The Effect of Cataphoresis Coating on Fatigue Behaviour of Control Arms under Corrosion Environment

Abstract

In this paper, the effect of the cataphoresis coating on fatigue life of control arms was evaluated under corrosion environment. The used sheet metals were manufactured by Erdemir as a technical code of S355MC grade steel according to EN 10149-2:2013 quality standard. The sheet metals were shaped at the Teknorot Automotive manufacturing processes. The shaped metals were coated with cataphoresis at the Teknorot Automotive coating facility. In order to determine the corrosion environment of the parts salt spray test was performed according to TS EN ISO 9227:2012 quality standard. Salt spray test was implemented to both cataphoresis coated and uncoated control arm bodies during 30 days. Ascott S450s brand salt spray corrosion test chamber was used for the salt spray test. After the corrosion applications, fatigue life tests were applied to the both control arm bodies, which were cataphoresis coated and uncoated, by fatigue life test machine produced by CAE Solutions for Teknorot Automotive. From test results, it was determined that cataphoresis coating was necessary for a better fatigue life performance on automobile control arms. Damage analysis was also applied to determine the damages which were occured in the coated and uncoated parts.