You see it every day. Graffiti, whether lettering or images, is everywhere: fences, overpasses, structures, train cars. What’s the big deal? To the law-abiding taxpayer, money is the big deal: $12 billion in clean-up alone1 annually across the United States. That figure doesn’t include loss of revenue; public transportation and businesses suffer when patrons and
Graffiti Resistant Coatings Read More »
Introduction When it comes to qualifying coating systems for use in real world applications, there are many quality programs and specifications that can be considered. The use of coating systems whose performance has been verified according to these specifications help protect steel structures that are exposed to the atmosphere where corrosion and deterioration are certain.
The National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP) is a public-private partnership that prevents duplication of efforts among the 52 state departments of transportation. NTPEP provides product evaluations and facility audits for different products used in the transportation industry ranging from asphalt release agents to geotextiles. The product evaluation portion of the program provides single-source testing
The NTPEP Concrete Coatings and Sealers Evaluation Program Read More »
Introduction – Hot dip galvanizing (HDG) of iron and steel results in a durable layer of corrosion protection that often exceeds the performance of liquid applied coatings. But despite the metallurgical reaction that results in an alloying of the molten zinc with the iron of the underlying substrate, the galvanizing layer can be susceptible to
Problems with Galvanizing Reactive Steel Read More »
Coatings technology for lining of tanks, piping, and vessels has rapidly advanced in recent years. Extremely tightly-crosslinked coatings are relatively impermeable, and specialty resins and pigments are formulated into linings specifically to perform in extreme environments. Why, then, is it critical to further scrutinize these lining systems by subjecting them to conceivably unrealistic temperature gradients
One-sided Cell Exposure Testing: For What Purpose? Read More »
“I would like to issue a 30-year warranty on my product. How long of a test should I run to correlate hours to years?” or, “Our engineering standard requires 2000 hours of exposure. Is that long enough?” and what is the correlation in years?” These are important questions, and are challenging to answer. This article
How Long Should You Run an Accelerated Weathering/Corrosion Test? Read More »
Background The gloss level of a coating is selected primarily for aesthetics. Choices can range from flat to egg shell, satin, semi-gloss and gloss. Industrial protective coatings are not always available in each of these five levels. The gloss of a protective coating changes over time; these changes may be caused by aging of the
Measuring Gloss Retention in the Coatings Industry Read More »
When applying coating materials to complex industrial structures, there are several factors that should be considered, including the selection of a spray application method and proper spray technique that will help achieve continuous coverage at the correct thickness. This article describes several techniques that can be used to optimize film build when applying coating materials
Spray Application – Techniques to Optimize Film Build Read More »
Background Color is used in the coatings industry for safety (e.g., safety yellow), identification (e.g., pipes coated blue indicate gas flowing through them) and for branding (e.g., company color schemes). The color of a protective coating changes over time; these changes may be caused by aging of the coating and/or exposure to solar radiation (ultraviolet
Measuring Color Difference in the Coatings Industry Read More »
When coating parts or structures, there are several application methods to consider, ranging from simple brush and roller to various types of spray application. The application method selected can be based on a variety of factors and conditions. This article focuses on two spray methods: conventional (air) spray and airless spray. Conventional (air) Spray Conventional
When to Use Conventional versus Airless Spray Read More »
