WORLDWIDE Material Specification

ENGINEERING GMW4700
Finish
STANDARDS

Zinc Alloy Plating

1.3 Typical Application. Zinc alloy plating is

1 Scope especially suitable for small to medium ferrous
parts such as castings, stampings, clips, fasteners
This specification covers the basic requirements
and other ferrous parts where levels of corrosion
for barrel or rack electrodeposited zinc alloy plating
protection exceeding pure zinc are required. A
over a ferrous substrate. Various alloy platings with
suffix code G is to be used when specified on
supplementary treatments are covered by this
fasteners. Use of this finish on fasteners could
specification.
affect the torque-tension relationship. It is
Zn- Ni plating is available in two types: Type A and recommended that a torque-tension study of the
Type B. Zn- Ni Type B plating has higher corrosion fastener joint be performed before use of this finish
resistance performance than Zn- Ni Type A. Zn- Ni on fasteners.
Type B must have supplementary sealers on top of
1.3.1 Zinc Alloy plated parts or their corrosion
the conversion coating. The engineering drawing
products must not come in contact with stressed
with GMW4700 Zn- Ni without any type will default
Polyamides 6 or 66.
to Type A. In case of Type A electrodeposits may
be applied with or without supplementary sealers 1.3.2 Coefficient of friction/torque tension values in
meeting the performance requirements. Table 1 this specification are determined at ambient
lists the zinc alloy finishes covered by this temperatures. New applications for this finish
specification. should be tested to confirm performance under
application specific operating conditions.
This specification covers functional requirements
only. Cosmetic requirements such as brightness, 1.3.3 Finishes conforming to the requirements of
shades, tint, etc. are not defined. Material this specification can be used in the application
approved to this specification may not meet special range of -50ºC to 120ºC. For applications outside
cosmetic/ appearance requirements, and will have of this temperature range consult your local
to be agreed upon by the purchaser and applicator. Material Engineering (Paint & Corrosion
engineering for GME) support.
1.1 Material Description. To distinguish between
alloys, the chemical symbol of the alloying element
must be added as a suffix to the specification 2 References
number to designate the alloy desired. This coating Note: Only the latest approved standards are
has no hexavalent chromate per the requirements applicable unless otherwise specified.
of GMW3059. 2.1 External Standards/Specifications.
1.2 Plating Composition. The percentage of ASTM F1470 SAE/USCAR-5
alloying element(s) present in the electrodeposits
ISO 16047 SAE/USCAR-7
differs for each of the zinc alloys. The
concentration limits for the various alloys are SAE/USCAR-1 SAE/USCAR-11
shown in Table 1. Caution: The availability of Zn- 2.2 GM Standards/Specifications.
Co and Zn-Fe-Co are limited. Consult your local GMW3001 GMW14729
Material Engineering (Paint & Corrosion
GMW3059 GMW14872
engineering for General Motors Europe (GME))
support to determine availability before GMW3286
specification on part prints. 2.3 Additional References.
1.2.1 Accurate control of alloy composition and VDA 621-415 Cyclic Corrosion Test
alloy ratios within the limits given in Table 1 are
essential for optimum corrosion resistance and
plating performance.

© Copyright 2008 General Motors Corporation All Rights Reserved

February 2008 Originating Department: North American Engineering Standards Page 1 of 5

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 GMW4700 GM WORLDWIDE ENGINEERING STANDARDS

Table 1: Alloy Compositions, Concentration is subject to approval by the pertinent engineer and
Ranges and Corrosion Performance all undersize/oversize shall be within permissible
limits as agreed upon.
Alloy Wt. % Minimum Minimum
Element Alloy hours to hours to 3.3.2 Plating thickness shall be no less than 8 μm
Element White Red Rust or as designated otherwise on engineering
Corrosion drawings. Supplementary treatment is not
applicable to thickness measurements. The
Cobalt (Zn- 0.5 to 400 supplier shall monitor the thickness and maintain
Co)Note 1 1.5 the test results on file to be submitted when
Iron (Zn-Fe) 0.4 to 480 required by GM. ISO 1463, microscopic test to
0.8 measure the thickness of plating, shall be used as
a referee test.
Nickel (Zn-Ni) 5.00 to 480 3.3.3 The applicator shall regularly monitor the
Type A 15.00 coating thickness for process control. The coating
Nickel (Zn-Ni) 10.00 to 240 1000 thickness shall be measured on preferably flat
Type B 17.00 surfaces, minimum 10 samples per lot.
Supplementary treatment is not applicable to
Cobalt-Iron Co 0.3 480 thickness measurements.
(Zn-Co- to 0.7,
3.3.4 Throughout the entire electrodeposited layer,
Fe)Note 1 Fe 0.4
the chemical composition shall remain within the
to 0.8
specification limit as defined in Table 1.
Note 1: Limited availability, consult Materials Engineering (Paint Caution: Zinc nickel alloys tend to chip easily
& Corrosion Engineering for GME) before specifying on prints.
when the deposit thickness exceeds 15 μm. This
can become a factor on parts with high large
3 Requirements protrusions where high current density will increase
3.1 Adhesion. The coating shall have good both nickel content and deposit thickness.
adhesion to base material. There shall be no 3.4 Corrosion Resistance. Parts plated to this
blistering or flaking after exposing coated parts to specification when neutral salt spray (NSS) tested
220 ± 5ºC for 30 ± 5 minutes and quench in water (GMW3286) shall show no base metal corrosion
at room temperature. (red rust) after exposure for minimum hours
Electrolytically coated components produced from specified in Table 1 on significant surfaces.
aqueous solutions must satisfy the mechanical The corrosion testing of the threaded fasteners
property requirements of the uncoated parts. must follow the procedures as outlined in
3.2 Appearance. A clean commercial finish that is SAE/USCAR-1.
uniform, tightly adherent, hard and dry is required. Note: The salt spray test is only used to test the
Range of color, iridescence, opaqueness, and integrity of the alloy deposit and the effectiveness
sheen are normally not critical. If a color, such as of the supplemental treatment. The hours to white
black is required, it shall be specified on the part or red corrosion products shall not be construed as
drawing. having any correlation to the actual service life of
3.3 Thickness. When applied to threaded the part.
products, the coating shall not have an adverse 3.4.1 For normal production, processes that are in
effect on normal installation and removal practices. statistical process control shall yield parts that are
At the same time coating thickness shall be capable of meeting the same salt spray
adequate to meet corrosion resistance requirements.
performance requirements.
3.4.2 NSS testing shall be performed on a regular
3.3.1 The maximum thickness of coating which basis to maintain statistical process control. The
may be applied to threads on threaded products is minimum frequency of corrosion tests for white and
limited by the basic thread size (tolerance h or H). red corrosion with NSS test hours up to and
After coating, parts must gage with appropriate including 480 hours shall be at least once per
basic size GO thread gages. Threads may be week. The minimum frequency of corrosion tests
produced undersize/oversize (before coating) to for red corrosion with NSS test hours greater than
accommodate the coating thickness, provided the 480 hours shall be at least once per month. The
finished product (after coating) meets all specified sample size shall be 3 pieces minimum per lot for
mechanical properties. Where mechanical each test requirement. (example: for Type B Zn-
properties are not specified, undersizing/oversizing
© Copyright 2008 General Motors Corporation All Rights Reserved

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Copyright GM Worldwide
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 GM WORLDWIDE ENGINEERING STANDARDS
Ni, 6 pieces total are required for testing to 480
and 1000 h) Use actual part for NSS testing unless
the use of other parts (surrogate or other parts) is
agreed by GM Engineering. The supplier shall
maintain the test results in a file to be submitted
when required by GM, unless otherwise agreed
between the purchaser and supplier.
3.4.3 In the case where the supplier does not
process parts to this specification on a regular
basis, the minimum test frequency shall be once
per production lot.
3.4.4 Actual processing control checks to be made
and recorded shall be based on chemical
manufacturer’s instructions. The applicator shall
have a documented and logged process control
program and be available for review when required
by GM.
3.4.5 Significant surfaces for test evaluation of
fasteners shall be all exposed surfaces of the
fastener when installed, including but not limited to
fastener heads, socket recess, sems washers and
external surface of nuts. Fastener threads and
point are excluded unless otherwise specified on
the drawing.
3.4.6 Significant surfaces on parts other than
threaded fasteners shall be all surfaces. Deep
recesses, such as blind holes and the interior of
tubes are excluded unless otherwise specified on
the drawing.
3.4.7 Temperature Resistance. After heating the
parts for 1 h at 150ºC (part temperature) the
corrosion resistance requirements as specified in
3.4 shall still be met. This test requirement is only
for initial approval of new plating chemical system.
3.5 Accelerated Corrosion. Samples for test
purposes shall be either panels or small brackets
with enough surface area for good visual
examination, except for approvals to Code G. For
Code G M10 fasteners shall be used.
The coatings to this specification shall be exposed
per GMW 14872,
Zn- Co, Zn-Fe, Zn-Ni Type A and Zn-Co-Fe.
- EXT All, 4s, Method SH/SM/SL, Exposure D,
after completion of test the plated parts shall
exhibit 10% max. red rust coverage and 50% max.
white corrosion coverage.
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Zn- Ni Type B.
- UB All, 4s, Method SH/SM, Exposure D, after
completion of test cycles the plated parts shall
exhibit no red rust coverage and 50% max. white
corrosion coverage.
3.5.1 VDA 621-415. Cyclic Corrosion Test could be
used as an alternate test method to GMW14872
© Copyright 2008 General Motors Corporation All Rights Reserved
February 2008
Copyright GM Worldwide
Provided by IHS under license with GMW Sold to:HUTCHINSON ARGENTINA S.A., W0529408
No reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS Not for Resale,2008/6/20 14:55:17 GMT
GMW4700
test by GME. The coating to this specification shall
be exposed to VDA 621-415 Cyclic Corrosion test.
Zn- Co, Zn-Fe, Zn-Ni Type A and Zn-Co-Fe:
10 Cycles
Zn- Ni Type B:
16 Cycles
After test cycles, the screw heads shall exhibit no
red rust.
Note: GMW14872 or VDA 621-415 cyclic
corrosion test is required for the initial approval of a
new plating chemical system and the Production
Part Approval Process (PPAP) submission.
Applicators are required to perform this test
(GMW14872) on processed parts minimum of one
time per year. Parts performance records shall be
retained for minimum 3 years for potential review.
This test shall be run at the frequency deemed
appropriate by the applicator, such that a
confidence in passing the requirements is
developed.
3.6 Hydrogen Embrittlement. All parts heat
treated or highly cold worked to the specified core
hardness of HRC 32 or greater or surface
hardness HRC 35 or greater, which are processed
through hydrogen generating process, shall be
processed by the applicator per SAE/USCAR-5
and tested for de-embrittlement per SAE/USCAR-
7. The test frequency and sample size for
SAE/USCAR-7 test shall be per ASTM F1470.
When a part requires baking after plating, the
supplementary treatment shall be applied after the
baking operation.
3.7 Label Compatibility. Parts that require both
affixed label and a post treatment must be humidity
tested per GMW14729 for 96 hours. The label shall
exhibit no blistering, wrinkling, color change and no
loss of adhesion after humidity test. The label Part
Number 12565635 or label of similar construction
is required for the label compatibility test.
Note: When running this test for the initial approval
of the finish material, use labels with an acrylic
adhesive measuring approximately 25X75 mm.
When running this test for PPAP, use the
production intent label.
3.8 Torque-Tension. Metric threaded fasteners
M6 and larger requiring torque-tension shall be
specified on the part drawing with a suffix Code G.
These fasteners shall be subject to torque-tension
testing monitoring through the use of surrogate
M10 x 1.5 test bolts. A minimum of 10 bolts each
line shall be monitored per SAE/USCAR-11,
except tightening speed shall be 30 ± 3 RPM. The
six sigma torque range value must be within the
listed range (See Table 2). The test shall be
Page 3 of 5
 GMW4700 GM WORLDWIDE ENGINEERING STANDARDS

frequently run to maintain statistical quality control. the following exceptions: Tightening speed shall be
The test results shall be regularly plotted and 30 ± 3 RPM.
maintained in file to be submitted when required by Note: Torque-Tension Test and Coefficient of
GM. Friction Tests are required for the initial approval of
3.9 Coefficient of Friction. The coefficient of the finish material. Supplier/Applicators can run
friction of threaded fasteners shall be (0.13 ± 0.03) either Torque-Tension or Coefficient of Friction
(six sigma values) when tested per ISO 16047 with Test for quality control.

Table 2: Torque-Tension Test Parts and Requirements

Thread Size Surrogate Bolt Test Nut Test Washer Torque (Nm) Tension
Part Number Part Number (kN)
Part Number SAE/USCAR-11
M10 x 1.5 11516105 11516090 11502644 48 ± 8 28.3

4 Manufacturing Process 7 Notes

Cleanability. Parts must be free from die lubricants 7.1 Glossary. Not applicable.
and drawing compounds that will adversely affect 7.2 Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Symbols.
the plating.
COF Coefficient of Friction
Parts which show uncleanable surfaces, not
GME General Motors Europe
affected by normal cleaners, should be noted to
the manufacturer, and special techniques, as NSS Neutral Salt Spray
recommended by the oil supplier, should be PPAP Production Part Approval Process
applied and so noted.
8 Coding System
5 Rules and Regulations This standard shall be referenced in other
5.1 All materials supplied to this specification must documents, drawings, etc. as follows:
comply with the requirements of GMW3001, Rules GMW4700 Zn-Ni, Type A Code G
and Regulations for Material Specifications.
Where:
5.2 All materials supplied to this specification must
comply with the requirements of GMW3059, GMW = GM Worldwide
Restricted and Reportable Substances for 4700 = Specification Number
Parts. Zn-Ni = Alloy Type
Type A = Corrosion Resistance Level
6 Approved Sources Code G = Torque-Tension Control, Threaded
Engineering qualifications of an approved source Fastener Application only
(Chemistry, process and applicator) is required for
this standard. Only sources listed in the GM 9 Release and Revisions
Materials File (i.e., Supply Power) under this
specification number have been qualified by 9.1 Release. This standard originated in April
engineering as meeting the requirements of this 2002, replacing GMW14716 and GME 00252. It
specification. Approvals in Supply Power are was first approved by GMNA in May 2002. It was
specific to the approved Zn alloy (i.e., Zn-Ni Type first published in October 2004.
A, Zn-Ni Type B, Zn-Fe, or Zn-Fe-Co), color (i.e.,
clear or black) and suffix code (i.e., no code or
Code G.)
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For other GM locations the responsible

engineering group should be contacted to obtain
the approved source in the individual country.

© Copyright 2008 General Motors Corporation All Rights Reserved

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Copyright GM Worldwide
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 GM WORLDWIDE ENGINEERING STANDARDS GMW4700

9.2 Revisions.
Rev Approval
Description (Organization)
Date
C MAR 2006 Added caution about ZnCo
availability and passivation
requirement, revised TT
frequency requirement, added
COF/temp requirement to
Scope, Added two types
(Type A and Type B) of Zn-Ni
alloy plating and made other
corresponding changes
(complete revision). (GMW
Finish Team)
D FEB 2008 Added paragraph 3.3.2, which
was approved before (GMW
Finish Team)

© Copyright 2008 General Motors Corporation All Rights Reserved

February 2008 Page 5 of 5

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Copyright GM Worldwide
Provided by IHS under license with GMW Sold to:HUTCHINSON ARGENTINA S.A., W0529408
No reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS Not for Resale,2008/6/20 14:55:17 GMT