1. General

The first industrial application of phosphating was in the anticorrosion of ferrous mechanical parts: bolts, screws, chains, locks, typewriter parts, springs, car alarms, weapon parts, weaving loom parts, car accessories, railway signalling equipment, bicycle parts, etc. Professor Cournot presented the process on November 18, 1927, in a paper to the Société des ingénieurs civils de France.

Comparisons were made at the time in terms of anticorrosion, with minium protection, nickel plating, tin plating and hot-dip galvanizing.