How to Protect Exhaust from Rust?
Exhaust components that contains some % iron will make it susceptible for corrosion to occur, especially in the car scene where some parts are even exposed!
Rust, corrosion on an exhaust system can become problematic. It could potentially lead to decrease in performance and efficiency as rust build up can create uneven flow of gases through the exhaust system. If left untreated, the components can undergo drastic failure via stress corrosion cracking.
In traditional internal combustion engines (ICE) vehicles, exhaust components such as the piping, mufflers, etc. are made of ferrous alloys such as cast iron and steel alloys, making it a susceptible material for rusting. Although these days it’s not uncommon to have custom made manifolds and parts in titanium alloys to prevent corrosion. When these exhaust system parts are constantly undergoing thermal cycles, stresses are induced by these extreme changes of temperatures in ICE vehicles. Another element of stress corrosion cracking and intergranular corrosion, is the environment these components are exposed to. Exhaust systems can be exposed to a variety of harsh conditions, salt, elevated temperature, moisture, etc. and are made even more susceptible when they’re not installed in an enclosed space.
Preventing Rust and Corrosion
Since avoiding exposure from these corrosive environment is not feasible, unless you’re planning to keep your car untouched in the garage forever. In order to protect your components from rust and corrosion to avoid any drastic mechanical failure, our only option is to protect the surface these components.
1. Aesthetic Surface Aid
There are off-the-shelves products that claims to be anti-corrosion, however, from reading up reviews, these products seem do a pretty good job at removing rust, but does not further protect the part. There is also the obvious option – paint, many different types of paint including VHT (read more on our recent blog) that are also have been proven not durable against the high temperatures of vehicles.
Chrome plating, out of these surface treatments seem to work well for rust prevention, overtime, the plating metal could still eventually corrode away. Although this would slow the rusting beneath the plating surface significantly, it might not be as durable as you hope.
2. Titanium Alloys
An easy option that takes the thinking out of your head is titanium alloy. Titanium alloys are corrosion resistant, they’re also an excellent choice for light weight reasons too. However, it is the more high-end option in terms of price. Although being the perfect solution for corrosion, it has no extra benefits in terms of performance.
3. Ceramic Coating
Last but not least, ceramic coating at P1C.
Our polymer ceramics undergoes highly monitored surface preparation processes in order for it to be applied properly onto the component surface. With our application process, a stable bond is created between the substrate and coating, protecting it from being exposed to external enviornments.
On top of corrosion resistant properties, our ceramic coatings also provides thermal benefits which can significantly increase car/bike performance as it aids lower exhaust surface temperatures whilst retaining the heat inside the exhaust, maintaining the exhaust gas flow speed.
Although our expertise lies within thermal management, our ceramic coatings offer more than just keeping those temperatures down. Contact us to find out more on the properties of our ceramic coatings and how different ranges may be best applied to different components.
Get in touch to find out more details on our ceramic coatings, as corrosion resistance is only one of their performance benefits.