Problem
Coating failure analysis: from symptom to cause
A coating can fail by cracking, discolouring, corroding, wearing or losing adhesion. A useful analysis starts from the symptom, compares failed and intact parts, and uses a few complementary measurements to test the likely explanations rather than every available technique.
What usually has to be established
- What the failure looks like at the scale where it starts
- Whether the chemistry at the surface or interface differs from an intact part
- Whether topography, thickness or structure has changed
Measurements
Where an investigation often starts.
A typical sequence, not a prescription. The Field Agent adapts it to your sample, what you observed and the decision the result must support.
SEM with EDXStart here
Shows the failure morphology and the elements in and around it, which narrows down the mechanism.
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopyAlso useful
Tests whether oxidation, contamination or another chemical change in the outer nanometres is involved.
Atomic force microscopyFor nanoscale topography
Measures roughness and small height changes where wear, etching or blistering begins.
What to have ready
- Failed and intact parts from the same production batch
- Coating system, thickness, substrate and process history
- The service or test conditions before the failure
- The decision the analysis supports, such as changing a process or a supplier
Potential Dutch facilities
26 facilities publish at least one of these measurements in Enschede, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Noordwijk, Delft, Groningen, Leiden, Wageningen, Nijmegen, Petten and Utrecht.
Leads are based on published capabilities; current suitability and availability must be confirmed with the laboratory.
Describe your sample and question. The first answer is free and needs no account; laboratory names are shown in a free workspace.