How Acid Dissolves Metals

Directed at Stripping Processes

Prepared by Dave Fairbourn
Aeromet Technologies, Inc
Sandy Utah
Prepared for ITSA Symposium
Woodlands Texas
9 October 2018
 Why Strip?
• Repair In process flaws
• Remove the old coating to replace it with a
new coating of better value
• Recover coating materials for recycle reuse
• Repair a used item for reuse
 Quotations as Background
• Dr. Wim van Ooij – deceased Prof University of
Cincinnati “All corrosion is electrochemical”,
• All stripping I really just a corrosion event
• To be in aqueous solution, all metals must be in a
Werner complex
• Dr. Alan Bard defined the Nernst Layer or the
Helmholtz layer, gave the truest most complete
explanation of the reaction
• Dr. Dennis A Jones “Principles and Prevention of
Corrosion”
 Water and Acids
• Strong acids are HCL, HF, HNO3, H2SO4, H3PO4
• When added to water, the first H+ ion comes
off, forms Hydroniuim, leaving a negative ion
• Anions, negative ions are Cl-, F- NO3- HSO4-,
H2PO4-
 Metals and Valences
• Look at the Periodic Table
• All metals will lose one or more electrons with a
minus charge and result in a positive ion with a
positive valence
• Other atomic species on the right hand side of
the Periodic Table like Chlorine will gain an
electron and become a negative anion or ion
• To support a metal in water, a Werner complex
must be formed which is a electrically neutral
ionic bond of a metal and an onion
 Nernst Layer or Helmholz Layer
• Metal loses electrons equal to valence
• Water molecules are attracted to surface to
eliminate the or neutralize the electrical
charge
• Water molecule H2O are polar either slightly
negative (O- side) or slightly positive (H+ side)
• Layer builds up to completely neutralize the
charge imbalance
• Becomes identical to a capacitor
 Werner Complexes
• Werner was a German who did his work in the 1930’s
• For more information go to Wikipedia
• Anions are called ligands
• Chemists study orientation of the complexes
• Complexes are the metal ion you want to strip in ionic
bond to the ligand or anion which comes from your
bath chemical recipe
• In the past most recipes have been acids dissolved in
water
• Newest recipes are alkaline mixtures
 Surface Conditions Active or Passive
• Active surface completely clean, no oxides
easy to bond to, what the condition of the
surface when we either weld or plasma spray
• Passive surface is usually oxidized but you
could also consider a surface covered with a
chemical like oil as passive. Difficult to react,
not clean
• Passive Surfaces are also protected from
corrosion, and attack, and pitting
 Pitting/Surface Attack
• Analytical definition defines pitting as a chloride
attack
• If an impressed voltage is used, surface will likely
be passive and protected up to 5 volts applied,
then pitting will occur
• All city water contains chloride
• Effluent even after cleaned up, from turkey farms
and chicken houses will always contain chemicals
which will damage items being stripped
 Plasma Coatings
• Use the METCO (Oerlikon) catalog to determine
the coating recipe.
• Find the ligand which forms the strongest Werner
Complex with the metal ion you wish to remove
• Coatings which are more active than the
substrate can almost always be removed
• Coatings which are passive when compared to
the substrate will usually not be easily removed,
resulting in surface attack. Ex: Magnesium Cases
on Helicopter engines - Use non–inorganic
chemistry
 Black Belt KPV
Key Process Variables
• 1. Agitation, the solution must be agitate. There
are no engineering units for agitation.
• 2. Bath Temperature, hotter goes faster. Heat may
also result in surface damage.
• 3. E value is a tabulated value found as the Open
Cell Potential or Standard Elelctrode Potential
• 4. Recipe Which ligand is going to be used to form
the Werner Complex – consumption
• 5. Concentration of the ligand
 Chelating Agents
• Ideal ligands resulting in the optimum stripping rate
• Most universal is EDTA, ethylene diammine tetra-acetic
acid
• Wondering if citrate ion is good chelating agent for
cobalt
• Reverse of acidic stripping, OH- ion is used for removal
of chromium which has been electroplated
• OH is not a chelating agent, it is negative anion
• Vary useful for anything more active on the E-value
table than aluminum
 Stripping System Designs
• Must have compatible material for tanks and pumps
with regards to chemical recipe
• Halogens (F-, Cl-, Br-, I- As-) all will attack Stainless
Steel
• SS304 can be used for most alkaline stripping recipes
• Most pumps have or are available with KYNAR (PVDF)
wetted agents
• Best agitation is to remove the solution from the tank,
heat it filter it and return it to the tank using a pump
• Alternative is Flo-King pumps performing the same
operation but inside the tank
 Some Examples
• Rochelle Salts BAC 5775, the ligand is the L-Tartaric acid
ligand
• Very common in practice
• We replace with sodium citrate and sodium percarbonate
• Sodium hydroxide is used for chromium removal, NaOH is
the most common chemical used in the US (This is my
opinion)
• HCl dilute used with graphite plate works for most MCrAlY’s
• Citric acid and peroxide used for WCCo or WCCoCr on
Titanium substrates
• Local FIC on Cobalt Materials
 Aeromet Technologies
• One or two inquiries per week
• “can you strip this”
• Beaker studies launched into full scale systems
• 50-60 Systems Done Round the World
• PW 1100 G and Rolls Royce Trent Main Engine Disk
• Controlled Partial Strip for Chromalloy Mexicali
• Compressor Blades for LHT Hamburg
• Dave is Retiring if possible
• Hearing Chair for Deaf Persons
• Super accurate ammunition in partnership with John
Grubbs