"Why would someone do a free acid test on phoshate?"
-- I think you mean, a test for free acid in a phosphating solution. Phosphating baths include phosphoric acid which reacts with the metal being treated Thus, phosphate is a neutralization product of this reaaction. The remaining free acid concentration can be determined by a simple titration to pH 4.5 using 1 [N NaOH solution. Total acidity is determined by titrating to pH 9.5.
Alternatively, each phosphating bath has an optimum pH range, and the pH can be measured directly.
"determination of free acid using a sulfuric acid titration"
-- This is confusing. Sulfuric acid can be used as a titrant to determine free NaOH (e.g., in caustic etches). NaOH can be used as a titrant to determine free sulfuric acid (as in sulfuric acid anodizing solution).
Please clarify. And, do you have a chemist or technician to do titrations?