Scratch Testing

Scratch testing for commercial coatings is used especially in the automotive industry to monitor resistance to abrasion and record how modern materials such as paints and coatings wear under certain conditions. Typically, conical diamond tips are drawn across the surface to be tested under a constant load, in stages, or under a progressively increasing load. The resulting scratches are analysed through a combination of techniques using microscopes and a profilometer. Scratch hardness values are then calculated and a scratch map can be drawn up that will show the varying effects on the surface being analysed under a range of working conditions. Notable applications include the scratch testing of coatings such as commercial varnishes, polymers and paints in different engineering fields, such as for the automotive industry.