14 Test Panels 14.1 Cold Rolled Steel Panels. 141 Surface Proie« Surface Carbon »Suvace Preparation * Applications 142 Aluminum Panels 44 = Pretcatnent» Applications “oated Steel Panels 146 Douglas Grossman Q-Panel Lab Products Me Sartsee Pepsin Patrick Patton 144 Handling and Storage of Test Panels 147 Pane La Pras Bibliography 14.7 When performing coatings tess, itis important to make sure that problems with the metal substrate do not skew the test results. Test standards exist for all sorts of coatings characteristics, including adhesion, flexibility, corrosion resistance, and appearance. These standards establish test conditions designed to control variables, which can influence test results. These variables include the method of application, the film thickness, the cure method, and the test substrate. In a controlled laboratory environment, the application method, film thickness, and cure method can be controlled with some degree of precision. In many cases, it is ot possible to exercise the same degree of control over the test substrate. For this reason, coatings technicians use standardized test panels when. conducting critical wss. A standardized panel is produced from carefully specified material and is prepared in. tightly controlled process designed to yield a consistent test surface that can be relied upon to provide reproducible results from test to test and from batch to batch, ‘There are many different types of standardized test panels available. The requirements for these panels have been described in both national and international standards, These include ISO 1514: Paints and Varnishes — Standard Panels for Testing, ASTM D 609: Standard Practice for Preparation of Cold-Rolled Steel Panel for Testing Paint, Varnish, Conversion Coatings and Related Coating Products, and ASTM D 2201: Standard Practice for Preparation of Zine Coated and Zine Alloy Coated Steel Panels for Testing Paint ‘and Related Coating Products. The following is a general description of the different types of test panels. included in these standards, along with a discussion of the primary applications and sources of variability for each panel type. 14.1 Cold Rolled Steel Panels ‘There are a number of points to consider when preparing a specification for standardized cold rolled steel test panels. The type of stel selected should be ofa standard grade and quality. It is important that the steel be widely available. SAE 1008 and 1010 are examples of suitable grades of stel for test panel production, The steel used should also be fee from rusting and staining. Standardizing on a particular grade of steel helps to eliminate variability in the chemical composition that can influence the results of some types of testing 142 Coatings Technology Handbook, Third Edition Right Rear Fender Right Front Door 2B hours, salt spray 182 hours, salt spray Trunk Lid, Center Hood, Center 288 hours, salt spray 288 hours, salt spray Left Front Fender Left Front Door 182hours, salt spray 288 hours, salt spray FIGURE 14.1 Metal substrates and thir eects on paint. Specifying a particular grade of steel may be all that is required for many industrial applications, but this is not the case when the stel will be used to produce test panels. It has been well documented that, different batches of seemingly identical steel, even when produced by the same mill, hive shown drastic differences in performance under paint (see Figure 14.1). Over the years, several researchers have under- taken to exphin this problem of “good steel” versus “bad steel.” A number of these studies have been successful in isolating the factors contributing to this variability Its important that specifications for steel to be used in the manufacture of test panels take these factors into account. 14.1.1 Surface Profile Surface roughness, waviness, and peak count are some ofthe parameters that make up the surface profile of a steel panel. Surface profile is an important consideration in designing an effective test panel spec fication, Steel mills typically characterize different finishes as matte, light matte, commercial bright, ete ‘These chatacterizations represent fairly broad ranges in terms of surface profile. While these character: izations may be suitable for most applications, the surface profile for steel used in the production of standardized test panels must be more narrowly defined, For example, if a specification calls for steel with a “matte” finish, the surface roughness of the steel as received may be anywhere from 25 to 65 inches, or even higher. Different mills define a matte finish differently. In addition, depending on the condition and degree of wear of the finish rolls, the “matte” finish produced by a given rolling mill can vary greatly from shipment to shipment. For these reasons, a specification for steel used in the production‘Test Panels 143, of test panels must call out a more narrowly defined range for surface roughness (ie. 35 to 45 jt inches) ‘The actual range specified is not necessarily as important as the fact that a range is defined. ‘Some applications in which surface profile is particularly critical include appearance measurement and testing of phosphate coatings. The surface profil of a steel panel can have a significant impact on the appearance of a subsequently applied coating. Reliable evaluations of gloss, distinctness of image, and other appearance-related properties cannot be made if the consistency ofthe surface profile of panels. used in the evaluations is in question. Similarly, stel test panels are often used to evaluate phosphate coating processes. Line technicians expect that a standardized test panel will accept a coating with given characteristis, assuming the phosphate process parameters are in order. However, normal mill variability in steel surface profile can contribute to differences in phosphatability. For example, a rougher steel surface has a greater surface area than a relatively smooth steel surface. This difference in surface atea can lead to differences in coating weight. Surface profile is by no means the only factor bearing an impact, ‘on the phosphatability of a steel surface. It is, however, an important factor and must be controlled as a source of variability 14, (Over the years, stel suppliers and automotive companies have funded numerous research projects aimed. at determining the source of variability in performance between diferent lots of seemingly identical steel ‘The results have not been ambiguous. In study after study, surface carbon has been identified as an important factor contsibuting to variations in phosphatability and under-paint corrosion resistance of commercial cold rolled steel ‘When cold rolled steel panels are phosphated and painted under identical conditions and tested for salt spray resistance in accordance with ASTM B 117, there isa strong corteation between high levels of surface carbon and premature failure in salt spray testing, Surface carbon is a highly adherent material and cannot be removed by typical cleaning operations. In addition, its impossible to determine the level of surface carbon on a steel surface without sophisticated and expensive laboratory evaluation. For these reasons, itis important to understand where surface carbon comes from and how it can be controled. During the process of cold reduction, a stress is imparted tothe stel sheet, resulting in work hardening, ‘This work hardening must be relieved by annealing, or holding the steel at an elevated temperature for a specified period of time. Annealing softens the meta, resulting in improved formability. Rolling oils are applied to the steel surface during cold reduction. These oils act asa lubricant for the rolling process Residual rolling oils remaining on the steel surface after cold rolling can decompose when exposed to the elevated temperatures in the annealing furnace, resulting in the deposition of carbon compounds on the surface. The carbon is essentially baked into the surface, making it virtually impossible to remove without mechanical abrasion, Because it is not really possible for atest panel manufacturer to remove surface carbon through typical leaning methods, it is necessary to purchase steel that is low in surface carbon. There are eflective ‘methods for limiting surface carbon at the mill Its important to identify steel mills that are willing and. able to enact such measures to control surface carbon. An effective specification for steel to be used in the fabrication of test panels should include a maximum allowable surface carbon content. Various studies have demonstrated that surface carbon begins to have a detrimental effect on phosphatability and salt spray resistance when present in amounts greater than 0.410 0.6 mg/ft 2 Surface Carbon 14.1.3 Surface Preparation When preparing test panes, its important to standardize not only the material used but also the method of surface preparation. There are a number of different surface preparation methods discussed in ASTM. 1D 609 and ISO 1514. These include alkaline leaning, solvent cleaning, vapor degreasing, and phosphate conversion coatings. ‘Any of the preparation methods described in ASTM D 609 or ISO 1514 is suitable for test panel preparation. The most important consideration should be to institute tight control of all process param- ©2009 Tyr Ar Gap.