US EPA

1510007 

Journal Article 

Comparison of Thin Film Sulfuric Acid Anodizing and Chromic Acid Anodizing Processes 

Cohen, SM; Spadafora, SJ 

1995 

NTIS/02981964_3 

GRA and I 

05 

46 

Final rept. Oct 93-Apr 95. c acid anodizing (CAA), a common aluminum pretreatment, forms a thick oxide film which provides protection against environmental degradation. Chromium VI, however, is a carcinogen and its widespread use as a corrosion inhibitor is being restricted. The Navy has targeted chromated maintenance operations for reduction of hazardous waste generation. Alternative anodize processes include: Phosphoric Acid Anodizing, Boeing Aerospace Corp's Boric-Sulfuric Acid Anodize and thin film sulfuric acid anodizing (TFSAA). This report describes an investigation on the performance properties of TFSAA and CAA both sealed and unsealed on various substrates with and without standard Navy coating systems. At specific coating weights, TFSAA could effectively provide equivalent corrosion resistance and paint adhesion as compared to CAA. Replacement of CAA eliminates the need for expensive control equipment required under the Clean Air Act, resulting in $M's in cost avoidance for the Navy. jg p.3. 

Thin films; Sulfuric acid; Chromic acid; Anodizing; Control; Performance; Degradation; Adhesion; Corrosion inhibitors; Substrates; Coating processes; Corrosion resistance; Aluminum; Chromium; Carcinogens; Thick films; Hazardous materials; Phosphoric acids