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Advantage can also be taken of the movement towards the use of powder primer surfacers to reduce solvent emissions in that the powder coating can be applied directly to a suitably pretreated aluminum surface. Pretreatments which are optimized for aluminum and much simpler to control than phosphating were chosen for trials based upon discussions with chemical suppliers. ...Topcoat compatibility of the powder coatings were also evaluated in terms of distinctness of image and stone chip performance. A description of the simplified finishing process is included.

Since many aluminum components are connected to steel structures by mechanical fasteners, protective coatings on fasteners were evaluated as well. Galvanic test couples were prepared in a manner simulating typical automotive assembly conditions while incorporating features which would lead to enhanced corrosion. ...A variety of chemical treatments and coatings on the fasteners as well as barriers between the dissimilar metals were evaluated for corrosion prevention between the aluminum and cold rolled or galvanized steel. ...Results show that a combination of sacrificial coatings on fasteners and barriers between the dissimilar metals can effectively prevent galvanic corrosion.

The inherent corrosion resistance of aluminum is much greater than automotive steels. To demonstrate this principle in a fashion acceptable to the automotive industry, a test program was run which incorporated lab, test track and real life trials on both unpainted and painted aluminum and painted steel. The lab program consisted of neutral salt and cyclic corrosion tests. Having demonstrated that aluminum does not need electrocoating for good corrosion integrity, alternatives to electrocoating which would allow primers to be applied only where necessary for esthetic purposes were sought. Several primers were selected for study based upon current automotive usage. Factors such as the degree of pretreatment prior to primer application and the presence of residual lubricant on the metal were evaluated.

Studies have indicated that enhanced corrosion resistance and appearance after painting can be obtained on automotive steels by texturing the sheet surface. To determine whether these same improvements could be obtained on aluminum, paint performance and appearance were evaluated on heat treatable alloys that had been given shot dulled and laser textured finishes. Corrosion performance was measured by filiform and SCAB tests and paint appearance by distinctness of image (DOI). Profilometry was used to characterize the roughness of the sheet surface at various stages of paint application. Experiments demonstrated that corrosion performance was not significantly affected by surface texture. However, the DOI of painted textured surfaces varied with the extent of reduction of the sheet when rolled and, in particular, with the paint system. Mill finish aluminum was shown to have DOI equivalent to that achieved on cold rolled or electrogalvanized steels.

The need to reduce or contain a weight increase in new automobile designs is leading to the use of more and more aluminum and, in particular, to the adoption of aluminum outer body panels in a number of volume production vehicles. This has been made possible by improvements in the properties of heat treatable aluminum sheet materials and also from a better understanding of the issues related to part design and manufacturing. The alloy AA6111 has become the material of choice due to its unique combination of formability and paint bake strengthening and is used, for example, in the deck lids of the current Ford Crown Victoria, Grand Marquis and Taurus/Sable models. A modified process for this alloy has now been developed which significantly increases its paint bake strengthening and can be used either to obtain even better dent resistance or to reduce the gauge and hence obtain cost and weight savings.