FORD FLTM BI 106-01 Coating Adhesion Test

The “FORD FLTM BI 106-01 Coating adhesion test” standard developed by Ford Motor Company (FORD) describes test methods for measuring the relative adhesion of coatings to steel, aluminum, galvanized steel, plastic or other substrates.

For coatings to perform satisfactorily, they must adhere to the substrates to which they are applied. Various international standards and recognized test methods have been developed to determine how well a coating bonds to the substrate. After any testing, it is important to determine whether bond failure is failure at the coating-substrate interface, failure within the coating film or substrate, or visible separation of the glue itself. Many national and international standards require the nature of the crack to be recorded.

Test methods defined in the “FORD FLTM BI 106-01 Coating adhesion test” standard include scratch test, pencil test, parallel scratch test and adhesion test methods for flexible coatings.

Scratch testing consists of moving a diamond pen over the surface of a sample under a normal force that is gradually or continuously increased until a critical normal force is reached at which a well-defined coating failure occurs. This force is then taken as a measure of adhesion.

Pen testing is another commonly used mechanical method of measuring adhesion. In this test, a spherical tipped boot point subjected to a normal load is dragged across the coated surface by a tangential tensile force. The minimum normal load, also known as the critical load at which the coating breaks down into layers, is taken as the nominal adhesion parameter. The critical load is used to rank differences in adhesion for rapid evaluation and quality assurance purposes.

The adhesion of a coating to a substrate is a crucial factor for the successful realization of functional coatings. Defects in the adhesion of the coating can allow moisture and air to form at the interface between the coating and the substrate, promoting corrosion. This can cause delamination of coatings and corrosion of coatings, devices and structures. To prevent this and maintain and improve coating adhesion, it is necessary to develop coatings that can heal defects at the coating-substrate interface.

In short, the coating adhesion test determines whether the overall adhesion of a coating to the substrate or another coating (in multi-coat systems) is sufficient. Performance depends on both the degree of difficulty in removing the coating from the substrate and the extent of the coating removed.

The adhesion strength of a coating is a performance characteristic that can be referenced in specifications. Coating adhesion testing serves as a tool for uniform preparation and testing of coated surfaces and evaluation and reporting of results. This test method is applicable to any portable apparatus that meets the requirements for determining the peel strength of a coating in this standard.

When any parameter of the test is changed, there are likely to be differences in results with the same coating. This includes changes in adhesive, load securing size, substrate coating cure time, shrinkage rate, environmental conditions, if the coating is notched, or the use of a different device. Therefore, when a set of results are compared to each other or used for statistical analysis, the type of apparatus, substrate, testing procedures, type of adhesive should be the same for the pulls considered.

Among the numerous testing, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies carried out for businesses in various sectors, our company, with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment, performs the tests of coatings on steel, aluminum, galvanized steel within the scope of the "FORD FLTM BI 106-01 Coating adhesion test" standard. , also provides testing services to determine relative adhesion to plastic or other substrates.