AS K173.4-1971

This part of the standard describes tests for determining the adhesion of coatings. Qualitative adhesion tests are frequently applied to production samples to ensure that the preliminary surface preparation of an electroplated article is satisfactory. Quantitative tests are more difficult to perform and, generally require elaborate apparatus and are often carried out on specially plated test specimens. They are therefore more applicable to the establishment of satisfactory processes than the inspection of production items. The following tests are qualitative and in each case, separation of the coating from the basis metal is the criterion for evaluation.