Stone Impact Damage to Automotive Paint Finishes: Post Impact Damage Analysis

Automotive car bodies are subject to impact damage by stones lofted by front tires or from passing vehicles. Velocities of stone impact can reach values much higher than the moving automobile. Stone impact damage can result in paint loss and a possible corrosion problem due to damage at the metal-polymer interface. This work describes the application of several complementary techniques to evaluate impact damage. These techniques include Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), Thermal Wave Imaging (TWI) and Acoustic Microscopy (AM) The advantages offered by each technique are discussed.