Effect of Thin Polymer Coatings on the Mechanical Properties of Steel Plates

The influence of powder coatings based on an epoxide polyester mixture on the mechanical properties of the plates made of rolled sheet steel is studied. The influence of 100-μm-thick coatings on the mechanical properties of specimens 0.7–1.5 mm thick is considered. The bending and tensile tests performed at room and elevated temperatures show that the thin coatings weakly affect the mechanical properties of the plates. In particular, the stiffness of the coated plates during tension and bending remains almost the same despite the fact that the elastic modulus of the coated plates is always slightly lower than Young’s modulus of steel because of an increased specimen thickness determined with allowance for the presence of a coating. The influence of the coatings is substantial in compressive stability tests. Under supercritical deformation conditions, the bearing capacity of the coated plates decreases substantially, and their critical stability load on the loss of stability falls by 20–30% (depending on the substrate thickness). This effect can be explained by the influence of the residual thermal stresses that appear in the specimens during coating deposition.