Fundamentals and characterization of scratch resistance on automotive clear coats

As car manufacturers strive to deliver improved coating performance with a sustainable footprint, opportunities for innovation are emerging, particularly on improving mechanical properties and appearance. Resistance to scratch and mar damage is one of key performance attributes that has been emphasized by both OEMs and consumers to maintain a vehicle’s appearance and corrosion resistance over its service lifetime. Fundamental methodologies including instrumented scratch measurements at multiple size scales are used in this work as part of a product development strategy to better understand the scratch and mar behavior of automotive topcoats. A comparative study will be presented between Micro and nano scratch techniques versus industry standard methods: Amtec-Kistler car-wash and crockmeter, to identify performance differences under different scratch conditions.