Science Project Experiment

Done with superficial treatment of Moly-Fusion

The Effect of a Molybdenum Phosphate Solution on the Friction and Corrosion of Metals

 

Purpose:

1)      Does treating a specific type of metal with a molybdenum phosphate solution decrease the rate at which it corrodes?

2)      Does treating a specific type of metal with a molybdenum phosphate solution decrease the friction it exhibits?

3)      Does exposing the metal surface to high temperatures weaken the molybdenum coating?

Hypothesis:      

If the experiment is carried out according to the procedures described below, the data will show that the molybdenum phosphate solution will clearly demonstrate not only a reduction in corrosion rate, but a reduction in friction as well, and this will not wear off after an exposure to high temperatures.

Procedure:        Part I: Corrosion

1)      Obtain six pieces each of copper, galvanized steel, and steel.

2)      Obtain a Moly Fusion™ kit from www.molyfusion.com.

3)      Using a balance good to the hundredths place, find the mass of four of the

4)      metals. Make sure there is clear distinction between the metals and the masses.

5)      Place, into four containers, 500ml of tap water each.

6)      Add 15.00g of NaCl to two of these containers, insuring that these are labeled properly.

7)      Submerge one of each metal into one of the tap water and salt water containers.

8)      There should be three pieces total in each of these two containers.  Label these containers “control.”

9)      Treat each of the remaining metals according to the instructions provided with the Moly Fusion™ kit (They are to be found at the end of the write-up.).

10)  Repeat step 6, except place the treated metals into the two remaining containers.  Label these containers “treated.”

11)  After approximately one week has passed, remove all of the metals from the solution and obtain the final masses.

Part II: Friction

1)      Obtain a corner piece of steel metal that is approximately 1 meter in length.

2)      Elevate this piece to any desired height, so long as the height is constant for all trials and metals will slide down in a desirable amount of time.

3)      Perform six trials of sliding for one piece of metal (untreated), for each of the three types of metal.  Record the time it takes for the piece to travel all the way down the ramp.  This should amount to 18 trials.

4)      Treat the other piece of metal of each type, using the included instructions.  Repeat step 3 with these treated metals.  Now, there should be 36 trials in all.

5)      Now, treat the actual ramp, using the same instructions.

6)      Slide each of the pieces of the different metals down this treated ramp, again doing six trials each.  After this step, there should be a grand total of 72 trials.

Part III: Affect of Temperature on Coating

1)      Heat all of the pieces used in the friction testing to over 200ºC in an oven.

2)      Allow the pieces to cool down again to room temperature.

3)      Repeat the sliding tests for each metal six times on the treated ramp.

4)      There should be 36 trials in all from this part.

Data:                Table of Masses for the Metals Used in Corrosion Testing

Metal	Number	Initial Mass (g)	Final Mass (g)
Copper	1	11.79	11.81
	2	12.19	12.19
	3	12.08	12.09
	4	11.92	11.91
Galvanized Steel	1	62.77	62.80
	2	62.49	62.60
	3	59.76	59.78
	4	62.66	62.68
Steel	1	77.56	77.59
	2	70.47	70.47
	3	77.24	77.19
	4	80.29	80.24

 

Metals Trials 1 2 3 4 5 6 Average Copper Untreated 1.24 1.32 1.50 1.66 1.29 1.69 1.45 Treated 1.24 0.91 1.23 0.99 1.41 1.00 1.13 Galvanized Untreated 2.33 2.64 1.47 2.57 2.94 2.47 2.40 Treated 1.48 2.15 1.69 1.28 0.96 1.53 1.52 Steel Untreated 2.22 2.09 2.26 1.42 1.69 1.64 1.89 Treated 1.50 1.83 1.24 1.22 0.97 1.37 1.36

                        Time in Seconds for Metal to Slide Down Untreated Ramp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Metals Trials 1 2 3 4 5 6 Average Copper Untreated 1.11 1.14 1.14 1.07 0.77 0.80 1.01 Treated 1.49 1.23 0.95 1.11 0.77 1.11 1.11 Galvanized Untreated 1.10 0.89 0.90 1.03 1.12 0.96 1.00 Treated 1.17 1.19 1.17 1.03 1.10 0.87 1.09 Steel Untreated 0.93 1.40 1.26 1.12 1.02 1.02 1.13 Treated 1.37 0.83 1.19 1.40 0.99 1.44 1.20

                        Time in Seconds for Metal to Slide Down Treated Ramp

 

 

                        Time in Seconds for Heated Metal (up to 230ºC) to Slide Down Treated Ramp

Metals Trials 1 2 3 4 5 6 Average Copper Untreated 1.03 1.31 1.04 0.86 1.10 1.29 1.11 Treated 0.96 0.87 0.85 * * * 0.89 Galvanized Untreated 0.92 1.00 0.90 0.98 1.04 1.08 0.99 Treated 1.08 1.08 0.80 0.88 0.88 0.75 0.91 Steel Untreated 1.07 1.38 0.92 1.18 0.87 0.93 1.06 Treated 1.05 1.10 1.24 1.00 0.98 0.98 1.06

 

 

 

 

                                    * Could not obtain due to excessive sliding resistance.

Observations:   During the corrosion trials, reddish-brown particles being formed off of the steel could clearly be seen floating around in the water.  There were considerably more particles of in the untreated containers than the amount in the treated containers.  One interesting feature of these particles is that they sank to the bottom of the container when in plain tap water, whereas they floated at the top of the container in the salt water solution.

Results:             Average Percent Changes in Mass for Each of the Metals in Corrosion Testing:

·        Copper: 0.0841%

·        Galvanized Steel: 0.0723%

·        Steel: 0.0414%

                        Percentage Difference Between Treated and Untreated Metals on Untreated Ramp

p >·        Copper: 22.1%

·        Galvanized Steel: 36.7%

·        Steel: 28.0%

 

        Percentage Difference Between Treated and Untreated Metals on Treated Ramp

·        Copper: 9.90%

·        Galvanized Steel: 9.00%

·        Steel: 6.19%

                        Percentage Difference Between Treated and Untreated Metals on Treated Ramp When Heated

·        Copper: 19.8%

·        Galvanized Steel: 8.08%

·        Steel: 0.00%

Conclusion:

2)      There was no definitive evidence obtained from this lab stating that the Moly Fusion™ solution reduces the corrosion rate of metals, as the masses did not change to a very appreciable extent.  This was probably due to the limited time period of only one week for corrosion.  Based on the observations of the containers, however, the untreated steel did show a slight propensity to corrode faster than its treated counterpart.

3)      There is clear and convincing evidence from this experiment that the molybdenum phosphate solution reduces friction exerted upon the metals. It was also shown that two treated surfaces against each other actually increased the total friction experienced.

4)      According to the data shown above, there is no reason to believe that exposure to heat will weaken the molybdenum coating of a metal. The treated metals still slid faster than the untreated ones.