Welcome to the Corrosionpedia News Roundup where we discuss new developments in the world of corrosion science. For our first News Roundup of 2020, we look towards the future as we discuss exciting new developments for the revolutionary coating known as graphene. We also take a look at new painting processes, new cathodic protection power sources, materials joining and more.
Graphene Flagship Announces Eleven New Projects
The Graphene Flagship, a European consortium of academic and industrial researchers whose purpose is to advance graphene technology, has recently declared the 11 new projects that it will focus on. Investments to fund these new projects is expected to be around €45 million. The goal of each project is to take a prototype use of graphene technology and make it economically feasible for widespread use. The projects cover a wide array of industries, including water filtration, social energy capture, circuit breakers and batteries for electric vehicles. Graphene is a newly developed material made of carbon that provides materials with corrosion resistance and has excellent mechanical, thermal and electrical properties.
Peeling Paint on Ford F-150 Spurs Lawsuit
An owner of a 2014 F-150 is suing Ford Motor Company for paint that is peeling on several areas of her truck and corrosion that was allegedly beginning to occur. The suspected, though unproven, flaw is that the paint did not adhere properly to the primer. The owner asked the Ford dealership to pay the cost of the repainting procedure. When the company declined, the owner filed a lawsuit because it was allegedly still within the corrosion warranty coverage period. Ford declared that the corrosion warranty only covers repairs needed for perforations in the panels of the truck.
Friction Stir Welding Research May Prevent Corrosion
A professor at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts is working to develop the best friction stir welding parameters that can be used to join aluminum and magnesium alloys while reducing the possibility of corrosion. The experiment is being done with grant money from the United States Department of Energy for their Vehicle Technologies Office.
To improve fuel efficiency, automakers are trending towards the use of lighter weight materials such as aluminum and magnesium to manufacture vehicles. When welded with conventional fusion methods, these welds typically undergo galvanic corrosion because of the metal dissimilarities. Friction stir welding could potentially be used to join these two metals without the same threat of galvanic corrosion.
New Corrosion Resistant Adhesive Developed
Teams of scientists at the University of Victoria and the University of British Columbia have invented a new type of glue that can be used to adhere polymer materials together that were previously very difficult to join together with an adhesive. One major type of polymer that it can join together is high-density polyethylene. The new adhesive is able to do this because crosslinking occurs between it and the polymer. The crosslinking process is activated when the joint is placed under ultraviolet light or subjected to high heat. Not only is the adhesive strong, but it is also quite resistant to corrosion as well. The adhesive is currently being tested for feasibility and durability in a variety of applications.
GM Texas Plant Expansion Improves Painting Processes
Chevrolet, a large automaker and part of the General Motors company, recently expanded the size of its Arlington, Texas facility. Included in the expansion was a 600,000 square foot add-on for augmenting its painting of the Tahoe and Suburban SUV models.
The addition includes several cutting-edge painting technologies that reduce the threat of corrosion and environmental impact. A vision inspection system included in the addition will inspect the color and quality of the applied paint. New top coat equipment will use waterborne paints that contain less solvents than traditional solvent-based paints. The lower solvent content used reduces the negative impact of solvents on the environment. There are several other new technologies being implemented that also reduce the risks of corrosion.
New Corrosion Protection Power Supply Released
Farwest Corrosion Control Company, a leading cathodic corrosion protection equipment manufacturer for submerged metal structures, has released a new power supply. The DCPro power supply uses direct current to make a metal the cathode in an electrochemical cell. This naturally prevents it from becoming the anode, which is the part of the cell subject to oxidation. One exciting feature of the DCPro is that it moves away from manual electrical current adjustment. The DCPro can maintain the desired current level because it is not subject to the power fluctuations typically associated with alternating current systems, thus increasing its reliability of operation compared to alternating current systems.