Zn-rich Primer Evaluation for Corrosion Protection of US Marine Corps Ground Vehicles

At present, corrosion protection of steel components is being implemented through an initial abrasive blasting of the metal substrate followed by the application of solvent or water based coatings, which create a physical and electrochemical barrier between the metal substrate and the environment. This process does not appear to provide sufficient long-term corrosion protection, especially if the coating is partially disrupted exposing the base metal. Special interest exists to determine the corrosion performance of steel components coated with high concentrations of sacrificially available zinc under long-term harsh operating conditions. Cyclic salt spray and immersion tests were conducted to determine corrosion performance of various commercially available Zn-rich coating products applied to steel panels. Electrochemical tests were used to measure corrosion rates and to identify degree of Zn-rich corrosion protection.