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Background |
| Watson has endeavored to supply the best quality coatings and manufactured products in the industry. Our ISO compliant laboratory allows us to insure the quality and consistency necessary to achieve these ends. Our equipment is routinely calibrated and maintained per ASTM standards to insure the reliability of our testing. |
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| Testing Capabilities - Coatings |
Bond Strength Tensile Test • Shear Strength Tensile test • Macro hardness (Rockwell) |
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Bond Strength (Tensile Test) |
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ASTM C633.2997-1
Tensile testing provides a quantitative measurement of the bond strength of a coating to a substrate. A tensile test machine is used to determine the maximum load force to rupture the coating, and/or the adhesive. Test specimens are made as 1” diameter coupons that are coated on one side. The test specimen is attached to the tensile test fixture using a high strength epoxy and the tensile load is applied until the point of rupture. |
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Shear Strength (Tensile Test) |
The test specimens are similar to the tensile tests. However, the test fixture is designed to apply a shear force parallel to the coating surface and the shear strength of the coating is
determined at failure. |
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Macro Hardness (Rockwell) |
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ASTM E18
Macro hardness is determined by using a Rockwell hardness tester. The hardness value is determined by the depth of penetration of the indenter. |
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Micro Hardness (Vickers) |
ASTM E384
Micro hardness is determined by using a micro indentation hardness tester. A Vickers diamond indenter creates an indentation in the test specimen and the Vickers hardness value is then determined as a function of the dimensions of the indentation and the gram load force.
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Metallography |
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ASTM E1920, E2109
The test specimen is prepared by orienting and mounting the piece in a supporting medium and polishing to expose the microstructure. The piece can then be examined using a light optical microscope. Coatings are examined for evidence of unmelted particles, metallic inclusion, voids/porosity, spalling, micro-cracking and bond line
embedded contaminants. Metallic coatings can also be examined for oxide content. |
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Taber Abrasion Testing |
ASTM F1978, 18508-1
Abrasion resistance of coatings is determined by using coated panels. The panels are rotated while in contact with a wear surface of known hardness and composition. The panels are weighed after a specific number of cycles and the data compared to previous coatings. |
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| Lab Testing Equipment List |
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1 |
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Labconco, split sash, 8ft fume Hood |
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2 |
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Millipore, Elix Advantage 3, water filtration system |
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3 |
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Mettler Toledo, XP504 balance, 540g capacity, 0.0001g resolution |
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4 |
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Struers, Unitom-50 14in microprocessor controlled Abrasive saw |
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Struers, Abrapol-10 Auto polisher |
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Struers, Citovac Vacuum Infiltration unit |
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Struers, Duramin 2 microhardness tester |
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8 |
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Taber Industries, 5155 Abraser, Dual Rotating platform Abraser |
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Instron/Wilson Instruments Series RB2000R1827 Rockwell Tester |
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Instron 5584 33,750lb Tensile testing machine |
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Olympus Camedia C-8080 digital camera |
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TMC Vibration Isolation Table (36inx60in) |
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Schott-Fostec fiber optic Lights (2) |
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Zeiss KL2500LCD fiber optic lights (2) |
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Zeiss Stemi DV4 Stereo Microscope |
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Zeiss Stemi SV11 Stereo Microscope |
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Zeiss Axiovert 25 inverted Metallograph |
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Zeiss AxioCam MRc5 Digital cameras (2) |
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Zeiss AxioVision Rel. 4.7 Image analysis and digital image capture software |
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20 |
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Trinco Dry Blast Cabinet |
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21 |
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Trinco Dry Blast Reclaimer |
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