a metal substrate to create a corrosion resistant cathodic coating. As detailed in the specification, the disclosed coating composition included 1) a resin binder, 2) an inherently conductive polymer, 3) metallic particles which are anodic to the metallic substrate and 4) a curing agent. The disclosed method included the steps of 1) mixing the inherently conductive polymer with the metallic particles at relatively low temperatures (from about 100° F. to 220° F.) to form an inherently conductive polymer/metal particle complex, 2) providing a resin binder selected from the group consisting of water-borne resin systems and solvent-borne resin systems, 3) providing a curing agent, and 4) mixing the blend, the resin binder, and the curing agent to form the coating system that is then applied to the associated metallic substrate. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     One aspect of the disclosure is directed a method of formulating and applying a coating system adapted for use on an associated metallic substrate, the coating system including a sacrificial binder and particles of at least one metallic compound comprising a metal which is anodic relative to the metallic substrate. The method includes the steps of applying the coating system to the metallic substrate to form an initial coating. This initial coating is then subjected to a first stage heat treatment whereby the sacrificial binder is removed, a second stage heat treatment under a reducing atmosphere whereby the metallic compounds are reduced to their elemental metal and a third stage heat treatment whereby the residual metals form a corrosion suppressing alloy coating on the metallic substrate. According to another aspect of the disclosure, the metal incorporated in the particles includes at least one member of the group consisting of aluminum, cadmium, magnesium, zinc and alloys thereof, with the sacrificial binder being selected from a group consisting of polyurethanes, epoxies, neutral resins, acidic resins, acrylates, polyesters and blends thereof. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  illustrate a conventional method of forming an aluminum-rich outer protective layer; 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrate a method of forming an aluminum-rich outer protective layer according to the present disclosure; 
         FIGS. 3A to 3D  illustrate in greater detail a method according to the present disclosure as illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 2B ; 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  illustrate in greater detail an alternative method according to the present disclosure as illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 2B ; 
         FIGS. 5A and 5B  illustrate in greater detail an alternative method according to the present disclosure as illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 2B ; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an example process flow according to the present disclosure; and 
         FIGS. 7A to 7C  illustrate in greater detail the composition of example coating compositions useful in practicing the method according to the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     It should be noted that these Figures are intended to illustrate the general characteristics of methods, structures and/or materials utilized in certain example embodiments and to supplement the written description provided below. These drawings are not, however, drawn to scale and will not reflect the precise structural or performance characteristics of any given embodiment and, accordingly, should not be interpreted as unduly defining or limiting the range of values or properties encompassed by example embodiments. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As detailed above, although there are a number of methods for forming protective layers on an iron or steel surface, many of these coatings utilize a polymeric component that is incompatible with subsequent high temperature operations, e.g., welding and brazing. There remains a need, therefore, for an improved anti-corrosion coating that provides at least a combination of both satisfactory corrosion protection and improved heat resistance for steel substrates. Other advantages of the disclosed compositions and methods will be discussed further, infra. 
     Conventional methods for applying anti-corrosion coatings to steel that provide a combination of corrosion protection and heat resistance for steel substrates could utilize a number of techniques including, for example, hot dip coating and aluminizing, for forming the protective layer. Hot dip coating, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , involves passing the steel substrate through a molten metal bath of the coating metal or metal alloy. When the molten metal is zinc, the process is commonly referred to as hot-dip galvanizing and results in a layer of zinc carbonate as the zinc coating subsequently reacts with oxygen and carbon dioxide to form the characteristic crystallization surface patterning associated with “galvanized” steel. During the hot dip coating process, the coating metal, whether zinc, aluminum or other metal(s), forms a metallurgical bond between coating metal and the surface of the steel substrate with a range of iron alloys represented in a transition or interface region. Further, the elevated temperatures to which the steel substrate is exposed during a hot dip coating process can reduce the strength of the substrate. 
     The term “galvanized,” which properly refers to a substrate metal to which a zinc coating has been applied by using a galvanic cell (also known as electroplating), is commonly also used to refer protective layers formed by hot dip zinc coating. One significant distinction between the protective layers resulting from the two processes is that a hot dip zinc coating typically produces a much thicker, durable coating having a matte gray surface, whereas genuine galvanizing (electroplating) tends to produce a very thin, shiny coating that lacks the characteristic interface region produced by the hot dip coating process. 
     The effects of a conventional hot dip coating process are illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . As illustrated in  FIG. 1A , a steel substrate  102  having a thickness T Fe  is subjected to a hot dip coating process to form a coated substrate  100  having a protective aluminum layer  104  having a thickness T Al . As the steel substrate is passed through the molten aluminum, an interface region  106  having a thickness T IR  is formed from a range of iron/aluminum alloys Fe y Al z . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1B , in order to improve the weldability of the coated substrate, subsequent to the hot dipping process, the coated substrate may be subjected to additional thermal processing in order to diffuse some of the iron from the interface region and the substrate through the aluminum layer to form a modified coated substrate  100 ′. This additional thermal processing is designed to diffuse iron through the entire thickness T Al  of the aluminum layer  104  to form an aluminum-rich Fe/Al alloy layer  108 . This additional thermal processing, however, also tends to increase the thickness of the interface region  106 ′ and, by consuming a portion of the original substrate, reduce the thickness of the residual steel substrate  102 ′. The aluminum-rich alloy layer and the interface region provide corrosion protection for the underlying steel substrate and improve the weldability of the coated substrate. 
     As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, one issue associated with the conventional coating method illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 1B  is that the thermal processing treating time necessary to achieve the desired degree of alloying within the initial coating material can be significant. Another issue associated with the conventional coating method is that the composition and distribution of iron throughout alloy layer can often be difficult to control, causing the adhesion characteristics of the alloy layer(s) to vary significantly. This variability is attributed, at least in part, to the fact that the diffusion mechanism within the coating system is not simple diffusion but is, instead, reaction diffusion. And further, as the interfacial region becomes thicker, the material reliability is reduced and the welding performance tends to degrade. 
     An example method according to the present disclosure is illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . As illustrated in  FIG. 2A , a steel substrate  202  having a thickness T Fe  is subjected to a coating process to form a coated substrate  200  having a protective layer  204  having a thickness T FeAlO . Unlike the process illustrated in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the protective layer  204  is applied under lower temperature conditions, thereby suppressing formation of the interface region created during a hot dipping process. The protective layer includes at least a polymeric binder, an anodic metal compound, typically an aluminum compound, and an iron compound, the aluminum and iron compounds being selected from the base metal, metal alloys, oxides, hydroxides and mixtures thereof. Examples of such materials include Al, Al 2 O 3 , Fe, Fe 3 O 4  and Fe 2 O 3 , generally provided as fine particulates. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2B , the coated substrate  200  is then subjected to additional thermal processing that 1) removes the organic component of the coating, 2) reduces the aluminum and iron compounds to the base metals according to, for example, Reactions IX and x,
 
4H 2 +Fe 3 O 4             3Fe+4H 2 O  (IX)
 
3H 2 +Al 2 O 3           2Al+3H 2 O  (X)
 
and 3) forms an Fe/Al alloy layer  208  on the modified coated substrate  200 ′. As a result of the distribution of iron and aluminum throughout layer  204 , the thermal processing utilized in accord with the disclosed method need not be configured to allow for diffusion of iron from the steel substrate throughout the protective layer, thereby reducing the need for thermal processing and further suppressing both formation of an interface region and consumption of the steel substrate.

     In general, aluminum compounds including, for example, aluminum oxide, will be incorporated as the preferred anodic metal particulates. In practice, however, any anodic metal that creates sufficient potential difference, e.g., at least about 0.02 volt, from the metal substrate may be used according to the methods detailed in the disclosure. 
       FIGS. 3A-3D  provide a more detailed example of a manner of practicing the method illustrated in  FIGS. 2A and 2B . As illustrated in  FIG. 3A , particles of at least one anodic material  312  and particles of an iron compound  314  are distributed in a polymeric matrix  310  to form a coating composition. This coating composition is then applied to a steel substrate  302  by, for example, spraying, brushing, dipping or rolling, and then dried, cured or otherwise fixed to the substrate to form a coated substrate  300 A. As illustrated in  FIG. 3B , the coated substrate  300 A is then subjected to thermal processing under conditions sufficient to remove substantially all the organic portion of the coating composition. 
     Removing the organic portion of the coating composition leaves a residual layer of the anodic material and iron compound particles on the substrate  302  to form a first intermediate coated substrate  300 B. As illustrated in  FIG. 3C , the residual layer of anodic material and iron compound particles are then subjected to additional thermal processing under reducing conditions sufficient to convert the anodic material and iron compound particles to a corresponding layer of base metal particles  322 ,  324  and produce a second intermediate coated substrate  300 C. As illustrated in  FIG. 3D , the layer of base metal particles can then be subjected to additional thermal processing sufficient to form an alloy layer  308  from the base metal particles, the stoichiometry of the alloy layer being largely determined by the relative molar concentrations of the base metal particles from which it is formed. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates the process flow described supra in connection with  FIGS. 3A-3D  including the application of the coating  602 , heating the coating under conditions sufficient to remove the organic component  604 , heating the residual particles under reducing conditions to convert the particles to their base metals  606  and heating the converted base metals under conditions that will tend to alloy the various particles  608  and form a protective alloy layer on the substrate. 
     As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the succession of thermal processes detailed above may be performed in a single reactor by altering the temperature profile and/or the composition of the atmosphere surrounding the coating compositions. Depending on the materials and processing conditions for example, the processing illustrated in  FIGS. 3B and 3C  can be performed substantially simultaneously by using a reducing atmosphere, e.g., H 2  and/or NH 3  gases, under temperature and pressure conditions that also remove the organic component of the coating composition. Alternatively, the organic component of the coating can be removed under an oxidizing atmosphere with the residual metal oxide(s) and/or hydroxide(s) subsequently being treated with a reducing atmosphere. 
       FIGS. 4A and 4B  illustrate another example embodiment of a method according to the disclosure in which alternating layers of a first coating composition  412 , which contains particles of a first type in a polymeric binder, and a second coating composition  414 , which contains particles of a second type in a polymeric binder, are deposited on a steel substrate  402 . The alternating layers are then processed as detailed supra in connection with  FIGS. 3A-3D , to form an iron alloy coating layer  408 . 
       FIGS. 5A and 5B  illustrate yet another example embodiment of a method according to the disclosure in which alternating layers of a first coating composition  512 , which contains particles of a first type FT in a polymeric binder, and a second coating composition  514 , which contains particles of a second type ST in a polymeric binder, are deposited on a steel substrate  502 . The alternating layers are then processed as detailed supra in connection with  FIGS. 3A-3D , to form an iron alloy coating layer  508  in which the stoichiometry FT y ST z  varies across the thickness of the coating layer. Although illustrated in  FIG. 5B  as having a single tapering concentration profile, the example embodiment of the method illustrated in  FIGS. 5A and 5B  may be used to produce a range of concentration profiles. Further, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, additional alloying constituents may be introduced in varying concentrations in the different layers  512 ,  514  to provide even greater control of the properties of the resulting protective layer  508 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 7A-7C , and as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the coating composition may be formulated and applied to the substrate using a number of techniques. As illustrated in  FIG. 7A , the alloying material particles  712 ,  714  may be dispersed in a polymeric fluid  710  that can be applied to the substrate by painting, spraying, rolling or dipping and then dried, cured or otherwise solidified sufficiently to remain in place for subsequent processing. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 7B , the alloying material particles  712 ,  714  may be dispersed in larger particles of a polymeric composition. These composite particles can then be used to form suspensions, emulsions or powders and then applied to substrate using a variety of techniques including, for example, suspension, emulsion or by powder coating. Although the particles illustrated in  FIG. 7B  include two types of particles, corresponding composite particles could be manufactured with a single type of particle for use in methods as illustrated in  FIGS. 4A-5B  and/or for formulating coating compositions of varying effective stoichiometry. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 7C , the alloying material particles  712 ,  714  may be individually provided with a relatively thin coating of one or more polymeric compositions. These particles can then be used to form suspensions, emulsions or powders and then applied to substrate using a variety of techniques including, for example, suspension, emulsion or by powder coating. The particles illustrated in  FIG. 7C  could be using in practicing methods as illustrated in  FIGS. 4A-5B  and/or for formulating coating compositions of varying effective stoichiometry. 
     While the present disclosure as included descriptions of various embodiments, it should be understood that these embodiments are not intended to limit the disclosure and that one of skill in the art, guided by the present disclosure, can adopt the compositions and formulations disclosed to provide various combinations of properties more closely tailored for specific applications. Accordingly, the present disclosure is intended to encompass such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.