Non-Destructive Replication Technique for the Examination of Phosphate Crystal Morphology on Vehicle Assembly Lines

Destructive or indirect methods have been available for evaluating phosphate crystal morphology on car bodies pretreated on a vehicle production line. Either the panel in question is removed, thereby destroying the car, or flat panels are hung in the window openings with the assumption that the same morphology exists over similar substrate surfaces on the stamped autobody. The replication technique described in this report has proven to be a viable option for examining the phosphate crystal morphologies present on various automobile substrates. The details of this replication technique along with crystal morphologies associated with different substrates and degrees of forming are included in this report.