Cavitation erosion of electrostatic spray polyester coatings with different surface finish

Polyester coatings are among the most commonly used types of powder paints and present a wide range of applications. Apart from its decorative values, polyester coating successfully prevents the substrate from environmental deterioration. This work investigates the cavitation erosion (CE) resistance of three commercial polyester coatings electrostatic spray onto AW-6060 aluminium alloy substrate. Effect of coatings repainting (single- and double-layer deposits) and effect of surface finish (matt, silk gloss and structural) on resistance to cavitation were comparatively studied. The following research methods were used: CE testing using ASTM G32 procedure, 3D profilometry evaluation, light optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical profilometry and FTIR spectroscopy. Electrostatic spray coatings present higher CE resistance than aluminium alloy. The matt finish double-layer (M2) and single-layer silk gloss finish (S1) are the most resistant to CE. The structural paint showed the lowest resistance to cavitation wear which derives from the rougher surface finish. The CE mechanism of polyester coatings relies on the material brittle-ductile behaviour, cracks formation, lateral net-cracking growth and removal of chunk coating material and craters’ growth. Repainting does not harm the properties of the coatings. Therefore, it can be utilised to regenerate or smother the polyester coating finish along with improvement of their CE resistance.