Thermal spray applications for the prevention of corrosion in the automotive and transport industry
Metal or thermal spraying is a technology that applies a variety of coating materials that protect traditionally iron and steel from corrosion by means of a barrier or a sacrificial coating.
For the automotive industry, this could be thought of to stop car bodies going rusty. Typically, for mass production, thermal spray coatings are not commonly suitable due to time and economic factors. However, cherished classic cars are often restored using metal spray to repair and protect body panels.
The beauty of thermal spray corrosion coatings for the transport industry is that the size is no limitation. For this reason, several companies use metal spray coatings to apply zinc onto truck and semi-trailer chassis components.
Railway carriages, tube train wheel-sets, freight wagons and shipping containers are all commonly metal sprayed. Even railway tracks are coated to prevent corrosion in harsh locations. Some of the historical photos and case studies will give an idea of the age and pedigree of this process.
But there are some more obscure applications. Did you know that your air conditioning radiator is commonly coated with zinc to prevent corrosion and assist with manufacturing. The same technology is used in the cooling circuits for the latest electric vehicles to keep the batteries cool.
Even manhole covers in roads can be coated with a durable, non-skid coating to help prevent skidding, especially for motorbikes approaching traffic lights or in corners.
If you have a component in a car, train or truck that goes rusty, there’s every chance that a thermal spray coating could help you out. Check out below a small list of the possible case studies and applications and get in touch if you think that we could help.
Case Studies
Application Data Sheets
Multivoid aluminium tubing for AC Condensers
Reason for use: Corrosion protection and brazing during assembly. Corrosion of heat exchangers for automotive air conditioning units can be a major problem. The unit is often located near the front grille of the vehicle and hence is exposed to a severely corrosive environment, with road salts, rain and high temperatures all contributing
Example Applications
Railway coal wagons
Reason for use: Corrosion protection and abrasion resistance, 100 tonne coal-carrying hopper wagons in New South Wales have been metal sprayed to protect against corrosive attack following the abrasiv
Chassis Components
Reason for use: To provide corrosion resistance without heat distortion to irregular and large shaped chassis’. The problem of corrosion on road vehicles is receiving ever-increasing attention and various systems are being devised to protect private cars.
Exhaust pipes – anti-corrosion
Reason for use: To prevent external surface corrosion. Heat resistant surfaces produced by the metal spraying process have many applications; the photograph shows a rather unusual variation of this theme. Two independent exhaust systems, fabricated from steel tube in the Ford GT.40 sports car, have been metal.