THE INFLUENCE OF WEATHERING ON THE PERFORMANCE OF BASECOAT/CLEARCOAT AUTOMOTIVE PAINT SYSTEMS

摘要

The aim of this study was to investigate the weathering performance of a basecoat/clearcoat automotive paint system by means of the abrasion and the scratch resistance of the clearcoat and the adhesion of the basecoat/clearcoat. As a first step, the photooxidation of clearcoat as a function of exposure time at the surface, in the bulk and at the interface was measured. Then, these results were correlated to the abrasion and the scratch resistance of the clearcoat and the adhesion of the basecoat/clearcoat. The results indicate that the higher the reduction in the scratch and the abrasion resistance caused by weathering the more is the possibility of the onset of cracking in the clearcoat and its propagation towards the basecoat. The higher the adhesion loss between the basecoat/clearcoat through outdoor exposure the more is the possibility of the clearcoat to peel.