| Search our quarter-million Q&As |
Home of the finishing HOTLINE since 1989
-----Coating for A356 T6 aluminum hull for human occupancy at 3000 fsw depth
2007
Sirs
I am the designer of a personal submersible rated to take me to a depth of 3000 feet sea water. the 356 T6 aluminum sand casting weighs
600 lbs. and is 1 1/2 - 5 inches thick. because castings are porous, it needs to be coated. This coating should also provide corrosion resistance to the already resistant aluminum casting. things that have been suggested: teflon coating (would make for a slippery sub),
3 step epoxy type coating, anodizing, impregnating etc. My concern is that any thin surface coating such as teflon or anodizing would only lead to future problems when the thin coating becomes breached in a particular area causing a more rapid localized corrosion problem, not to mention the porosity issue. For this reason I have leaned towards the epoxy finish. Does this type of finish adhere to aluminum well? It is cheaper and easier to apply and repair and I don't think that any finish guarantees against porosity so if the epoxy adheres well and is corrosion resistant it could be the choice. I am an avid scuba diver and I am producing the submersibles so that those who can't dive can still venture the depths. I will be lowering the pressure vessel into a pressure test chamber after coating in one of southwest research institutes chambers in San Antonio. Your input would be invaluable to me. Thank you very much!
Robert Langford
designer - Cincinnati, Ohio
Sorry! Finishing.com is temporarily Read-Only.
Ted Mooney is retiring but I have several offers to take it over.
We're working hard to make sure we find it the best new home.