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Keronite International Ltd offers a revolutionary new surface treatment for aluminium, magnesium and other light metals, alloys and inter-metallides, in the form of a new, environmentally friendly electrolytic conversion coating. Unlike an anodising process or ceramic spray surfacing, Keronite is produced by transforming the metal surface using a plasma discharge in a liquid electrolyte to form a layer of hard, dense and adhesive ceramic material.

Thanks to the special properties of Keronite, aluminium or magnesium alloys can now be used in many new motorsport applications.

Click here to download the Motorsport flyer.

FEATURES	BENEFITS
Extreme hardness and wear resistance	Keronite surfaces on aluminium vary in hardness from 800 – 2000 HV, depending upon the alloy used and the thickness applied. In two-body abrasive wear scenarios, Keronite reduces the wear rate of uncoated light alloys by a factor of 20.
Excellent adhesion of topcoats or composites	The porous outer layer of Keronite provides an ideal base for scratch-resistant top coats or impregnation with composites such as metals, adhesives, PTFE, fire retardant coatings or intumescent paints.
Strong molecular bond with surface	The surface of the metal itself is transformed, creating a strong atomic bond between the ceramic layer and the substrate. This gives much greater adhesion than externally applied coatings such as plasma sprayed ceramics
Superior thermal properties	Keronite has been tested on pistons to demonstrate resistance to thermal shock and thermo-cyclic loads. It can withstand short term exposure to temperatures up to 2000°C. Keronite also demonstrates good thermal barrrier characteristics in high temperature environments on piston crowns or cylinder heads.
Outstanding corrosion resistance	Tests carried out in a salt-fog test chamber in accordance with ASTM standard B117 demonstrate that aluminium with a Keronite layer resists corrosion for over 2,000 hours
Minimal impact on fatigue strength	The detrimental impact of the Keronite process on the fatigue strength of aluminium is three times less than that of hard anodising.
Eco-friendly process	Keronite is an eco-friendly process using no chrome or other heavy metals, no acids and generates no hazardous waste.

Keronite in Motorsport

Many motorsport applications require surface hardness in excess of 700 HV. This cannot be achieved on light alloys by traditional hard anodising techniques. Hard chrome and plasma sprayed ceramics are relatively expensive, not always environmentally friendly and do not provide uniform layers on complex parts. Keronite ceramic surfaces provide an alternative solution for the application of hard, wear resistant surfacing on light alloys.

Aluminium alloys
- Hard (up to 2,000 HV) wear resistant layers for valve train, pulleys, pumps, pistons, liners.
- Thermal barrier layers for protection of piston crowns etc.
- Thin protective, decorative layers and sublayers for paints and adhesives.

Magnesium alloys
- The corrosion protective properties of Keronite can be the enabling technology for the use of lightweight magnesium on many motorsport components such as wheels inlet manifolds,plenum chambers, timing chain covers, thermostat housings, sumps and gearbox housings.
- Chrome plating is an environmentally hazardous process and as such is being phased out by EU legislation; parts that have traditionally been chromated can now be treated with Keronite.
- Parts with thick relatively hard Keronite layers enable magnesium to be used for engine pistons, liners, pumps, engine covers and other parts.
- Parts coated with Keronite and impregnated with metals (e.g. nickel) and metal carbides allow the creation of unique materials with the lightness of magnesium and surface properties better than steel.

Case studies
	Component: Piston crowns Benefit of Keronite: Keronite surfaces are resistant to detonation damage (knock), enabling higher specific power and leaner burn. The thermal barrier effect of Keronite ceramic reduces the piston temperature. Keronite surfaces do not peel or crack like conventional sprayed ceramic.

	Component: Piston top ring groove Benefit of Keronite: The hardness (up to 2000 HV) and roughness (Ra < 1 micron) of Keronite surfaces means that there is seven times less system wear than with hard anodised surfaces. This reduction in wear means lower emissions and greater protection against blow-by. Keronite also enables manufacturers to reduce the land height and this leads to a reduction in unburnt HC emissions. As a very thin layer of Keronite is effective, cooling characteristics are improved and there is less surface roughness. Keronite can be used to treat alloys containing a lower percentage of silicon, so machining is cheaper and the pistons themselves are less brittle. Keronite faithfully follows the edge contours of the groove with no thinning, drawing back or “dogbone” effect commonly seen in plating and painting.

	Component: Cylinder liners Benefit of Keronite: The hardness (up to 2000 HV) of Keronite surfaces reduces wear and friction (0.04 microns after polishing). The atomic bond with the substrate means that adhesion is superior to that of plasma sprayed or plated surfaces. The controlled porous structure of the Keronite surface is ideal for oil retention, or provides an excellent key for composite layers of dry lubricants such as PTFE or for chemical nickel to provide additional wear resistance.

	Component: Magnesium wheels Benefit of Keronite: Keronite not only protects lightweight magnesium against corrosion for up to 1000 hours in salt fog, but it also performs well with Zyglo, the dye penetrant widely used by the racing industry to detect potentially dangerous cracks in magnesium wheels.