Coating Inspection

Guide to Protective Coatings:
Inspection and Maintenance

Tom N. Bortak
United States Department of the Interior
Bureau of Reclamation
Technical Service Center
September 2002
Acknowledgments
Several Recl amat i on emp l oyees help ed
p r ep ar e t his gu id e, and th eir con tr ibu tion is
gr eatly ap p re ciated . The se p eop le ar e Ku rt F.
von Fay, mat eri al s engi neer , who set up
fund ing and s howe d gre at pa tie nce over the
wr i ting i nt er val ; D. Thom as (Tom) John son,
mater ials engine er, for h is corr osion exp ertise
cont r ibut i on; Gr egor y J. Myer s and Richar d A.
Pep in, mat er ial s engi neer i ng t echn icians, for
their initial review in ferretin g ou t obv ious
er r or s; an d Rober t Ro od , ed itor , for his
nu mer ous I d on' t u nd er stand comment s that
forced me int o w ri t ing a clearer, more concise,
and u nd er st and able d ocu ment.
A d ebt of gr atit ud e is expr ess ed t o NACE
Inter national, Society of Protective Coating s,
and Univer sit y of Missou r i-Rolla, Coa tin g
Inst it ut e for pr ov id ing al l t he cour ses and
references t hat mad e t hi s gui d e p ossibl e.
Preface
In r ecent year s, coat ing t echn ology has
chan ged d ra mat ically. The d riv ing for ce
behi nd t he change h as been r egu lat ions
affecti ng t he en vi ronm ent an d p ersonn el
heal t h and safet y. For examp le, r egu lat ions
r elat ed t o du st par t icles fr om abr asive blasting,
volatile org an ic comp ou nd (VOC) emission s,
and hazar d ous mat er ials su ch as lead,
chr omat e, and ot her heavy met als have
chan ged .
Before t he l at e 1980s, coat ing mat eri als were
mor e t olera nt of less th an op timu m su rfa ce
p r ep ar ation con d itions beca u se p aint
formu l at ion cont ai ned hi gh VOCs t o al low t he
mater ial to wet or p en etr ate st eel su rfaces. The
mos t succe ssful we r e r ed le ad p r ime r s a nd
vinyl r es ins ; however , r egulations have
d iscou r aged th e u se of t hes e m ater ials . Pa int
man u fact u rers reform u l at ed t hei r coat i ngs t o
comp l y wi t h ne w regu l at ion s. Thi s has l ed t o
th e d ev elop men t of a w id e v ar iety of h igh -tech
coatin g mater ials th at a r e m u ch mor e s en sit ive
t o su r face pr ep ar at ion and envi r onment al
ap p licat ion p r act ices. The Fed er al Highw ay
Ad minist r ation has est imated th at u p to 80
p er cent of all p r emat ur e coat ing f ailu r es on
br id ge s tr u ctu r es ar e p ar tia lly or com p let ely
caused by d eficient sur face p r ep ar at ion or
ap p lication p r actices. Sever al or gani zat ions
such as the Am er ican Societ y for Test ing an d
Mat eri al s, NACE Int ern at i onal , and t he
Societ y for Prot ect ive Co at i ngs hav e issued
con sensu s st an d ar d s to minimize su rfa ce
p rep ara tion a nd ap p lication ina d equ acies.
Th is gu id e is not intend ed to be a ll
encomp assing; r at her , it is int end ed t o be an
int r odu ct ion t o specific r efer ence st andar d s
an d test p ro ced u re s r elated to su rfa ce
p r epar at i on, app licat ion, testing, and
maint enance of coat ings. Exp lanat ions and
p r oced u r es of r efer en ce s ta nd ar d s cit ed with in
t hi s gu id e ar e abbr evi at ed t o d evel op a
wor king basi s. The user is encour ag ed t o r ead
r efer ence st andar d s and coating manu als for a
mor e t hor ou gh u nd er st and ing. The g u id e
focu ses on new con st r u ction coa tin gs, exist ing
inf r ast r uct ur e coat ing maint enance, and
gal vani zed coat ings of fer r ou s subst r at es for
met alwor k items coated in th e field . In
gener al , t hi s gu id e follows t he Bu r eau of
Reclam ations (Reclam ation) coa tin g gu id e
sp ecifications.
vii
Contents
Page
Chapte r IIn tro ducti on and Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1. St andar d s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2. Coat i ng References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
3. Ter minology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
4. Cor r osi on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
5. Ser vice Exposur e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter IIMateri al s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
6. Compon ent s of Coat ings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
7. Coat i ng Typ es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
8. Gener ic Coat ings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Chapter IIISpeci f icati ons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
9. Con st ru ct ion Sp ecificat ion Inst i tu t e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
10. Reclamat ion Coat ing Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
11. Coat i ng Tabu l at ions an d Cat egor i es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
12. Man u fact u rer' s Prod u ct Dat a an d Ap p l icat ion She et s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
13. Add e ndum s a nd Modifica tions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Chapter IVInspector's Rol e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
14. Pri mary Resp onsi bi li ti es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
15. Dai l y Respo nsi bi li ti es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
16. Mat er ial Ap p r oval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
17. Docum ent at ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
18. Inst r u men ts, Ga u ges , an d Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
19. Su bst r at e Insp ect ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
20. Coat i ng Insp ecti on Ch eckli st Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
21. Pre coa tin g Con fer en ce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Chapter VMaterial Storage, Contai ners, an d Shel f Li fe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
22. St or age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
23. Cont ainer s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
24. Shelf Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Chapter VISurf ace Preparati on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
25. Su rface Cont a mi nan t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
26. Pre sur fa ce Tr ea tme nt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
27. Abr asi ve Blast Mat er ial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
28. Nozz le Blast Pressu re . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
29. Su r f ace Pr ep ar at ion M et hod s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
30. Phot ogr aphi c Inspection St andar d s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
31. Al t er nat ive Su r f ace Pr ep ar at ion M et hod s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
viii
Page
Chapter VIIEnvi ronment al Condi ti ons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
32. Envir onm ent al Fact or s Af fect ing Coat ings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Chapter VIIIAp pl i cati on and Curi ng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
33. Ap p lication Temp er at ur e an d Hu mid it y Rest r ictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
34. Coat ing Layer s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
35. Mixin g . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
36. Ap p lication Met hod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
37. Ap pl icat ion Techni que . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
38. Dr ying, Recoatin g, an d Cu r ing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Chapter IXFi el d Inspecti on and Testi ng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
39. Su rface Prep arat i on Test s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
40. Wet Film Th ickn ess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
41. Hard ened Pai nt ed Su rfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
42. Dest r uct ive Test Met hod s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Chapter XMai ntenance Coati ngs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
43. Def ini t ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
44. Pu rp ose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
45. Risk Evalu at ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
46. Insp ect ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
47. Toxic-Based Pai nt s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
48. Worker Pr ot ect ion from Toxic-Based Pai nt s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
49. Lead Exposu r e Levels by Remov al Met hod s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
50. Cor r ect ive Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
51. Mat er ial Select ion Fact or s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
52. Sched u ling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Chapter XIGal vani zi ng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
53. Gal vani zing M et hod s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
54. Zinc Cor r os ion an d Ser vice Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
55. Zinc Chemi ca l Re actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
56. Con t am i nan t s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
57. Su r f ace Pr ep ar at ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
58. Coat ings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Chapte r XIICoati ng Fai l ures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
59. Mat er ial Select ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
60. For mu lat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
61. Ad hesi on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
62. Su bst rat e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
63. Ap p lication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
64. Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
65. Exteri or Forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Bi bli ography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
ix
Appendices
A Or gan i zat iona l Sou rces for Stand ard s and References
B Read i ng Sources
C Insp ection Ch ecklist
D Refer en ce St and ar d s Cited in Gu id e
E Inspect ion Equ i pm ent
F Examp l e of Insp ecti on Dai ly Ch eck Sheet
G Pr oced u r e for Det ect ing Mois tu r e a nd Oil in Com p r es sed Air (ASTM D 4285)
H Pr ocedu r e for Det ecting Chl or id es and Solu bl e Sal ts in Abr asives by Con d u ctivi t y Met hod
I Proced u res for Det ect ing Ch l orid e Ion i n W at er
J Pr ocedu r es for Deter mi ning Blast Cleaning Ai r Pr essur e
K Det er minat ion of Envir onm ent al Fact or s
L Proced u res for Det ect ing Ch l orid e Sal t s on Prep ared or Exist ing Su rfaces
M Deter mining Su rface Profile of Blast-Clean ed Steel Using Rep lica Tap e
(NACE RP0287 or ASTM D 4417, Met hod C)
N Pr oced u r es for Mea su r ing Wet Film Th icknes s (ASTM D 4414)
O Wet Film Thi ckness For mu las and Examp le Cal cu lat ions
P Pr oced u r es for Dr y Film Th icknes s Gau ges (SSPC-PA2) an d Exa mp le
Q Pr oced u r es for Discontin u ity (Holid ay) Tes tin g (NACE RP 0188)
R Pr oced u r e for Mech anical (Pu lloff) Ad hes ion Test ing (ASTM D 4541; An nex A2)
S Pr oced u r e for Hyd r au lic Ad hes ion Test ing (ASTM D 4541; An nex A3)
T Pr ocedu r e for Measur ing Dr y Film Thickness by Destr uct ive Means Wi th Tooke Gauge
(ASTM D 4138)
U Pr ocedu r es for SSPC- VIS 2 (2000 Revision)
V Pr ocedu r e to Det er mine t he Pr esence of Solubl e Lead and Insolubl e Lead Ch r omat e in Coat ings
W Pr ocedu r e to Det er mine t he Pr esence of Chr om at e in Coat ings
X Det er mination of Toxic Met als in Har d en ed Paint
Figures
Figure Page
1 Compon ent s of coat ings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Tables
Table Page
1 Nu mber of spot m easu rem ent s based on t ot al coat ed sur face area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
2 Typ i cal and maximu m l ead exposu re l evels in m i crogra ms per cubi c met er
by r em oval met hod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
3 Gal vani zing m et hod s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
4 For mul ation-r elat ed failur es for or ganic coat ings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
5 For mul ation-r elat ed failur es for inor gani c coat ings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
6 Ad hesi on-relat ed fai lu res . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
7 Su bst rat e-relat ed fai lu res . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
8 Ap p l icat ion-rel at ed fail ures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
9 Desi gn-relat ed fai lu res . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
10 Fail ures rel at ed t o ext eri or forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
1
Chapter I
Introduction and Background
Prot ect ive or i nd u st ri al coat ing s are t h e
p r i mar y means emp loyed by t he Bu r eau of
Reclamat ion ( Reclamat ion) t o cont r ol
cor r os ion . Hyd r au lic st r u ctu r es ar e t yp ically
const ruct ed wit h fer r ous met als and ar e
sub ject t o cor r osion. Man y Reclamat ion
str uct ur es ar e 50 year s old , and some ar e
app r oachi ng 100 year s. These st r uctur es ar e
exp ect ed t o cont i nu e fun ct ion i ng i nt o t h e
for eseeable fut u r e. Pr otect ive coat ings
influen ce t he life, sa fety , op er at ing efficien cy,
ap p ear an ce, an d econo my of these stru ctures.
A coa tin g's effect iven es s d ep en d s on select ing
coat ing mat eri al t hat correct l y mat ches t h e
inte nd ed ser vice exp osu r e for th e meta lwor k.
In t he p ast, coat ing mat er ial select ion w as
based on Fed er al, milit ar y, or Reclamat ion
formu lations; how ever, nea rly all these
for mul ations have been w it hd r awn. Tod ay,
select ion i s based on ser vi ce exp osur e t ype and
th e r es u lts of a cceler ated p er for mance t es tin g
of commercially av ailable prod u cts.
1. Standards.For mer ly, Reclamat ion
p r ovi d ed nar r a t ive st and ar d s and d efini t ions
for specifyi ng mat er ial s, sur f ace pr ep ar at ion,
app licat ion, and inspection. However ,
Reclamation now ad op ts ind u strial stand ard s,
wher e ap p licable. The following or gan izat ions
(see app end ix A f or add r esses, t elep hon e
nu mbers, and web si tes) are referenced
t hrou gh ou t t hi s gui d e:
Ame rica n Socie ty for Te sting and
Mater ials (ASTM).
NACE Int ern at i onal (formerl y cal led
Nat ional Associat ion of Cor r osion
En gineer s) (NACE).
Societ y for Pr otect ive Coatings
(formerl y cal led St eel St ru ct ures
Paintin g Cou ncil) (SSPC).
2. Coating References.The coating
insp ector is not exp ected to h ave the exp ertise
of a coa tin g chem ical for mu lat or or a co atin g
engi neer , bu t shou ld be r easonabl y familiar
with th e m ater ials bein g ap p lied . This gu id e is
intend ed to p r ov id ed th e m os t basic
back gro u nd on gen er ic mat er ial ty p es, su rfa ce
p r ep ar at ion, app lication, and insp ect ion
meth od s. The r ead er is encou rag ed to p u rsu e
r elated coatin g r efer ences lis ted in ap p end ix B.
3. Terminology.The word coating is a
gen eri c t erm an d i nclu d es p ai nt . In t h e
most gener al t er ms, a coating is pr ot ect ion
against cor r osion, wh er eas a pai nt may
hav e ad d it ional pr op er t ies su ch as color or
ul t raviolet scr eening p igment s. The ter ms
coat ing an d p ai nt are u sed i nt erchang e-
abl y t hrou gh ou t t hi s gui d e.
Other ter ms often u sed toge ther a re coatings
an d l ini ngs. In g eneral , whe n d escribi ng t he
i nt erior su rfaces of p i pes or t an ks, t he t erm
l ini ngs i s u sed t o i den t ify t he i nt er ior
su rfaces an d coat i ngs i s used t o i den t i fy t h e
ext er ior su r faces.
4. Corrosion.The p r i mar y r eason f or
coating st eel is t o pr even t cor r osion. Cor r osion
of met als is an elect r ochemical r eact ion t hat
can be cont r ol led by i nt er fer ing w it h on e or
mor e of th e fou r r eq u ir ed elemen ts of a
cor r os ion cell: (1) an od e (cor r od ing ar ea );
(2) cat h od e (non corrod i ng ar ea); (3) elect rol yt e
(wat er or moist ur e i n at mosph er e, immer sion,
or soi l ); an d (4) met al li c p at h (bet ween t wo
d iffer ent m eta ls or wit hin th e sa me meta l).
Eli mi nat e an y on e of t he four requ i red
element s and t he cor r osion p r ocess will st op.
The most common t yp es of cor r osion
encoun t er ed on Reclamat ion f er r ous
met alwork ar e:
Guide to Protective Coatings: Inspection and Maintenance
2
(a) Uniform Corrosion.Cor r osion t hat
occu r s mor e or less u nifor mly an d r es u lts in
ru st and met al l oss over t h e met al sur face.
(b) Galvanic Corrosion.Cor r osion t hat
occu rs on t he m ore act i ve met al of t wo
d i ssimi lar met als t hat are el ect ri cal ly coup l ed
togeth er in th e sa me el ect r olyte (e.g., wate r ).
The more act ive met al wi ll corrod e.
(c) Crevice Corrosion.Cr evi ce cor r osion
is a for m of localize d cor r os ion th at occu r s in
cr evices wher e t he en vi r onment d iffer s fr om
the sur r ound ing bulk envir onme nt . The
d iffer ent env ir onm ent s r esul t in cor r osion
because of d iffer ences in concent r at ion
(e.g., oxy gen , pH, an d fer r ic ion s). If th er e is
an oxygen concent r at i on d iffer ence, cor r osion
will pr oceed at crev ices where th ere is less
oxygen tha n in the envir onme nt sur r ound ing
t he crev i ce. Crev i ces are formed whe n t w o
su rfa ces ar e in p ro ximity to on e a not her , su ch
as when t wo met al sur f aces ar e against one
anot h er , when a gasket is against a sur f ace, or
when angle ir ons a r e p laced back to back.
Cre vi ce corro si on can occur u nd er d ep osi t s
(e.g., bar n acles, d ir t , gr ease, and slime) on a
met al su rfa ce.
(d) Pitting corrosion.A form of locali zed
cor r os ion wher e t he d ep th of p en et r ation is
gr eat er t han t he d iamet er of t he affect ed ar ea.
(e) Cavitation corrosion.The metal loss
caused by t he f or mat ion an d collap se of vap or
bu bb les in a liqu id near a metal su rface. The
app ear ance of cavit ation is similar t o pi t ting,
except t hat pi t ted ar eas ar e closely spaced and
t he su rface is consi d erabl y rou gh ened .
(f) Erosion-corrosion.The accel erat ed
metal loss from an initial corrosion mecha nism
associat ed w it h hi gh- velocit y flows and
abrasi on. Erosi on-corrosi on i s cha ract erized
by groov es, gu l li es, waves, and rou nd ed
r id ges or valleys and exhibit s a d ir ect ional
flow pat t er n.
(g) Dealloying or Selective Leaching.The
select ive r emoval of one of t he element s of an
al loy by ei t her p referent i al at t ack or comp l et e
d issolut i on of t he mat r ix, followed by
red ep osit of the cath od ic constitu en t. The
el ement remove d i s al ways an od i c t o t he
matrix. With d ealloying, there is no metal loss,
d imension chan ges, cracks, or gr oov es;
how ever, t he affected area may be ev i den t
because of a col or cha ng e. The affected area
becomes light er , p or ous, and loses it s or iginal
mech anical p r op er ties (i.e., it becomes br itt le
and loses t ensile st r engt h ). Two comm on
forms of d eal loyi ng ar e:
Dezincification.The select ive d issolu t ion
of zinc from brass al loys. It is recogni zed by a
color change ( e.g., fr om it s or igi nal yellow
br ass color t o a di st inctly r ed, copp er y
ap p ea r ance).
Degraphitization.The select ive
d issolu tion of iron from some cast irons,
u su al ly gra y cast iron s. It norm al ly p roceeds
un ifor mly inw ar d f r om t he sur face, leaving a
p or ou s mat r ix alloy t hat i s comp osed m ost ly of
car bon. Degr aphi t izat ion can be r ecognized by
a change f r om an or i ginal silver - gr ay color t o a
d ar k gra y. The a ffected met al ca n be eas ily cu t
or p i erced wi th a k ni fe.
5. Service Exposure.Coat i ngs are sp ecified
by ser vi ce exposu re or t h e env i ronm ent t he
coat ing w ill be subject to. The following ar e
t he basic ser vice exposu r es d efined by
Reclamat ion:
Atmos p her ic
N Ind oor s
N Ou t door s
Bu r ial
Immer sion
Com p let e, p ar tia l, or flu ctu atin g
immersion cond ition s
At mosp he ri c exp osu re su bject t o
cond ensation, high hu midity, sp lash,
or spr ay
The following su bexposu r e cond it ions
may ap p l y t o any of t he abov e:
Introduction and Background
3
N Di r ect su nl ight or UV: sever al
coatin gs, su ch as ep oxies, will
d et eriorat e by cha l king when
exp osed t o su nl i ght .
N Ch emi cal resist ance: exposu res
ma y includ e acidic or a lkaline
concent r at ions, ind ust r ial smog,
acid r ain, sew age, or sp ecific
chem icals.
5
Chapter II
Materials
Coat i ng for mu lat ion i s gener ally based on
organ i c, i norgan i c, p ol ymer, and co-p ol ymer
chem ist r y. It is n ot th e in tention of t his
chap t er t o d i scu ss coat i ng chemi stry b u t ,
r ath er , to p r ov id e a basic know led ge of coa tin g
comp onen t s and gen eri c coat ing t yp es
specified by Reclamat ion.
6. Components of Coatings.All or ganic
coatin gs consist of t hr ee basic comp onents:
(1) solven t, (2) r es in, an d (3) pigmen t. Not all
coat ing s cont ai n sol ven t and p i gment ed
comp on en ts. Ther e a r e s olv en t-fr ee (100
p ercent sol i ds) coat ing s and clear, pi gment -
free coating s, bu t not resin -free coat ings.
Coa tin g chem ical for mu lat or s common ly
grou p sol vent , resi n, and p i gment comp on ent s
int o t wo gener al cat egor ies. The fir st cat egor y
combines t he solvent a nd th e r esin togeth er .
Th e s olv en t p or tion is called th e vola tile
veh i cl e, an d t he r esi n p ort i on i s call ed t h e
n on vol at i le veh i cl e. The combi nat i on of t he
solven t a nd th e r es in, wher e t he r es in is
d issolved in t he solvent , is called t he vehi cle.
The second cat egory i s t he p i gment . Pi gment s
are ad d i t ives t h at i mp art sp ecific pr op ert i es t o
t he coat i ng an d are su bd i vi ded i nt o t wo
gener al cat egor ies: (1) color and (2) iner t and
r ein for ced . Figu r e 1 illu st r ates t he r ela tionsh ip
of these com p on ents.
When a coat ing i s ap p l ied , t he sol vent
ev ap or ates d u r ing th e cu r ing p r oces s, lea ving
onl y t he r esin an d t he p igment comp onen t s on
t he subst r ate. The r emai ning r esin an d
p igmen ts ar e s om et imes calle d th e coatin g
solid s, and t hey f or m t he p r ot ect ive f ilm for
corr osion pr ote ction.
(a) Solvent.Or gan i c solven t s are formu l at ed
int o coat ings t o per f or m t hr ee essent ial
fun ct ion s: (1) di ssol ve t he r esi n comp on ent ;
(2) cont r ol evapor at i on for film for mat ion; and
(3) r ed u ce t he coating v iscosit y for ease of
ap p licat ion . Solven ts will also a ffect d r y film
ad hes ion an d d u r ability coa tin g p r op er ties. In
gener al, r esins t hat ar e less solubl e wi ll r equi re
ei t her more sol ven t s or st ron ger sol ven t s t o
d issolve the resins.
The ter ms solvent s and t hinner s ar e
oft en used i nt er changeably, but t her e ar e
d ist inct ions w it hin and betw een th e tw o te r ms.
The t erm sol vent can i mp l y t wo d i fferent
u sa ges : (1) th e s olv en t or solven t blen d s in
t he coat ing formu l at ion a t p red et ermi ned
Solvent
(Vol at il e)
Resin
(No nv ol at il e)
Col or
Pi gment s
Ine rt a nd
Reinforced
Vehicle Pigme nt
Coa ting
Figure 1.Components of coatings.
6
concen tr ation lev els; or (2) cleaning solven ts in
st r on g con cen tr ation st r en gth for clea ning
br u sh es, r oller s, h ose s, a nd oth er eq u ip ment.
The u sage of the ter m th inn er (a thinner is a
sol vent ) is most oft en associat ed wi t h t he
coating ap p licator ad d ing a t h inn er t o a
coatin g con ta iner (nor mally ab ou t 1 p int
t hi nne r t o 1 gal lon of coat i ng) t o red u ce t he
viscosit y for ea se of a p p licat ion . Ad d ing
t hi nn er t o a coat ing i n t he fiel d i s oft en call ed
field th inning.
Th e m anu fact u r er s p r od u ct d ata sh eet w ill
specify a t hinner and a maximum amoun t tobe
u sed for each coat ing t yp e. Use of a t hi nner
not r ecommend ed by t he manu fact ur er can
cause nu mer ou s app lication p r obl ems or
p r emat ur e fai lu r es such as separ at i on of
comp onen t s, coagul at ion, t oo fast or t oo slow
d r yi ng, changes i n flow char acter ist ics, or
liftin g of p r ev iou s coats. The follow ing
common t h i nners ar e u sed wi th t h e associ at ed
gen eric coating typ es:
Thinner s Coat ings
Mi neral sp i rit s Oils an d alkyd s
Ar omat i cs (ben zene,
xyl ol, t olu ol e)
Coal tar ep oxies,
al kyd s, chl orina t ed
r ubber s
Keton es (MEK,
MIBK)
Vinyls, epoxies,
u ret han es
Alcoh ols (isop r op yl) Phen olics , inor ganic
zin cs
Wat er Acr yl ics, some
inor gan ic zin cs
Solvent s pr od u ce vapor s t hat ar e heavier t han
ai r and wi ll col lect i n t ank b ot t oms or confined
ar ea s. Th e k et on es have t he lowes t flash p oin t
of the or gan i c solven t s; how ever, any sol ven t
in t he r i ght combinat ion w it h air can cr eate an
expl osive combi nat ion.
Fed er al, Stat e, cou nty, city, an d loca l air
qu al it y cont r ol di st r icts r egul at e t he amou nt of
volati le or ganic solvents (VOC) in coati ngs. As
t he coat ing cures, VOCs evap orat e i nt o t he
atmos p her e a nd r ea ct w ith su nlight a nd air
p ollu t ant s to for m ozone, a know n h u man
hea lth hazar d . In r es p on se, coa tin g
manu fact u r er s h ave r efor mu lat ed th eir
p rod u ct s wi th l ower sol vent cont ent t o meet
curre nt VOC r egu lations.
Reclamat ion specificat ions r equi r e the coat ings
t o meet the VOC r egu lat ions i n-t he- can or
as-manu fact u r ed befor e field th inning. Field
t hi nni ng of a coat ing t ha t wi ll exceed t he
r egu late d VOC maxim u m is n ot p er mit te d .
Reclamat i on sp ecifies coat ing s based on t he
cu rr en t En vironmen tal Pr ot ect ion Agen cy
(EPA) VOC limits.
(b) Resin.The resi n (frequ ent l y call ed
bind er ) is th e film for ming com p on en t of a
coat ing. Resins ar e t ypi cally a hi gh molecu lar
weight solid pol ymer t hat for ms lar ge
rep eatin g molecu les in th e cu red film. The
p ri mary p u rp ose of t he resi n i s t o wet t he
p i gment p art i cl es and bi nd t he p i gment
p art i cl es t oget her a nd t o t he su bst rat e (hen ce,
t he t er m bi nd er ). The r esin i mp ar t s most of
t he coating p r op er t ies. The var i ous t yp es of
r esins for mu lat ed i n a coat ing w ill d ispl ay
d i st inct p rop ert i es. These p rop ert i es are:
Me cha nism a nd t ime of cur ing
Per for mance in ser vice exposu r e type
Per for mance on subst r at e t ype
Compat ibilit y wi t h other coat ings
Flexibility an d tou gh ness
Ext er ior wea th er ing
Ad hesi on
No singl e r esin can achi eve a high d egr ee of
su cces s in meetin g th e a bov e coatin g
p rop ert i es wi th w i de v ari at ions associat ed
with ea ch p r op er ty. Ther efor e, gen er ic coa tin g
t ypes are gener ally classified by t he p r imar y
r esin ty p e u se d in th e coati ng for mu lati on.
Typ ical resin s ar e acry lics, alkyd s, and ep oxy
p olymers.
(c) Pigment.Pigment s ar e insolubl e and ar e
t he heavi er solid p or t ion of a coat ing t hat
ty p ically sett les t o th e bott om of th e conta iner .
Pigmen ts ar e a d d itiv es to th e coatin g
for mu lat ion t h at imp ar t specific pr op er t ies t o
Materials
7
achieve t he d esired film p rop ert ies. The
following p r oper t ies ar e accor ded by
p i gment s, and a bri ef d escri pt i on i s prov i ded
for e ach.
Color.Natu r al ear th p igmen ts (kaolin
clay, magn esiu m sil icat e, calciu m carbona t e)
p rov ide color stability from u ltraviolet (UV)
su nl i ght d et eri orat i on. Nat u ral eart h p i gment s
ar e m or e UV sta ble t han synth et ic or ganic
p igments.
Opacity.Tit an i um oxi de h i des t h e
subst r at e or pr evi ous coat ing color and
pr ot ect s t he bind er fr om UV sunl ight
de te riora tion.
Wet paint.Silica and t alc cont r ol
viscosit y, wet film lev elin g, an d sett ling bu t
pr ovi de lit tle hid ing ( opacit y) pow er .
Weather and moisture resistance.
Alu minu m lea fs and micaceou s ir on oxid e
(MIO) incre as e bar rier t hickn ess and for ce
moistur e t o det our ar oun d t hese pl at e-like
ad d itive s.
Corrosion resistance.Pi gment s ad d ed t o
inh ibi tive ( pr i mer ) coatings i mp ed e cor r osion
of fer r ou s subst r at es. Past for mu lat ions
inclu d ed ch r omate and lead p igments , bu t
t hey ar e seld om u sed t od ay because of
en vir on men tal an d health concern s. The
following chr omat e and lead p igment s ar e
rar ely u sed in cu rre nt coating formu lations:
Red lead
Whi te lead
Basi c l ead sil ico-chrom at e
St ron t i um chrom at e
Zi nc chrom at e
Th e follow ing ar e a ccep table a lter nativ e
inh ibitive p igments:
Bari u m met abor at e
Cal ciu m p ho sp ho si li cat e
Zinc oxid e
Zi nc p ho sp ha t e
Zi nc mol ybd at e
Zi nc p ho sp ho si li cat e
Mildew resistance.Milde wc ide s pr event
mild ew gr owt h on t he dr y f ilm coat ing.
Skid or slip resistance.Alu min u m oxid e
or mi ner al a ggre ga te is a dde d in the
formu l at ion or ap p l ied t o t he w et fil m t o
achiev e n on slip su r face s. Alu minu m oxid e is
t he b et t er choi ce because mi neral agg rega t e
ma y be cr ushe d unde r we ight, pr oviding
moistur e a cce ss to the substr ate , a nd
p r omot ing f ur t her coating d egr ad at ion and
corr osion.
7. Coating Types.The foll owi ng are t h ree
ba sic typ es of coatings:
(a) Barrier.A coating that forms a
bar ri er bet w een t he m et al sur face an d t he
elect r olyte and el ect r ically isolate s t he meta l.
Examp les are ep oxies and coal tar ep oxies.
(b) Inhibitive.Pigme nt in a coating
p r imer t hat is slight l y solu ble in w at er that
for ms a chem ical in hibitor an d effectiv ely
int er fer es wit h t he elect r olyt e. Examp les ar e
red l ead and chromat e p ri mers (no l ong er
accep ta ble).
(c) Galvanic.Zinc-r ich p r imer coat ings
t ha t p rov i de g al van i c or cat ho d i c p rot ect i on t o
fer ro u s met al (zinc sacrifices itself to p ro tect
t he fer r ous met al). Galvani c coat ings ar e
effectiv e only if ap p lied d ir ect ly to bar e m et al.
8. Generic Coatings.Th e follow ing gen er ic
coatin gs and gen er al d es cr ip tions ar e t yp ically
specified by Reclamat ion:
(a) Acrylics.In water -bor ne a cr ylic
coat ing s, t he r esi n i s d i spersed i n wat er t o
for m a w at er emu lsion . Wat er -born e a cry lics
are sp ecified for atmosp heric expo su res as a
p r imer or t op coat and have excellent color and
gl oss ret ent i on. Acryl ics cure by coalescence.
(b) Alkyds.Al kyd s ar e nor mally nat u r al
oi ls (soya, tu ng , st yrenat e) t hat h ave been
chemi cal ly mod i fi ed t o i mp rove cu re rat e,
chemical r esista nce, an d har d ness. Ph en olic-
mod ified alkyd s ar e specified as a pr i mer , and
silicone alkyd s ar e specified as t he t opcoat for
at mosph er ic ser vi ce exposu r es. They ar e not
8
sui table for alkaline (concret e or masonr y)
su r face s or en vir on men ts. Alkyd s cu r e b y air
oxid ation of d rying oils.
(c) Bituminous.Bit uminou s coat ings ar e
hea vy-bod ied mat er ials a p p lied with a cu tback
solven t . They h ave go od moi st u re barr i er
re sist an ce and fair to good chemical r esista nce
bu t ar e not r esist ant t o solvent s. Commer cial
bi t umi nou s pr od u ct s are sp ecified on a l imi ted
basis by Reclamat ion f or pr ot ect ion of
al um i nu m su rfaces i n cont act wi t h
cem en tit iou s mater ial or st eel an d cop p er cab le
weld connections. Bit uminou s coat ings cur e
by solvent e va pora tion.
(d) Epoxy, Amine.Amine epoxies ar e
t wo-comp onen t coat i ngs t hat are cat al yzed
(hard ened ) by an ami ne cur i ng ag ent t o
p r od u ce a har d , t ight l y bond ed , chemical
r esis ta nt (a lkali, acid , and solvent) p r od u ct , bu t
t hey are mois tur e and t emper atur e sensit ive
d u r i ng ap p lication. They ar e sp ecified for
bur i al and immer sion service exposu r es, but
th ey will fad e and ch alk in d ir ect su nlight.
Am ine ep oxies cu r e by chemical r eaction.
(e) Epoxy, Polyamide.Pol yami de ep oxies
are t wo comp onen t coat i ngs t hat are cat al yzed
by a p olyam id e cu rin g ag en t to p ro d u ce
su p erior r esistance to w ater an d salt solution s,
bu t t hey do n ot pr ovi de t he chemical
resist ance of t he ami ne ep oxy. Pol yami des
have a gr ea ter flexib ility th an th e a mine
epoxies. They ar e sp ecified for bu r ial and
immer sion ser vice exp os u r es , bu t t hey will
fad e a nd chalk in d ir ect su nlight. Poly amid e
ep oxies cu r e by chemical r eaction.
(f) Epoxy, Coal Tar.Coal t ar epoxies ar e
genera lly a n amine or p olya mide ep oxy
mod i fi ed w i th coal t ar pi t ch r esin t o p rod u ce a
hi gh-bu ild film t hat has good chemical
resist ance and excel lent w at er resi st ance. They
have a t end ency to become br it t le wit h age and
d ela minate bet ween coa ts or ben ea th r ep air
p at ches. They ar e sp ecified for bu r ial and
fad e and chal k in d ir ect su nl ight . Coal t ar
ep oxies cu r e by chemical r eaction.
(g) Epoxy, Fusion-Bonded.Fusion-
bon d ed ep oxies (commonl y call ed p owd er
coat ing s) are comp l ete coat ing s in p owd er
form. The re a re tw o ap p lication meth od s,
flu i di zed -bed an d el ect rost at i c. In t he
flui di zed -bed m et hod, t he met al it ems ar e
pr ehe ate d to a fus ion te mpe r atur e a nd
immer sed in th e p ow d er -ep oxy solu tion. In
t he el ect rost at ic met h od , t he ep oxy p owd er
p ar t icles ar e char ged wit h hi gh vol tage, and
t he met al it em i s t hen spr ayed. Aft er spr aying,
t he i tem is pl aced in an oven t o cur e at abou t
350 t o 650 d egr ees Fahr en hei t (F). Fusion-
bond ed epoxies ar e specified for bu r ial and
fad e and chalk in d ir ect sun light and ar e
bri t t le. A n ew mat eri al i s fu sion-bon d ed
nyl on. Thi s mat er i al is sup er ior t o t he fu sion-
bon d ed ep oxy an d wi ll be incorp orat ed i nt o
Reclam ation's sp ecifica tion. Powd er coa tin gs
cu r e b y fu sion (hea t).
(h) Inorganic Zinc Primers.Inor ganic
zincs ar e pr imer s t hat incorpor at e a high
load ing ( p ou nd s per gal lon) of met allic zinc for
p igment at ion ( hence, t he t er m zinc-r ich) and
ar e eith er solven t or water based . Dep en d ing
on th e s olv en t a nd r es ins u sed , th e coatin g
may be a zinc-rich ep oxy or u reth an e. These
coat ing s are excl usi vely p ri mers because t h ey
p rovi d e gal van i c or cat hod i c p rot ect ion t o st eel
sub st r at e. Inor g ani c zincs ar e sp ecified for
atmosp heric and immersion serv ice exp osu res,
bu t t hey can be t op coated to extend th eir
ser vice life. Su it able t opcoat mat er ial select ion
i s requ i red t o p revent ou t -gassing from t he
inor ganic zin c th at p r od u ces small p inhole s in
th e t op coat. Reclam ation sp ecifies in or ganic
zi nc coat i ngs onl y t o frayi ng su rfaces or heat ed
treated metalw or k (ASTM A 325 or ASTM
A 490). Ap p licat ion r equ ir es sp ecial skills and
kn owl edge. Inor gan i c zi ncs cure by eit her
r eaction t o wat er (solven t r edu cibl e) or
r ea ction to car bon d ioxid e (w ater r ed u cible).
(i) Organic Zinc Primers.Org an ic zin cs
ar e p r imer s t hat in cor p or ate a h igh loa d ing
(p ou nd s per gal lon) of met allic zinc for
p i gment at i on w i t h a wi de v ari et y of solven t s
a nd r esins. Depe nding on the solvent a nd
Materials
9
re sin s u sed , the coat ing may be a zin c-rich
al kyd , d ryi ng oi l , ep oxy, or moi st u re-cu red
u r et hane. Th es e coatin gs ar e exclu siv ely
p r imer s beca u se th ey p r ov id e g alvanic
p rot ect i on t o st eel subst r at e or t h ey ar e u sed t o
rep ai r da maged gal van i zed coat i ngs on st eel
sub st r at es. Or g ani c zincs ar e sp ecified for
at mos p her ic, bu ria l, an d immer sion serv ice
exp osu res bu t are n ormal ly t op coat ed t o
extend th e s er vice life of t he coatin g. Suita ble
t op coat mat eri al select ion i s requ i red t o
p r event ou t-gass ing fr om th e or ganic zinc.
Ou t -gassing p rod u ces smal l p i nhol es in t h e
t op coat . The way org ani c zi ncs cure d ep end s
on t h e coat ing t yp e.
(j) Polyurethane.Techni cally,
p olyu r et han e is a subclass of u r et han e. A t wo-
compon ent polyur et hane is cr eated by
chemically combini ng a p olyisoyanat e and a
p olyol to p r od u ce an i socyan at e t hat has a t wo-
mode cur e me cha nism of solvent e va pora tion
and chemi cal react ion. Recl amat i on speci fi es
p olyu r eth anes for top coati ng comp ati ble (i.e.,
sa me m anu fact u r er ) am ine a nd p oly amid e
epoxies t o pr ot ect against di r ect sun light
or UV a nd to p r ovid e sp ecific color s.
Poly u r et hanes ar e s p ecified for at mos p her ic
an d p ar tial or fluctu at ing immer sion serv ice
exp osu res.
(k) Urethane.Ur et hane coat ings var y
wid ely in for mu lat ion s for sp ecific ser vice
envir onments and ap p lica ti on r equ ir ements .
Reclamat i on sp ecifies sing l e-comp on ent ,
moist ur e- cu r ed u r et han es. They cur e f r om
moi st u re i n t he at mosp her e and can be ap p l ied
t o d amp sur faces t hat d o no t hav e free
moistur e p r esent . These ur et hanes ar e
for mu lat ed w it h var i ous pi gment at ions and
ar e s p ecified in sever al com binations t o s u it
the inten d ed serv ice exp osu re. These
u r et hanes ar e s p ecified for at mos p her ic, bu r ial,
an d immersion exp osu res.
11
Chapter III
Specifications
Recl amat i on const ru ct ion jobs are ad vert i sed
t o cont r act or s t o per for m t he r equi r ed wor k,
and con tr actor select ion is mad e b y a b id
p r ocess. The most common bi d t yp es ar e low
p r ice, negoti ate d , fixe d cost , and sole sou r ce.
Once Reclamati on accep ts a contr act or s b id , a
cont ra ct exi sts bet ween Recl amat i on an d t he
cont ract or. The cont ract is oft en call ed a
sp ecificat ion. The specificat ion can be d efi ned
as a wr i tt en, d et ailed , t echn ical d escr i pt ion of
work to be per forme d, de scr ibing the
mate r ials, q u anti ti es, a nd mod e of
constr uction.
Sp ecifications ar e d ivi ded int o many d ivi sions
t o descr ibe t he var ious job r equi r emen t s and
ma y includ e ge ner al job de scr ipt ion,
su bmittals, p re-existing con d ition s,
envi r onment al r equi r emen t s, and t echn ical
ar chitectu r al, civil, elect r ical, mech anical,
coati ng, and cath od ic p r ote ct ion d iscip lin es.
Each d ivi sion i s somet imes called a t echn ical
pa r agra ph or se ction.
9. Construction Specification Institute.
Reclam ation has ch anged fro m a n ar r ativ e
p ar agr ap h f or mat t o the Con st r uct ion
Sp ecification I nst it ut e ( CSI) for mat for
sp ecifications. CSI format style is more concise
an d u ses imp er at ive langu ag e. Refere nce
st and ar d s ar e specified t o descr ibe qu al it y of
mat er ials, wor k mod e, t est met hod s, and
accep t ance crit eri a tha t are a recogni zed
ind u st r y pr act ice, t hu s r edu cing t h e need for
len gth y ver biag e. Th e mos t common re fer en ce
stand ar ds u sed in t he coat ings ind ust r y ar e
ASTM, NACE, and SSPC.
CSI specifications ar e d ivi ded int o 16 d ivi sions
for al l t he bu ild ing t r ad es, and each d ivi sion
may be fu r th er d ivid ed into sp ecialit y sect ions.
Fini shes ar e Divi sion 9, and p aint and
p ro tective coat ings are Section 09900. Each
section is su bd ivid ed into th e follow ing basic
p arts:
Part 1: General .Incl ud es cost ,
r efer ences, su bmit ta ls, q u alit y ass u r ance,
d elive ry, stora ge, ha nd ling, and restr ictions.
Part 2: Prod uct .Incl ud es requ i rement s
for mat eri als t o be u sed
Part 3: Execut i on.I nclu d es mod e of
const r uct ion, test met hod s, accept ance cr it er ia,
and r epai r
10. Reclamation Coating Specifications.
The Techn i cal Servi ce Cen t er (TSC) in Denv er
mainta ins CSI gu id elin e coati ng sp ecificati ons.
The gu i del i ne coat i ng sp ecificat ion s are t h e
basis for specific p r oject r equi r ement s and ar e
base d on hist or ical Reclamati on st r u ct u r es.
Th e g u id elin e s p ecifica tions conta in
i nst ru ct ional not es an d foot not es t o ai d t he
sp ecificat ion wri t er i n p rep ari ng t he
sp ecificat ion s to meet sp ecific p ro ject
r eq u ir em en ts. The g u id elin e coatin g
sp ecifications ar e available on Reclamations
intr anet w ebsit e: <h tt p :/ / intr a.u sb r .gov>.
Reclamat i on u ses t he fol lowi ng sp ecial it y
sect ions for coat ing s and haz ard ou s based -
p aints:
Sect io n 09902.Coa tin gs for new met allic
su bst r ates t hat in clu d e: st eel, cast or d u ctile
ir on; galvan ized , alu minu m; br ass; br on ze; or
copp er
Sect io n 09908.Mai nt enance coat ings f or
p r eviousl y coat ed met allic subst r at es that
i nclu d e: st eel, cast or d u ct il e i ron; gal van i zed,
al umi nu m; brass; bron ze; or copp er
Sect io n 09980.Coat ings for concr ete and
masonr y su bst rat es
Sect io n 13283.Ha ndling and d isposing
of p aint conta ining heavy meta ls (i.e.,
ch r omate , lead , et c. . .)
12
(a) Part 1: General.Par t 1 includ e s the
foll owi ng gen eral out l ine:
Cost pr ov isions f or eit her l ump sum or
bi d i t em
Refer ences for ind ust r ial stand ar ds
u sed i n t he sp ecification section
Su bmi t t als are req u i red t o ensu re t h e
cont ract or is sup p l ying t he sp ecified
mater ials . The follow ing su bmitt als
ar e essen tia l:
" Ma nufa ctur er s pr oduct da ta and
ap p l icat ion sheet s
" Manu factu r er s cer t ification of
comp lian ce, sta tin g th at mater ials
wer e man u fact u re d in accord an ce
wi t h qu al it y assu ran ce and qu al it y
p ro gra ms to inclu d e bat ch
nu mber s, qu ant i t y, and color
" Pur cha se or de rs, e nsur ing tha t the
cont ract or using ap p roved
mat er ials t o in clu d e bat ch
nu mber s, qu ant i t y, and color
Qu ality as su ra nce
Deliv er y, stor age, and hand ling
En vironmen tal restr iction s for su rfa ce
p r ep ar at ion an d ap p lication
(b) Part 2: Products.Par t 2 includ e s the
foll owi ng mat eri al requ i rement s ou t li ne:
Ab rasi ves
MIO
Coat ings
(c) Part 3: Execution.Par t 3 includ e s the
foll owi ng ou t l ine requ i rement s t o comp l et e
wor k:
Pr ot ect ion an d r ep air of exist ing
su rfaces
Embed d ed met al work i n concret e
Su r f ace pr ep ar at ion met hod s
App lica tion equipme nt
Coa t i ng ap p l icat ion requ i rement s
Insp ect ion met hod s and accep tance
cr iter ia
Rep air of d amaged an d non accep ta ble
coat ed ar eas
Coat i ng t ab u l at ions an d cat egories (see
following sect ion)
Color sch ed u le
11. Coating Tabulations and Categories.
The for mat of t he coat ing t abu lat ions and
cat egor ies in t he CSI specificat ions will be
sim ilar to th e old nar r ati ve p ar agr ap h for mat.
The coat ing t abul ations and cat egor ies change
over time becau se of low er VOC r egu lations,
l ead- and chromat e-free requi rement s, new
coat ing t echn ol ogy d evel opm ent s, and ot her
fact ors. The foll owi ng sect ion s d escribe t h e
tabu lations an d categor ies.
(a) Coating Tabulations.The coating
t abu lat ions ar e based on Reclamat ions
hi st or ical exper i ence wit h coat ing met alwor k
items, ser vice exp os u r e, and mater ials u sed in
da ms a nd wa t er conveyance proje cts. The
t abu l at ion s are i n t h e foll owi ng t ab l e format :
Items t o be coat ed are i den t ified .
Coa t i ng mat eri al s are id ent i fi ed i n t he
first col umn b y an al ph anu meri c l abel
for a man uf act ur er s br and name or a
Fed er al/ milit ar y sp ecificati on nu mber .
Sev er al equ ivalen t coatin g mater ials
may be list ed wit hin t he same mat er ial
option numbe r. Mor e tha n one
coat ing mat eri al op t ion m ay be l ist ed
i n t he t abu l at ion . For smal l jobs, t he
color may be s p ecified in th is colu mn.
Nu mber of coat s (p ri mer,
inter med iate, an d top coat), thickn ess
Specifications
13
of each ap p lied coa t, and tota l d r y film
t hi ckn ess (DFT) of the coat i ng syst em
ar e id en tified in th e s econd colu mn.
Sur f ace pr epar at ion met hods ar e
id en tified by let ter or alp hanu mer ic
label in t he t hir d colum n and ar e
d efined in t h e execut ion p ar t for
sur f ace pr ep ar at ion.
Inst r uct ional not es, if specified , ar e
l ocat ed at eit her t ab l e front or en d .
(b) Coating Categories.The coating
cat egori es spe cify, by a l ph an u meri c l abel s, t he
manu factu r er s br and name or t he Fed er al or
militar y sp ecifica tion nu mber of t he coatin g
ma t er ia l liste d in the ta bula tions. The
cat egori es are su bd i vi ded accord i ng t o t h e
following th ree esse ntial chara cteristics:
Composi t i on.List t he gener ic chemical
coat ing n ame
Phy si cal cha ract eris t ics .Wei ght p er
gal lon, VOC cont ent , mini mu m ap p lication
temp er atu r e, cu r ing times at sp ecific
temp er at u re an d hu mid ity, etc.
Performance requi rement s. Accel erat ed
ASTM test ing an d accep ta nce cr iter ia
12. Manufacturer's Product Data and
Application Sheets.Reclamat ion
sp ecificat ion s requ i re t he su bmi t t al of t he
coat ing man u fact u rers p rod u ct da t a
(somet i mes called t echn ical d at a) and
ap p licat ion sh eets. Thes e s heets sp ecify
t he manu fact ur er s inst r uct ions and
r ecommen d ations. Th e m anu fact u r er 's
inst r uct ions and r ecommend at ions have
become sp ecificat ion requ i rement s, u nl ess t he
sp ecificat ion s are mor e r estr ictive. Pro d u ct
d at a and ap p lication sheet s shou ld be kep t for
fut u r e r efer ence to ver ify t he mat er ial t ype
ap p lied . The pr od u ct d at a and ap p lication
sheet s var y in cont ent an d for mat fr om
manu factu r er t o manu factu r e. Some
ma nuf actur er s combine product da ta and
ap p l icat ion i nt o on e sheet . However , t he
sheet s p rov i de u seful inform at i on for t he
sp ecific mater ial.
(a) Product Data Sheet.The following ar e
t he m ost common i t ems on t h e p rod u ct da t a
sheets:
Gener i c chemical coat ing n ame
(acryl ic, al kyd , ep oxy, p ol yur et han e)
Typ ical uses, such as on br idges,
pi pes, or wat er t anks
Ser vice exp os u re for at mos p her ic,
bu r ial, immer sion (fre sh water or salt
wat er ), and chemical r esista nce
Col or an d gl oss avai l abi li t y
Physical or technical p ro p er ties , su ch
as weight per gallon, solid s by
vol u me, VOC cont ent , pi gment
ad d itives, flash p oin t, an d serv ice
temp er at u re re sist an ce
Recommen d ed d r y or wet film
thickn ess
Theor et ical cover age r at e per gal lon
Mix r atio (if mu lticomp on en t syst em ),
p ot life, and ind u ction or sw ea t-in time
(elap sed t i me i nt erv al t o al low t he
chemical r eaction t o begi n f or
mul t icompon ent mat er ials befor e
a pplica tion)
Dr y, recoat, cu r ing, an d fu ll cu r e t ime
p eri od s at t emp erat u re an d hu mi di t y
ran ges
Performance test resul t s (accel erat ed
ASTM t ests that may or may n ot be
l ist ed)
Shelf life
Safet y pr ecau t ions
Sh ip p in g d ata
Warr an t y an d l imi t at ion s of li abi li t y
(b) Application Sheet.The fol lowi ng ar e t he
most common i t ems on t h e ap p l icat ion sheet :
14
Su bst r ate typ es th at a r e comp atible
wit h th e coati ng mate r ial (e.g.,
alu minu m, con cr et e, galvanize d , ste el,
cast iron, or existing coated su rfaces)
Su r face p r ep ar ation met hod , nor mally
list ed as a m inimu m
Thi nn er p rod u ct name an d amou nt t o
be ad d ed
Pot -li fe-t ime of mu l t icomp on ent
coating m at er ial at var i ous
t emp erat u re an d hu mi di t y ran ges
Lowe r a nd upp e r te mpe r atur e a nd
humidity ra nge re str ictions du r ing
a pplica tion
Most ma nufa ctur er s sta te tha t the
coat ing i s t o be ap p l ied onl y when t he
su bs tr at e te mp er at u re is 5 d egre es F,
mi nimu m, a bove the dew point
Dr yi ng, r ecoat , and cu r ing t i mes at
va ri ou s t emp erat u re an d hu mi di t y
ran ges
Ap pl icat ion met hod: br ush, roller ,
conv entiona l airless sp ray , or airless
sp r ay. May inclu d e s p ecific
equ ipm ent at re commend ed p ressu res,
hos e d iam et er sizes , sp r ay gu n, noz zle
tip sizes, etc.
13. Addendums and Modifications.
Sp ecificat ions ar e somet imes cha ng ed t o al ter
d esig ns, co r r ect er r or s, or r ed r ess omiss ions.
The fol lowi ng t w o gen eral met ho d s are u sed t o
rev ise spe cifications: (1) ad d end u ms (also
call ed a mend ment s) are w ri t t en p age i nser t s
t hat change p ar t (s) of t he specificat ion befor e
bid d ing occur ; and (2) modi ficat ions ar e
wri t t en p age i nser t s t hat m od i fy p art (s) of t he
sp ecificati on aft er th e contr act is a war d ed .
Modifica tions ca n incur cost a djus tme nt s to the
contr act an d are often called chan ge ord ers.
15
Chapter IV
Inspector's Role
The coat i ng i nsp ect or ensu res t hat : (1) t he
wor k is accomp lish ed in a t imely manner in
accor d ance wit h t he sp ecifications; (2) wor k
activ ities ar e d ocu men ted ; and (3) wor k is
p erformed safely. The coat ing i nsp ect or at t he
jobsi t e is ei the r t h e cont ra ct ing offi cers or t h e
fiel d en gi neers rep resent at i ve.
The i nsp ect or shou l d n ot ver bal l y cha ng e t he
r eq u ir em en ts or r eq u ir e m or e r igid
r equi r ement s on t he cont r act or than w er e
or iginally sp ecified . The in sp ect or sh ou ld
cont act hi s sup ervi sor for resol ut i on i f t he
specificat ions ar e inad equat e. Cont r actor s may
r equest a var iant fr om specificat ions t hat may
or may not be si gni ficant . Regar dl ess of
var ian t significan ce, t he in sp ect or sh ou ld
i nform hi s sup ervi sor of any requ est ed
changes. If a coating ap p licator i s not
following t h e specifications, t he i nspect or
sh ou ld not confr ont t he ap p licator . Inst ead , he
shou l d a sk t he coat ing cont ra ct or sup ervi sor t o
d et er mine w hy th e s p ecifica tions ar e n ot bein g
followed . In some cases, a d eviat ion may have
been al lowed or t he coating cont r act or
sup er vi sor may need t o cor r ect hi s own
wor ker s p ra ctices .
14. Primary Responsibilities.Th e follow ing
ar e p r imar y r esp onsibilit ies of t he in sp ect or :
Ver ify in wr itin g th at coatin g wor k is
bei ng p erformed i n accord an ce wi t h
t he specifications
Mon itor work activity on a d aily basis,
i nclu d i ng d evi at i ons from t he
specifications
Report an d record d eficiencies t o t he
field engi neer for r esolu t ion
En su r e w or k is cond u cted in a s afe
manner
15. Daily Responsibilities.Th e follow ing is
a p artial list of d aily insp ection resp on sibilities:
(a) Preparatory.
En su r e s p ecifica tions conta in all
a dde ndu ms a nd modi fica tions
Ensur e all specificat ion sub mit t al
requ i rement s are met
(b) Presurface Preparation.
Ensur e weat her cond it ions ar e
cond u cive t o bl ast ing op er at ions
Det er mine p r ebl ast sur f ace cond it ion
for r ust gr ad e
Ensur e t hat t he sur f ace is fr ee of
irregu larities (weld sp atter , slag bu rrs,
sharp ed ges, p i ts, l ami nat ions, or ot her
objectiona ble irregu larities)
Ensu re t hat ab rasi ves meet
specificat ion r equi r ement s and ar e
wi t hi n cont am i nat i on l i mi t s
Ensur e t he air comp r essor is fr ee of
moist ur e an d oil cont aminat i on
(c) Postsurface Preparation.
Ensur e t he sur f ace pr ep ar at ion
met hod meet s specifications
requ i rement s
En su r e t he s u r face (an chor ) p r ofile
meets sp ecifica tions r eq u ir em en ts
Ensur e t he sur f ace is fr ee of
conta minan ts an d meets cleanliness
sp ecificat ion s requ i rement s
16
(d) Precoating Application.
Ensur e all coat ing mat er ials are
ap p roved
Ch eck storage ar ea for pro p er
envi ron ment al and safet y
requ i rement s
Ensur e envi r onment al cond it ions
(ambient an d su rface temp era tu res,
hu mi di t y, and d ew p oi nt ) meet
sp ecificat ion s requ i rement s
Ensu re mi xi ng an d t hi nn i ng meet
man u fact u rers requ i rement s
(e) Coating Application.
Ensu re ap p l icat ion m et hod s meet
man u fact u rers requ i rement s
Ensur e int er med iat e coat and t opcoat
ap p licat ion s ar e w ith in r ecoat t ime
i nt erv al for t emp erat u re an d hu mi di t y
r anges a nd tha t the y me e t the
sp ecifications or the manu factu r er s
requ i rement s
Check ambie nt te mpe r atur e a nd
hu mid it y d u r i ng cur i ng p er iod
(f) Postcoating Application.
Ensu re t h e d ry fi lm t hi ckness meet s
sp ecificat ion requ i rement s
Inspect d ry fil m for h ol id ay (pi nh ol e)
d efect s
Ensur e t hat d efect ive, d amaged , and
d efi ci ent areas are rep ai red t o m eet
sp ecification r equ irements.
For a mor e comp r ehen sive l ist of
resp on sibilities, see ap p en d ix C.
16. Material Approval.Con t r act or
su bmitt ed coa tin g mater ials ar e n or mally
revi ewed by t h e Recl amat i on offi ce t hat ei t her
p rep ared or i ssu ed t he sp ecificat ions. The
resp on si ble revi ewi ng office is li sted i n t he
r eq u ir ed su bmitt al nu mber (RSN) table in
Secti on 01330 (Su bmit ta ls) of th e CSI
sp ecifications.
Th e coatin g insp ect or is n ot u su ally
r es p on sible for ap p r ov ing or d isap p r ov ing
cont ra ct or submi t t ed m at eri al . However , t he
insp ect or shou ld t r ack cont r actor and
Reclamat ion cor r espon d ence t o ensur e t hat
only appr oved ma te ria ls a re use d on the
jobsi t e.
If t he TSC i n t he Den ver Office is t he
r es p on sible sp ecifica tion r ev iew ing office, it
will p r ovi d e a cont r act or su bmit t al wit h on e of
the follow ing r esp on ses:
Approv ed.Ind icat es mat er ial can be
p u rchased and ap p l ied .
Co ndit io nall y approv ed.Ind i cat es t he
mat er ial se lection is accep table and th e
ma t er ia l ma y be pur cha se d; howe ver , the
su bmitt al is in comp let e or is missing
d ocument at ion. Resubm it t al of incomp let e or
miss ing d ocu menta ti on is r equ ir ed .
Con d itional ap p r ov al d oe s n ot imp ly
accep t ance for mat er ial ap p lication.
Not approv ed.Ind i cat es t he selected
ma t er ia l is not a ppr oved for a pplica tion.
The insp ect or shou ld check bat ch nu mber s on
mat eri al cont ai ners agai nst t he ap p rova l let t er
bat ch n u mbers for mat eri al s tha t arri ve on t h e
jobsit e. Cont ainer s wit h bat ch n u mber s that
d o not cor r espond t o the ap p r oved mat er ial
batch number s should be re moved fr om t he
jobsi t e.
17. Documentation.Th e in sp ect or sh ou ld
acqu ire the follow ing d ocu ments:
Sp ecificat ions t h at incl ud e ad d end u ms
a nd modi fica tions
The manu fact ur er s pr od u ct dat a,
ap p l icat ion , an d Mat eri al Safet y Dat a
Sheet (MSDS)
Inspector's Role
17
Referen ce st and ard s referred t o i n t he
sp ecifica tions t hat r ela te to th e field
insp ect ion
Refer en ce s ta nd ar d s ar e d iscu ssed in
mor e d et ail for th e p er tin en t
insp ect ion meth od in oth er ch ap te r s.
Ap pen d ix D lists r efer ence st andar d s
cit ed i n t hi s docu ment
18. Instruments, Gauges, and Tools.The
i nsp ect or shou l d a cqu i re t he equ i pment ,
inst r u men ts, an d inst r u ctional manu als
necess ar y to p er for m th e insp ect ion wor k.
Sp ar e b att er ies sh ou ld be a vailab le if elect r on ic
inst r u ment s ar e used . The t ypes of
inst r u men ts will be d iscu ssed in th e follow ing
cha p ter s an d ar e listed in ap p en d ix E.
(a) Conflicts.At t imes, t her e ar e
disa gr ee me nts betwe en the contr actor a nd the
insp ect or over inst r um ent r eadi ngs such as
su r face anch or p r ofiles or d r y film th ickness es.
Th er e may be r ea sonab le exp lan at ion s for su ch
d iscr epancies. These di scr epancies shoul d be
i nvest i gat ed t o avoi d fut u re confl ict s and t o
d evel op a worki ng rel at i onsh i p w i t h t he
cont r act or . The following ar e some
p ossibilities for instr u ment d isagree ments:
The t wo p ar t ies ar e not usi ng t he same
typ e of instru ment sets:
" On e inst r ument may be
malfu nctioning
" On e inst r u ment may be ou t of
calibr at i on
The t wo p ar t ies ar e u sing t he same
t yp e of inst r u ment s bu t :
" They ar e u sing d i fferent
p roced u res
" They ar e taking r ead ings at
diffe re nt loca tions
" On e inst r u ment may be ou t of
calibr at i on
19. Substrate Inspection.The insp ect or
shoul d i nspected t he subst r at e sur face befor e
su rface prep arat i on . Ferrou s subst rat es w i t h
l ocal ized ru st or mi ll scale are more p ron e t o
p r em atu r e coatin g failu r e. Ru st an d mill scale
ar eas shou ld be insp ect ed m or e t hor ou ghl y f or
clea nlines s after su r face p r ep ar ation. If mill
scal e is not ed and abr asive bl asting i s not
sp ecified , notify the field engine er becau se
ab ra sive blastin g is r equ ired . For main tenan ce
coat ing work w her e overcoat i ng i s sp ecified ,
t he existing coat ing mat er ial shoul d be
i nsp ect ed for loose coat i ngs by scrap i ng w i t h a
sh ar p en ed p u tt y knife. Over coatin g loosely
ad her ing exist ing coa tin g will resu lt in
p remat u re fail ure.
For items coated in a s hop , th e coatin gs shou ld
be insp ect ed an d id ent ified for d amage and
failed coa tin g ar ea s t hat w ill requ ir e r ep air
eit her bef or e or aft er inst allat ion.
20. Coating Inspection Checklist Sheet.
Reclamat ion sp ecification coat ing t abu lat ions
(see cha p t er III, su bsect ion 11) id ent i fy t h e
items to be coated , coating mater ials, the DFTs,
an d the su rface p rep ara tion m eth od s;
how ever , t he i nspect or may wish t o expan d on
th e coatin g ta bu lat ion s by cr ea tin g a co atin g
insp ect ion checklist u niqu e t o t he job. Since
sp ecifica tion coa tin g ta bu lat ion s can id en tify
sever al items t o b e coated with in a s ingle
t abu lat ion, an i nspect ion sheet can p r ovi d e for
t he i nd i vi du al coat i ng op erat i ons and for t he
compl eted i nspect ion for a singl e it em t o be
coat ed, such as a pi peline i nt er ior or a r adi al
gat e. The checklist can become a p er meant
r ecor d of the job. A checklist exampl e app ear s
in ap p en d ix F.
21. Precoating Conference.Reclamat ion
coat ing speci fi cat i ons d o no t requ i re a
p r ecoati ng confer ence wit h th e contr act or .
However , a meet i ng w i t h t he con t ract or t o
d iscuss coat ing- r elat ed issues woul d be
hel pf ul . A p r ecoating conf er ence will allow
t he con t ract or t o kn ow wha t i s exp ect ed an d t o
ou tlin e t he w or k p r og r am. This meetin g
sh ou ld es ta blish a w or king r ela tionsh ip
between the con tra ctor a nd Reclamation . The
following ar e p ossible it ems f or d iscu ssion at
t he meet ing:
18
The cont ract ors job-specific worker
heal t h an d safet y p l an (a su bmi tt ed
wr i tt en p lan i s r equi r ed f or lead or
ot her hazar d ous mat er ial r emoval and
d isp os al)
The i nsp ect ors access and safet y
The contr actors pr opose d oper ation,
i nclu d i ng equ i pment an d p ersonn el
The cont r act or s wor ki ng hour s
Th e m ater ial s tor age a r ea , inclu d ing
t emp erat u re, vent i lat i on, and securi t y
The ap p r oved sur f ace pr ep ar at ion
meth od s, abrasives, coating mater ials,
ap p l icat ion m et hod s, and curi ng t i mes
The met hod of d u st collect ion and
d i sp osal of u sed abrasi ves
Unfavorab l e weat h er rel at ed t o
p r ep ar ed sur f aces, ap p lied coatings, or
cu r ing
The pl an for coat ing i naccessible ar eas
Insp ect ion met hod s and t he nu mber of
measu rement s
The t yp es of insp ect ion i nst ru ment s t o
be u sed
The NACE/ SSPC r efer ence st andar d s
t hat ar e specified, the visual stand ar ds
to be m et , an d th e a ccep ta nce cr iter ia
19
Chapter V
Material Storage, Containers, and Shelf Life
Coat ing mat er ials arr ive on t he jobsit e befor e
ap p lica ti on begins, a nd th ey r equ ir e st or age.
Manu factu r er s r ecommend specific pr ovi sions
for st or age to p r event coati ng d ete r ior ati on.
Coa tin g mater ials mu st be u sed with in a
sp ecified t i me from man u fact u re or sh i pment .
22. Storage.Coat ing mat er ials shou ld be
st or ed in a cover ed , well-vent i lat ed ar ea away
fr om sp ar ks, fla mes, a nd d ir ect su nlight.
Man y coat ings r equir e a limit ed t emp er atur e
r ange f or p r oper st or age. Cold stor age may
r equ ir e a coat ing t o be excessivel y t hinn ed for
ap p licat ion, r esul ting i n low solid s cont ent and
a less-t han -int end ed DFT. At or bel ow
freezing t emp erat u res, coat ing s (su ch as wat er
based mat er ials) can d egr ad e t o the p oint t hat
t hey ar e un usable. Mat er ials in cold stor age
shoul d be moved t o a heated ar ea befor e
ap p licat ion. At hi gh t emp er at ur es, a mat er ial
such as solven t -based coating m ay gel or
become flammable or exp losive. The st or age
sit e shoul d be moni t or ed u sing a h igh/ low
t her momet er .
Coat ing mat er ials shou ld be st or ed t oget her by
t he same bat ch or l ot nu mber s. Two-
comp onen t coat i ng syst ems shou l d be st ored
close t ogether bu t be d ist ingu ishabl e fr om one
anot h er . For st or age of sever al mont h s or
longer , cont ai ner s shou ld be inv er t ed on a
mont hl y basis to avoid excessive sett ling an d
for ea se of fu tu r e mixin g. The old es t coatin g
mat eri al s sho u l d b e u sed first .
Sol vent s an d t hi nn ers shou l d be st ored
separ at el y fr om coating m at er ial s. Sep ar at ion
of solvent s and t hinner s is a safet y concer n
because many of t hese mat eri als hav e lower
flash p oint tem p era tu res th an most coating s,
and t hey pose a pot ent ial fir e hazar d.
Cont r actor s wi ll oft en stor e coat ing mat er ial at
t he jobsit e in t r ailer s. Trailer s wit h no heat ing,
coolin g, or ven tilation syst em s ar e u nsu ita ble
for storage b ecause t hey become cold i n wi nt er
and hot i n su mmer an d hav e li mi t ed
vent ilat ion. Coating mat er ials shou ld be
st or ed in climate contr olled en vir onments .
The foll owi ng are gen eral ly accep t ed
regu lations for stor ing coa ting mater ials:
Indoor storage.No m or e t han 25 gallon s
out sid e of app r oved cabinet s in a singl e ar ea.
Outdoor storage.No m or e t han 1,100
gallons of mate r ials g r ou p ed togeth er . No
more than 60 gallons in ind ivid u al contain ers.
For fu r t her i nfor mat ion on t he st or age of
flammabl e an d combu st ibl e li qui ds, refer t o
t he manu factu r er ' s MSDS and Reclamat ion
Safety and Healt h Sta nd ar d s.
23. Containers.Con ta iner s v ar y lar gely in
vol u me an d common l y ran ge from 1 quart t o
55 gal lons. Because of app l icat ion eq u i pment
limit at ions, t he most common cont ai ner s on a
job sit e will be ei th er 1-gallon or 5-gallon p ails.
Singl e comp onen t mat er ial s ar e shi pp ed in on e
conta ine r, a nd two or mor e compone nt
mater ials are ship p ed in sep ara te containe rs,
each of wh ich h as the capacit y t o hol d t he t ot al
combi ned vol u me.
An y cont ainer s t hat ar e d amaged , leaki ng, or
u nl abel ed sh ou l d be r ejected and removed
from t he job si t e.
24. Shelf Life.Shelf life is th e length of t ime
after manu fact u r e t hat a coa tin g mater ial w ill
remai n u sabl e when st ored i n an u nop ened
conta iner , accor d ing to th e manu fact u r er .
Manu fact u r er s n or mally sp ecify th e s helf life
of a coat ing on t he cont ainer or u se a special
code or bar cod e t hat specifies t he dat e of
manu factu r e or t he expi r at ion d at e. For
special cod es or bar cod es, t he insp ect or may
need to call t he manu fact u r er to r ead th e cod e.
In gen er al, most coat ings h ave a shel f life of
bet ween 6 and 12 mont hs at an opt i mal
t emp erat u re, bu t t hi s wi ll vary w i t h
20
manu fact u r er an d mater ial t yp e. Shelf life is
no t ed on t he m an u fact u rers p rod u ct da t a
sheet . The insp ect or shou ld check t he d at e of
man u fact u re or t h e exp i rat ion d at e t o
d et ermi ne t hat t he exp i rat ion d at e has n ot been
reached . Coat i ng mat eri als t hat h ave exceeded
t he sh el f l ife sho u l d b e remove d from t he
job sit e. Con sequ en ces of exceed ing th e s helf
l ife incl ud e gel li ng, od or, cha ng es i n vi scosit y,
for mat ion of lu mp s, p igment set t lement , and
color or l iqu id separ at i on.
21
Chapter VI
Surface Preparation
The serv i ce l ife of a coat i ng d ep end s on t h e
d egr ee of sur f ace pr ep ar at ion achieved as
mu ch as it dep end s on mat er ial select ion and
ap p licat ion . All coa tin g syst em s w ill
even t u al ly fail ; how ever, pr emat u re fail ures
ar e often th e r esu lt of inad equ at e su rfa ce
p r epar at i on. Even su r face pr ep ar at ions t hat
achi eve an accept able mar gi n of cleanliness but
l eave cont am i nan t s on t h e su rface wi ll t end t o
lessen th e coating serv ice life. Thu s,
cleanl iness of t he subst r ate is an essent ial and
i nt egral comp onen t of a coat ing syst em.
25. Surface Contaminants .Surfa ce
cont aminat i on i s one of the most common
causes of coat i ng fail ur es. To achi eve t h e
maximu m ser vice life of a coa tin g syst em , it is
ess enti al to r emove su r face conta minants .
(a) Types of Surface Contaminants.The
following ar e t he most common t yp es of
sur f ace cont aminan t s and t he consequen ces of
not rem ovi ng t h em:
Rust.Ru st is th e corr os ion byp ro d u ct
(fer r ou s oxid e) of st eel and may be l oose or
may ad her e r elati vely tig htl y to th e su bst r ate .
Rust i s porou s and may i nclu d e moi st u re,
oxygen, and solu ble salt s. Rust wi ll expand u p
t o eight t imes the vol ume of t he base met al
consu med and fu rt her corrod e t he st eel
su bst rat e, t hu s d i sl odg i ng an y coat ing ap p l ied
ove r i t .
Mill scale.Mill scale is a h ea vy oxid e
layer for med d u r ing h ot fabr icat ion or heat
tr ea tmen t of met als and is a blu ish color . Mill
scal e wi l l even t u al ly brea k l oose from t he st eel
su bst r ate, taking th e coatin g with it. Steel is
anod ic to mill scale (steel h as a low er electr ical-
chem ical p ot en tia l d iffer en ce t han mill scale);
t her efore, st eel wi ll corro d e (sacri fi ce i t sel f) t o
p rot ect the m i ll scale.
Grease and oil.Grea se and oi l p revent a
coat ing from ad her i ng t o t he su bst rat e.
Dirt and dust.Dir t a nd du st on the
su rface prev ent t he a p p l icat ion of a smoot h
uniform f ilm a nd w e aken the adhe sion of the
coat ing t o t he su bst rat e.
Soluble salts.Solu bl e salt s dep osit ed on a
su rface can remai n on t h e sur face, even after
abrasive clean ing. Solu ble salts will increase
moistur e pe rme a tion thr ough the coating
(osmot i c bl ist eri ng) an d can accelerat e t h e
cor r os ion r ate u nd er th e coatin g film
(und erfilm corr osion or u nd ercu tting ). The
mos t common soluble sa lts e ncounte re d in the
coat ing i nd u st r y ar e chl or id es, sul fat es, and
met allic salts. The ch lor id e ion is th e m os t
aggr essive.
Water.Wa te r wi ll pr event a dhe sion and
may eit her pr od uce flash r ust ing befor e
coat ing ap p l icat ion or i t may accelerat e
u nd er film cor r osio n aft er coati ng ap p lica ti on.
Mois tu r e in th e liqu id or fro zen st ate will
p revent ad he si on of t he coat i ng t o t h e
sub st r at e and can d isr up t cu r i ng r eactions of
coatings. Moisture con tamination can cau se
several t yp es of fai lu re.
Chalk.Ch al k i s t he r esi du e l eft aft er t he
d ete r ior ati on of th e coati ngs or ganic bind er .
Ch al k resu l t s from exp osu re of t he coat i ng t o
d ir ect su nlight or ar tificial UV light. All
coat ings chal k t o some degr ee, but epoxies ar e
more p ron e t o cha l k. Ov ercoat ing chal ked
sur f aces wi ll r esul t in p oor adh esion and may
r esul t in d elaminat i on (separ at i on of one
coat ing l ayer fr om anot her coat ing l ayer )
fail ure.
Deteriorated coatings.Ol d , l oose,
d et er ior at ed coatings t hat ar e over coat ed may
pe el, de la mina te , or lift fr om t he substr ate and
t ake t he n ew coat ing wi th t h em.
(b) Compressed Air Contaminants.Air
comp r essor s cont aminat ed wit h moist ur e and
oil can resu lt in ad hesion -related failu res. The
22
following ar e t wo common op er at ions t hat
t ran sfer oil and wat er cont ami nan t s from t he
comp ressed ai r sup p l y t o t he sub st rat e:
Ab r asive su r f ace pr ep ar at ion
oper ations
Bl owi ng d own t h e p rep ared su bst rat e
aft er sur face pr epar ation to r emove
du st before appl ying the coating
Air com p r es sor s shou ld be equ ip p ed with in-
line m ois tu r e a nd oil sep ar ator s (t r ap s) on all
lines. The insp ect or shou ld hav e t he cont r act or
check th e a ir su p p ly for con ta minants in
accord ance wi t h ATM D 4285. (See
ap p en d ix G for th is p r oced u r e.) It is
r ecommend ed t hat t he compr essed air lines be
checked on ce every 4 hou rs or aft er t h e
comp r es sor has been tu r ned off.
(c) Flash Rusting.Flash ru st ing (somet imes
called flash ba ck ru sting o r ru st blooming) is a
light oxi dat i on (cor r osion) of t he f er r ou s
su rface after su rface p rep arat i on h as been
comp let ed . Flash r u st ing d ev elop s on fre sh ly
p r ep ar ed su r faces in th e p r ese nce of moist u r e.
After th e m ois tu r e d r ies off, any r es u ltin g
cor ro sion is called flash ru stin g an d can occu r
within mi nute s a fte r sur fa ce pre par ation. The
following tw o circu mstan ces are th e most
common moisture sou rces resu lting in flash
r ust ing:
Con d en sa tion is occu r r ing
Wat er is u sed in th e su rfa ce
p r ep ar at ion met hod
Con d ensat i on i s the format i on of li qui d wat er
fr om wat er vapor i n t he su r r oun d ing ai r at
cert ai n ambi ent t emp erat u res an d hu mi di t y
r anges. Cond ensat ion can occu r u sing an y
su r face p r ep ar ation met hod beca u se it is
weat her d ep end ent . Su r f ace pr ep ar at ion
me t hods tha t e mploy wa t er ar e wa t er je tting
and wet ab r asiv e b las t cleaning. Flash r u st ing
can be m inimize d when u sin g water jet tin g
an d wet abr asi ve bl ast clean i ng by t h e
following m eth od s:
Using an inhibitive agent.Inhibitiv e
agen t or wash p r imer , nor mally a p hos p hate, is
inject ed i nt o t he wat er or blast st r eam or
ap p lied aft er cleani ng. Reclamat ion d oes not
p ro hibit th e u se of in hibit or s, bu t th e su rfa ce
shoul d be t hor oughl y wat er washed befor e
coat ing because heavy i nhi bit ive r esid u es can
ad ver sely af fect coat ing ad hesi on.
Using hot forced (blown) air.Dr y off the
wet t ed su rface immed i at ely aft er clean i ng w i t h
hot air blowers.
Using high-pressure, water-jet vacuum
cleaning method.High- wat er pr essur e
t ran sfers enorm ou s ener gy t o t he su rface, t hu s
el evat i ng t h e su rface t emp erat u re t o ev ap orat e
any moi st u re, and t he v acuu m removes
evapor at ed and liqui d m oistur e away.
To pr event flash r u st ing, it is a gener al
ind u str ial p ra ctice n ot to p ro ceed with su rfa ce
p rep arat i on u nl ess t he st eel sub st rat e
t emp er at ur e i s 5 d egr ees F, mini mu m, above
th e d ew p oin t. (See chap ter VII,
En vir onmenta l Cond it ions .)
Su r face p r ep ar ati on st and ar d s N ACE 1/ SSPC-
SP-5, NACE 2/ SSPC-SP10, N ACE 3/ SSPC-SP-
6, NACE 4/ SSPC-SP-7, NACE 8/ SSPC-SP14,
SSPC- SP15, and SSPC- SP11 p r ovi d e for
recleaning o r re blasting to rem ove flash
r ust ing. The sur f ace pr epar at ion stand ar ds
SSPC-SP2, SSPC-SP3, and NACE 5/ SSPC-SP12
d o not specifically add r ess flash r ust ing bu t
r eq u ir e t hat t he s u r face be r ecleaned accor d ing
t o cleanliness r equi rement s of t he st andar d
u sed i f r u st for ms on t he su r f ace. Reclamat ion
specificat ions r equi r e that any sur face wher e
flash r u st or cor r osion byp r od u ct s have
for med be r ecleaned .
If flash r u st ing is su sp ect ed an d is n ot visibly
no t i ceabl e, a goo d d et ect ion met ho d i s t o
insp ect t he sur f ace wit h a br i ght f lashl ight or
sp ot l igh t . The l igh t shou l d b e hel d p aral l el t o
t he sur face and shi ned acr oss it . Rust blooms
will a ppe ar as da r ke ning on the sur fa ce and
ha ve a r ed d i sh or l igh t brow n t i nt .
Surface Preparation
23
26. Presurface Treatment.Pr ior t o act ual
su rfa ce p re p ar at ion s, all st eel su rfa ce
imp erfection s are to be corr ected . This is a
Reclam ation sp ecifica tion r eq u ir em en t. Weld
sp atter , slag, bu rrs, p orosity, sharp ed ges, p its,
lam inations (sliv er s), cr ev ices , or ob ject ion able
irr egu lar ities need to be r ep air ed . Surfa ce
d ep ressions, such as p i ts or crevi ces, can be a
collect ion p oint for excessive coat ing mat er ial
t hat may not fu lly cur e. Pr oject ions such as
weld slag, slag bu r r s, or shar p ed ges that may
st ick ou t t hr ou gh th e coatin g can r es u lt in
pi np oint cor r osion. Al l t hese ir r egul ar it ies ar e
t o be r epair ed by w eld ing, scr app ing,
gr ind ing, or other sp ecified mean s.
27. Abrasive Blast Material.The abr asive
blas t mater ial is imp or ta nt beca u se it
d ete r mines t he su r face p r ofile p r od u ced .
Ther e ar e two gener al categor ies of abr asiv es:
met all ic and non met all ic. Met all ic abrasives
ar e used p r imar ily t o blast clean st eel and
for ged or cas t ir on wher e a su r face p r ofile is
se ld om cr it ical on th e fin ish ed p r od u ct .
Nonmet allic abr asives, d epend ing on t he t ype
u sed , can p r od u ce t he d es ir ed su r face p r ofile
and clea nlines s on har d , d en se fer r ou s met als
or on sof t met als (al uminu m, br ass, br on ze, or
copp er) wi t hou t d amagi ng or al t eri ng t h e
met al su rfa ce.
Reclam ation sp ecifies SSPC-AB 1, Abr asiv e
Sp ecifica tion No. 1, Miner al an d Slag
Abr asiv es, Class A, ei th er Typ e I or II.
Reclam ation sp ecifica tions d o n ot p er mit
abr asive mat er ials cont aini ng t oxic heavy
metals su ch as a rsen ic or solub le salts in excess
of 0.04 p ercent . Abrasi ve mat eri al is not t o
conta in mor e t han 1 p er cen t silica, by volu me
becau se silica san d p articles cau se silicosis.
Reclam ation d oe s n ot sp ecify met allic
abr asiv es . Met allic ab r asiv es ar e n ot field
ap p l icabl e because of hi gh cost s and i nabi l it y
t o r ecycle. However , Reclamat ion w ill allow a
contr act v ar ian ce, if r eq u es ted , to u se met allic
abr asi ves for shop sur f ace pr ep ar at ion,
pr ovi ded t hat the met allic abr asive is a dr y,
clean , an gu l ar st eel gri t .
(a) Nonmetallic Abrasives.There are t h ree
basic typ es of n onmetallic abr asiv es:
(1) n atu r ally occu r r in g; (2) byp r od u ct s; and
(3) manu factu r ed . The following sect ions
pr ovi de a br ief d escr ipt i on of t he typi cal usage
and t he degr ee of d ust ing p r odu ced by
non met allic ab r asiv es d u r ing blas tin g
op era tions.
Naturally occurring.
Nonsilica or heavy mineral sands
(magnetite, olivene rutile,
straurolite).Th es e s and s ar e t yp ically
tou gh, d ense , r ou nd -sh ap ed mate r ials.
Th ey ar e effect ive for blas t cleaning
new st eel bu t are not recommend ed
for mai nt enan ce coat i ng work. Degree
of d u st ing d u r i ng bl ast ing op er at ions
is med iu m.
Flint, garnet, novaculite (siliceous
rock), and zircon.These are d ense,
t ou gh , an gu l ar or cubi c abr asi ves t ha t ,
because of t hei r hi gh cost s, are u sed
pr ima r ily in spe cia l cle aning
ap p licat ion s. Th e d eg r ee of d u st ing
d u r ing blas tin g op er ations is m ed iu m
for flint an d gar n et and low for
novaculite and z ir con.
Byproduct.
Slags (coal, copper, nickel).Slag
abr asives ar e gener ally a glassy,
hom ogeneou s mixt ur e of var iou s
oxid es t hat ar e shar p ly ang u lar or
cubic and are efficient for blast
cleani ng new , ru st ed, or p ai nt ed
sur f aces. These abr asives ar e not
r ecy cled . The d eg r ee of d u st ing
d u r i ng bl ast ing op er at ions i s hi gh f or
coal and ni ckel and low for copp er .
Agricultural products (corncobs, peach
pits, walnut shells).These ar e
gener ally r egar ded as tough but
light weight abr asives used in sp ecial
cleaning ap pl icat ions for r emovi ng
24
p ai nt , fi ne scal e, and ot her
cont am i nan t s wi t hou t al t ering t he
met al su bst r ate or d ist or tin g th in
me t als. The degre e of du sting dur ing
bl ast ing op er at ions i s low.
Manufactured.
Synthetic (aluminum oxide, glass
beads, silicon carbide).The se
abr asi ves can be p rod u ced wi t h
sp ecific prop ert i es for va ryi ng d egrees
of hard ne ss and t ou gh ne ss and wi t h
sp ecific shap es. Hi gh cost rest ri ct s t he
u se of t hese abr asives t o special
clean ing a p p lications, and they m u st
be recycled to be econ omical. The
main ad vanta ges of u sin g synth et ic
abr asi ves are fast cu t t i ng cap abi l it y
a nd nonrus ting of the substr ate . The
d eg r ee of d u st ing d u r ing blas tin g
op er at ions i s low.
(b) Sampling and Testing.Ab rasi ve samp l es
shou l d b e ret ai ned for fu t u re referen ce in t h e
event of coat ing p r oblems. Sampl es can be
t est ed an d t he resu l ts ret ained t o eit her
confirm or r eject abr asives as a p ossible cause
of fai lu re. Di fferent ab rasi ves u sed on t he
same met alwork can p rod u ce di fferent
ap p ear ances. Test ing sh ou ld be cond u cted on
the abra sives before use to ensur e tha t the
mate r ial d oes n ot conta in conta minants .
(c) Sampling.The inspector shou ld r ecor d
t he manu factu r er s br and nam e, bat ch or l ot
num bers , and abr asive type. Abr asive
mat er ial shoul d be stor ed i n a dr y
env i ronment an d be clean, u ni form i n t extu re,
an d moi st ure free. It i s recommend ed t ha t a
smal l samp le of each abr asive bat ch or lot
nu mber be kep t for futu re r eferen ce in case
chan ges occu r i n t he su rface p rofil e.
(d) Testing.Solubl e salt concent r at ions ar e
t yp i cal ly l ow for mi ned mi neral abrasi ves
(SSPC-AB1, typ e I) and sla g abr asiv es (SSPC-
AB1, typ e II) th at a r e a ir coo led or qu en ched in
p u r ified wat er . However , slag abr asives may
be qu enched in seawat er , br ackish wat er , or
ot her salt -cont aminat ed wat er and,
consequ en tly, have a higher solu ble salt
content. Abr asiv es with high solu ble salt
cont en t shou l d n ot be u sed becau se t he sal t s
can con ta minate th e s u bst r ate d u r ing blas tin g
op erat i ons and , t hu s, cause coat ing fai lu re.
Miner al and slag abr asi ves shou ld be t ested for
t he p resen ce of sol ubl e salt s by a con d u ct ivi t y
met er . Cond u ctiv ity is th e ionic p r op er ty of a
flu id or solid t hat per mit s t he passage of an
electr ic cu r r en t. Solu ble salts d issolv ed in
wat er can be measu red by a cond u ct ivi t y
me t er . Condu ctivity me te rs me a sur e the
cond u ctance of all salts (chlorid es, sulfates,
ferrou s, et c.) in d i ssol ut i on bu t cann ot d et ect a
sp ecific sa lt ion (e.g., th e ch lor id e ion).
Reclamat ion specifies that miner al and slag
abr asiv es a r e to be in accor d ance wit h SSPC-
AB1, an d t he st an d ard s cond u ct ivi t y
r eq u ir em en t is not to excee d 1,000
micr os iemen s. Th e ch lor id e-sp ecific ion in
abr asiv es can be te st ed u sin g a tit r ati on kit .
(See ap p en d ix H for test p r oced u r es .) Testin g
for toxic meta ls r equ ir es la bor ator y meth od s.
Cer t ificat ion or anal ysis of abr asive mat er ial
cont ent is available fr om t he man uf act ur er .
Al t hou gh wat er i s not consi d ered an a brasi ve,
it is used as a sur f ace pr ep ar at ion med iu m for
p r eviousl y coat ed met alwor k. Wat er may
cont ai n a n excessive am ou nt of sol ub l e salt s
t hat , if l eft as resid u e on t h e p rep ared sur face,
can cause t h e coat ing t o bl ist er. The wat er
used in w at er jet ting op er ations shou ld be
t est ed for hi gh chl orid e ion l evel s. (See
ap p end ix I for p r oced u r es.)
28. Nozzle Blast Pressure.Reclamat ion
d oe s n ot r eq u ir e ch eck ing th e b las t n oz zle
p r essu r e. Ind u st r y pr actice r ecommend s that
t he bl ast ing p ressur e be mai nt ai ned bet ween
90 and 100 p ou nd s p er sq u ar e inch (p si).
Redu ced p r essur es can r esu lt in a sha llow
su rface p rofile d ep th an d a d iminished blast
r at e efficiency. Excessive p r essu r es can
incr ease th e su r face p r ofile d ep th .
Con sequ ent l y, t he p ri me coat ma y n ot cover
t he peaks of t he pr ofile and p inhol e failur e
may r esul t. The cr it ical p oint of p r essu r e is at
t he bl ast nozzl e, wher e p ressur e wi ll be lower
th an at th e a ir com p r es sor beca u se of h os e lin e
p ressu re losses.
Surface Preparation
25
If th e n oz zle blas t p r es su r e is su sp ect , it is
r ecomme nded t hat the inspe ctor r eque st the
coat ing sup ervi sor t o check t he p ressur e. (See
ap p end ix J for th e p r oced u r e.)
29. Surface Preparation Methods.The
following ar e t he five bas ic typ es of su rfa ce
pr epa r ation:
Degr easing.
Hand and pow er tool cleaning.
Abr asive (wet or dr y) cleaning.
Wat er jet ting or pr essur e cleaning.
Chemical str ipp ing.
Ther e are sev eral st and ard s d escribi ng t he
above met hod s; how ever , Reclamat ion h as
ad op ted SSPC an d join t N ACE/ SSPC su rfa ce
p r ep ar ation st and ar d s. Th e in sp ect or sh ou ld
ensur e t hat t he app licable st andar d s are
av ailable on th e jobsite. After su rfa ce
p rep arat i on , clean l ine ss shal l be based on t he
sp ecified st and ar d 's cleaning r equ ir ements .
Visu al st and ar d s by SSPC an d join t
NACE/ SSPC ar e a su p p lemen t t o a id in
d et er mining clea nlines s bu t a r e n ot th e s ole
con firmat ion re qu iremen t. Surfa ce
p r ep ar ation st and ar d r eq u ir em en ts sh all
gover n w her e sur f ace pr ep ar at ion and vi su al
st and ar d s conflict . Th e following ar e th e SSPC
and joint N ACE/ SSPC su r f ace pr ep ar at ion
st and ar d s, in incr easin g or d er of cleanlin ess .
An abbr evi at ed su mmat ion i s pr ovi d ed for
each su rface prep arat i on st and ard an d t he
correspon d i ng vi sua l st and ard t o be u sed .
(a) SSPC-SP1: Solvent Cleaning.Solvent
clean i ng i s used t o remove grea se, oi l, d i rt ,
d raw i ng an d cut t i ng comp ou nd s, and ot her
cont ami nant s by solven t wi pi ng, wat er
washing, cleani ng comp oun d s, and steam
cleani ng. Thi s pr ocedu r e is a pr er equ isit e for
al l ot her su rface p rep arat i on met hod s excep t
NACE 5/ SSPC-SP12 (wa te r je tting) a nd
NACE 6/ SSPC-SP13 (con crete su rfaces). The
r eason f or solvent cleani ng is that
cont ami nant s left on the sur face can be
imp acted into th e s u bst r ate su r face d u r ing
p rep arat i on u sing ot her m et hod s (l ist ed
below), r esul ting i n p oor adh esion and
p remat u re fail ure.
(b) SSPC-SP2: Hand Tool Cleaning.Ha nd
tools are u sed to rem ove loose mill scale, loose
r u st , loose coat ings, weld flu x, weld slag, or
weld spat ter by br ushing, sandi ng, chi pp ing,
or scrapp i ng. Ti ght l y ad her i ng ru st , mi ll scale,
and p ai nt ar e allowed t o r emai n. The use of
han d tools is gene rally confined to small are as,
sm all r ep air ar eas, or sm all in access ible ar eas.
The visual stand ar d i s d et er mined by
com p ar ison to SSPC-VIS 3 refere nce
p hotog rap hs.
(c) SSPC-SP3: Power Tool Cleaning.Pow er
tools are u sed to rem ove loose mill scale, loose
r u st , loose coat ings, weld flu x, weld slag, or
wel d sp at t er. Tigh t ly ad her i ng ru st , mi ll scale,
and coat ing are al lowed t o remai n i f t hey
cann ot be rem ove d by l i ft i ng w i t h a d u l l p u t t y
kni fe. The requi r ement s of t his met hod ar e
simi lar t o SSPC-SP2, excep t t hat , wi th p ower
t ools, lar ger ar eas can be cleaned mor e
efficient l y. The vi sua l st and ard i s d et ermi ned
by com p ar ison to SSPC-VIS 3 refere nce
p hotog rap hs.
(d) SSPC-SP15: Commercial Grade Power
Tool Cleaning.Pow er t ool s are u sed t o
remove all grease, oil, dirt, d u st, mill scale, ru st
coat ings, oxid es, cor r osion byp r od u ct s, and
ot her f or eign m at t er that ar e vi sibl e wit hou t
magni ficat ion, except t hat rand om stains ar e
allowed on 33 per cent of each 9-inch squar e
ar ea . Stain s may con sist of ligh t shad ow s, light
st reaks, and mi ld d i scol orat i on cau sed by r u st ,
mill scale, and p r eviou s a p p lied coati ngs.
Sl igh t resi du es of rust an d p ai nt are al lowed t o
remain a t the bottom of corr osion p its,
p r ovid ed th at t he or iginal su bst r ate was p it te d .
Th is st an d ar d re qu ires a minimu m su rfa ce
p r of ile of not l ess t han 1 mil be r et ained or
p r od u ced . Cu r r ent ly, t her e is no vi su al
r efer ence phot ogr aph s for t his st andar d .
(e) NACE 4/SSPC-SP7: Brushoff Blast
Cleaning.Br ush- off blast cleaning empl oys
abr asi ve bl ast ing t o remove al l grea se, oi l, d i rt ,
d u st , loose mill scale, loos e r u st , an d loose
coati ngs t hat a r e visi ble wit hou t m agnifica ti on.
Tightly ad her ing r u st , mill scale, and coa tin gs
are al lowed t o remai n i f t hey can not b e
26
r emoved by lift ing wit h a d u ll p u tt y knife.
Th e v isu al stand ar d is SSPC-VIS 1 refere nce
p hotog rap hs.
(f) NACE 8/SSPC-SP14: Industrial Blast
Cleaning.Ind ust r ial blast cleaning empl oys
abrasi ve bl ast ing t o remove al l vi sibl e grease,
oil, d ir t , and d u st that ar e vi sibl e wit hou t
magnificat ion . Tr aces of t ightly ad her ing mill
scale, ru st , an d coat ing resi du e are al l owed t o
r emai n on 10 per cent of each 9 inch squar e
ar ea, p r ovid ed th at t he d ist r ibu ti on is e ven.
Tr aces of r u st , mill scale, and coat ings ar e
al lowed t o remai n i f t hey cannot b e removed
by lifting w ith a d u ll p u tty knife. Shad ow s,
st r ea ks, and d iscolor ation cau sed by r u st , mill
scale, and pr evi ously app lied coatings ar e
accep t abl e. The vi sua l st and ard i s d et ermi ned
by com p ar ison to SSPC-VIS1 refer en ce
p hotog rap hs.
(g) SSPC-SP8: Pickling.Pickling r em ov es all
mill scal e and r u st that ar e vi sibl e wit hou t
magn i fi cat i on, by chem i cal react ion (aci d b at h )
or elect r olysis (anod ic elect r ical cur r en t ) or
bot h . Accept an ce cri t eria are t o be est abl ished
betw een contr acting p arties.
(h) NACE 3/SSPC-SP6: Commercial Blast
Cleaning.Commer cial blast cleaning empl oys
d u st , mill scal e, r u st , coatings, oxid e, cor r osion
bypr od uct s, and ot her for eign mat ter that ar e
vi sibl e wit hou t magn ification, excep t for
r and om st aini ng. St aini ng may consist of
light shadow s, slight str eaks, or minor str eaks
cau sed by r u st , mill scale, or p r ev iou sly
ap p lied coa tin gs. At lea st t wo-t hird s of each
9-inch-squ ar e a r ea sh all be fre e of all v isible
resid u e, and onl y t he ab ove-ment i oned
st aini ng may be p r esent in t h e r emai nd er of
t he ar ea. The visual stand ar d i s d et er mined by
com p ar ison to SSPC-VIS 1 refere nce
p hotog rap hs.
(i) NACE 2/SSPC-SP10: Near-white metal blast
cleaning.Nea r -white met al blas t cleaning
emp l oys abrasive bl ast ing t o remove al l grease,
oi l, d i rt , d u st , mi ll scale, ru st , coat ing s, oxid e,
corrosion b yp rod u ct s, and ot her forei gn mat t er
t hat are v i si ble wi thou t magn i fi cat i on, excep t
for r and om st aini ng. St aini ng may consist of
light shadow s, slight str eaks, or minor str eaks
cau sed by r u st , mill scale, or p r ev iou sly
ap p lied coa tin gs. At least 95 p er cen t of ea ch 9-
inch-squ ar e a r ea sh all be fre e of all v isible
r es id u e, and th e r em aind er of t he a r ea sh all
hav e on ly th e ab ov e-men tioned staining. The
vi sual st and ar d is det er mined by comp ar i son
to SSPC-VIS 1 referen ce photog rap hs.
(j) NACE 1/SSPC-SP5: White Metal Blast
Cleaning.Wh it e met al blast cleaning empl oys
d u st , mill scal e, r u st , coatings, oxid e, cor r osion
bypr od uct s, and ot her for eign mat ter that ar e
visible w ith ou t magnificat ion . The r es u ltin g
blasted su r face is gener ally a un ifor m gr ay-
whi t e col or. Vari at ion i n col or cau sed by st eel
t yp e, ori gina l su rface cond i ti on, st eel
t hi ckness, weld met al, mill or fabr i cat ion
mark s, heat tr eatment, heat-affected zon es,
blasting abr asives, or d ifferences in blast
p att er n is accep ta ble. Th e v isu al st and ar d is
d ete r mined by comp ar iso n to SSPC-VIS 1
referen ce photog rap hs.
(k) NACE 5/SSPC-SP12: Surface Preparation
and Cleaning of Steel and Other Hard Metals
by High- and Ultra-Pressure Water Jetting Prior
to Recoating.Hi gh- or ul t ra-hi gh wat er jet
blas tin g em p loy s w ater blas tin g to r em ov e a ll
gr ease, oil, dirt, d u st, mill scale, ru st coatings,
oxid es, corrosion b yp rod u ct s, and ot her
for eign m at t er that ar e vi sibl e wit hou t
magnificat ion . Rem ov e n on visible solu ble
salt s t o allowable limit s t hat r equi r e p hysi cal
t est ing t o ver i fy. The st and ard d efine s t he
followin g fou r d iffer ent water p r essu r es:
(1) low-p r essu r e wat er cleani ng at less t hat
5,000 p si; (2) hi gh-p r essu r e wat er cleani ng at
5,000 to 10,000 psi ; (3) hi gh -pressu re wat er
jet tin g at 10,000 to 25,000 psi; an d (4) ultr ahigh-
p r essu r e wat er jet ting at gr eat er than
25,000 psi . The d egree of cl eanl iness i s d i vid ed
int o t wo cat egor ies: vi sible cont aminan t s and
no nv i sibl e con t ami nan t s. Visi ble cont am i nan t s
are su bd ivid ed into fou r classifications,
d esi gnat ed WJ-1 t hr ou gh WJ-4 (WJ-1 i s t he
clean est ) on t he b asi s of al lowabl e vi sibl e ru st ,
coat ing s, mi ll scale, and forei gn mat t er
ver ified with ou t magnificat ion . Non visible
cont ami nant s are su bd i vid ed i nt o t hree
clas sifications, d es ignated SC-1, SC-2, an d SC-3
Surface Preparation
27
(SC-1 is th e cleanes t) on th e b asis of a llow able
solu bl e chlor i de i ons, ir on- solu bl e salt s, or
su lfat e ions. Th e v isible a nd non visible
allowable cont ami nant levels are specified by
t he d esi gnat i on WJ-x/ SC-x; x i nd i cat es t he
specified d efini tion n u mber . The visual
st and ard wi ll be d et ermi ned by comp ari son t o
SSPC-VIS 4/ NACE 7 referen ce photog rap hs.
Reclam ation sp ecifies WJ-2/ SC-2 for all
immersion serv ice exp osu res.
Water jet tin g can not p r od u ce a su r face p r ofile
wi thou t t he ad d i ti on of abrasives i nt o t he jet
flow and , t her ef or e, is not specified for
su rfaces wi thou t a sur face p rofil e, e.g. , new
const r u ction st eel. Recla mation sp ecifies t his
st and ard onl y for pr evi ou sly coat ed sur faces
t hat h ave an exist ing sur face p rofil e.
Th is is a n excellent met hod for r em ov ing old
p ai nt and cont ami nant s u sing onl y p ressur i zed
wat er . Wat er jet ting equi pment can be
vacuu m s hroud ed t o pr event spr ay and have
in- line f ilt er s t o separ at e out old p aint and
cont ami nant s. Some man uf act ur er s ar e
exp eri ment i ng w i t h i nject ing abr asi ves i nt o t he
water -jet st r ea m th at w ou ld be ca p able of
p rod u cing a su rface p rofil e.
30. Photographic Inspection Standards.
The inspector shou ld inspect t he sur f ace befor e
an d aft er sur face p rep arat i on t o eva l uat e
clean l ine ss. SSPC an d NACE/ SSPC st and ard
vi sual reference ph ot ograp hs are a
sup pl ement al aid t o evaluat ing cleanliness but
ar e n ot intend ed as a s u bstit u te for su rfa ce
clean l ine ss requ i rement s d efine d i n t he
sur f ace pr ep ar at ion st and ar d u sed. The r eason
for insp ect ing th e su rfa ce before su rfa ce
p r ep ar at ion i s that d iffer ent d egr ad at ions on
th e s ame s teel su r face (e.g., hea vy mill scale
wi th l igh t and heav i ly ru st ed areas) wi ll have a
d iffer ent app ear ance aft er using t he same
su rface p rep arat i on met hod . Thu s, st eel
sur f aces that ar e accept abl y clean will app ear
d i fferent , d ep end i ng on t he i ni t ial st eel
cond it ion an d t he sur face p r ep ar at ion met hod
emp loyed . Below ar e t he v isu al r efere nce
st and ar d s for abr asive blast cleani ng, han d and
p ower t ool cleani ng, wat er jet cleani ng, and
wet ab r asiv e b las t cleaning.
Th is is a n excellent met hod for r em ov ing old
p ai nt and cont ami nant s u sing onl y p ressur i zed
wat er . Wat er jet ting equi pment can be
vacuu m s hroud ed t o pr event spr ay and have
in- line f ilt er s t o separ at e out old p aint and
cont ami nant s. Some man uf act ur er s ar e
exp eri ment i ng w i t h i nject ing abr asi ves i nt o t he
water -jet st r ea m th at w ou ld be ca p able of
p rod u cing a su rface p rofil e.
(a) SSPC-VIS 1: Visual Standard for Abrasive
Blast Cleaned Steel.Thi s gui d e show s a series
of ph ot ograp hs of un p ai nt ed carbon st eel
befor e and aft er abr asive bl ast cleani ng. Below
i s an abb revi at ed exp l anat i on of t he
p r oced u r es to follow befor e a nd aft er clea ning
t he steel. The pr ocedu r es ar e followed by an
examp l e.
1. Befor e a bra sive blast clea ning, mat ch
t he exi st ing su rface con d i t ion wi t h t he
i ni t ial con d i t ion shown i n on e of t he
p hot ogr ap hi c stand ar d s. Ini tial
cond it ions (or r ust gr ad es) ar e
ph ot ogr aph s A, B, C, and D and ar e
d efin ed in sect ion 4.1 of th e st and ar d .
Var ious ar eas of t he sur f ace to be
cleaned may mat ch on e or mor e ini tial
cond ition p hotog rap hs.
2. Fr om th e s p ecifica tions, d et er mine
t he specified sur f ace pr ep ar at ion
st and ar d . The sur f ace pr ep ar at ion
stand ar d will be one of t he followin g:
NACE 1/ SSPC-SP5, NACE 2/ SSPC-
SP10, NACE 3/ SSPC- SP6, or NACE
4/ SSPC-SP7.
3. Fr om t able 1 in t he visual stand ar d,
select t he specified sur f ace pr ep ar at ion
st and ard an d t he i ni t i al cond i t ion t o
ob ta in th e cor r ect p hot og r ap hic
de signation.
4. Evalu at e t he finish ed blast su rfa ce
agai nst t he sel ect ed p hot og rap h i n st ep
3 ab ov e t o d et er mine if th e su rfa ce
meets t he sp ecified su rfa ce
p r ep ar at ion r equ ir ement s for
clean liness.
28
Exampl e: A st eel trashr ack has been
de liver ed t o the jobsite uncoate d a nd
stor ed ou tsid e withou t p rotection. The
t r ashr ack is showing evid ence of un ifor m
cor r osio n and no p it ti ng befor e coati ng.
The specified sur f ace pr ep ar at ion met hod
is N ACE 2/ SSPC-SP10.
Step 1: The exist ing su rfa ce
ap p earan ce most closel y rep resen t s
r u st gr ad e B.
Step 2: Table 1 sh ow s th at for su rfa ce
p r epar at i on N ACE 2/ SSPC- SP10 and
ru st gr ad e B, th e finished blast
su rface sho u l d corr esp on d t o
p hot og r ap h B SP10.
Step 3: Evalu ate th e finished blast
su r face ag ainst p hot og r ap h B SP 10
to d eterm ine if the su rface meets
NACE 2/ SSPC-SP10 cleanliness
requ irements.
(b) SSPC-VIS 3: Visual Standard for Power-
and Hand-Tool Cleaned Steel.Th is gu id e
show s a series of p hot og rap hs of un p ai nt ed
and p ai nt ed carbon st eel before an d after
han d - and p ower -t ool cleani ng. Below is an
abb revi at ed exp l anat i on of t he p roced u res t o
follow befor e an d after clean ing the steel. The
p roced u res are foll owed by an examp l e.
1. Befor e hand - or power -t ool cleaning,
mat ch t h e exist ing su r f ace cond it ion
t ha t most closel y rep resen t s t he
ap p ear ance wit h t he i ni tial cond it ion
sh ow n in on e of th e p hot og r ap hic
stan d ard s. Initial cond ition s (or ru st
gr ad es) A, B, C, and D ar e f or
u ncoated sur f aces; cond it ions E, F, and
G a re for p rev iously p ainte d su rfaces.
Ini t ial cond it ions ar e d efined in section
4.1 of t he st and ar d . Var iou s ar eas of
th e su rfa ce t o b e clea ned may mat ch
one or mor e ini t ial cond it ion
p hotog rap hs.
2. From t he sp ecificat ion s, d et ermi ne t he
specified sur f ace pr ep ar at ion
st and ar d . The sur f ace pr ep ar at ion
stand ar d will be one of t he followin g:
SSPC-SP2, SSPC-SP3, or SSPC-SP11.
3. Reclamat i on al l ows t he con t ract or t o
chose the t yp e of han d or p ower t ool
to accom p lish th e w or k. Det er mine
the type of tool to be use d fr om t he
cont r act or . The following d esigna t ion
cod es are u sed i n t he st an d ard t o
identify v ariou s ha nd an d p ow er too ls:
SP2: Ha nd w ir e brus h.
SP3/ PWD: Powe r wi re br ush.
(Reclamat ion d oes not per mit r otar y
p ower wir e br u shi ng because t he t ool
has th e ten d ency to bu rn ish or p olish
t he met al sur f ace, t hu s r emovi ng any
exis ti ng su r face p r ofile.)
SP3/ SD: Po wer sand ing d isc.
SP3/ NG: Power needle gun.
SP11: Power r ot ar y flap p een or
need le gu n (to p ro d u ce a su rfa ce
p r ofile).
SP11/ R: Power t ool usi ng n onw oven
d isks (to re sto re exis tin g su rfa ce
p r ofile).
select t he specified sur f ace pr ep ar at ion
st and ard an d t he i ni t i al cond i t ion t o
ob ta in th e cor r ect p hot og r ap hic
de signation.
5. Eval uat e t h e fi nished han d or p ower
t ool su rface agai nst t he sel ect ed
p ho t ogr ap h i n st ep 4 above t o
de te rmi ne if the sur fa ce me ets the
specified sur f ace pr ep ar at ion
requ irements for clean liness.
Exampl e: An exist ing coat ed rad i al gat e
r equi r es spot r epai r s. The coat ing h as
d et er ior ated or p eeled off in small
localized ar eas, and r ust is evid ent but
t here i s no vi sibl e pi t t ing . The sp ecified
su r face p r ep ar ation met hod is SSPC-SP11,
a nd the contr actor us ed a ne edle gun.
Surface Preparation
29
r u st gr ad e C.
St ep 2: Select pow er t ool d esigna t ion
SP11 because a need le gu n p ower t ool
was u sed t o p rep are t he su rface.
St ep 3: From t abl e 1, t he fini shed
sur fa ce photogr aph t hat corr esponds
to ru st g ra d e C a nd su rfa ce
p r ep ar at ion SSPC- SP11, and t he t ool
u sed is C SP11.
Step 4: Evalu at e t he finish ed su rfa ce
aga i nst p ho t ogr ap h C SP11 t o
d eter mi ne if t he sur f ace meets SSPC-
SP11 clean liness req u irements.
(c) NACE 7/SSPC-VIS 4: Guide and visual
reference photographs for steel cleaned by
water jetting.Thi s gu id e shows a ser i es of
p hot ogr ap hs of un p ai nt ed an d p ai nt ed car bon
st eel befor e and aft er wate r jet cleaning.
Bel ow i s an abb revi at ed exp l anat i on of t he
p r oced u r es to follow befor e a nd aft er clea ning
t he steel. The pr ocedu r es ar e followed by an
examp l e.
1. Before wat er jet clean i ng, mat ch t h e
existing su rface cond ition that most
closel y rep resen t s t he ap p earan ce wi t h
t he i nit ial cond it ion sh own i n one of
t he ph ot ogr aph ic stand ar d s. Ini tial
cond it ions (or r ust gr ad es) B and C
(ini tial cond it ion p hot ogr ap hs A an d B
ar e not i nclu d ed in t h e gu id e) ar e for
un coated s ur faces. Condi tions E, F, G,
and H are for pr evi ou sly p ai nt ed
su rfaces. Ini t ial cond i ti ons are d efi ned
in section 4.1 of t he st and ar d . Var iou s
ar eas of t he sur f ace t o be cleaned may
mat ch on e or mor e ini t ial cond it ion
p hotog rap hs.
2. From t he sp ecificat ion s, d et ermi ne t he
sp ecified d eg r ee of cleaning
d esig nated by one the fo ll owin g: WJ-
1, WJ-2, WJ-3, or WJ-4. A p os sible
sur face pr epar at ion met hod coul d be
NACE 5/ SSPC-SP12 WJ-2/ SC-3; the
sp ecified d eg r ee of cleaning is WJ-2.
No t e: The d esi gnat i on SC-3 i n t he
abov e examp le d en ot es accep ta ble
d eg r ee of cleaning for allowable
no nv i sibl e solu bl e salt cont ami nan t s
after water jet clea ning. The g u id e
d oe s n ot at temp t t o s how non visible
conta minants by p hot og r ap hic
illu st r ation. Ph ysical test ing is
r equ ir ed t o det er mine comp liance for
non visu al con ta minants an d is
discus se d in subse ction 28, Te sting
for Chlor id es on Pr ep ar ed Su r faces.
3. The guide shows photogr aphs of the
following fou r d egr ees for flash
ru st ing : (1) no ru st ing , (2) li ght ,
(3) med ium , and (4) heav y. These
de gre es of fla sh r usting ar e the
d eg r ees of ru st ing allowed to r em ain
on th e su r face aft er wate r jet cleaning.
The degr ees of flash r ust ing ar e
d enoted in the gu id e by the followin g:
(1) no let ter designat ion for no r ust ing,
(2) L for light , (3) M f or med iu m, and
(4) H for heavy. For exampl e, if light
flash ru st ing i s al lowed by t h e
sp ecificat ion s, a p os sible su rfa ce
pr epar at ion woul d be NACE 5/ SSPC-
SP12 WJ-2/ SC-3 L, whe re L i s t he
allowable amoun t of flash r u st ing, and
it is den ot ed i n t he gui de p hot ogr ap hs
as WJ-2 L.
select t he d egree of cl eani ng, den ot ed
by WJ-1, -2, -3, or -4, corresp on d i ng t o
t he i ni t ial con d i t ion t o obt ai n t he
cor r ect ph ot ogr ap hi c d esigna t ion.
5. If th e s p ecifica tions allow flas h r u st ing
to r em ain on th e s u r face , use ta ble 2 in
the visua l sta nda rd t o obta in the
corr ect p hotogr ap hic d esign ation . The
gu id e shows ph ot ogr ap hs f or the f our
d egrees of rust i ng p ai red on l y wi t h t he
ini tial cond it ions C and D.
6. Eval uat e t h e fi nished wat er jet t ed
su rface agai nst t he sel ect ed
30
p ho t ogr ap h i n st ep 4 and 5 above t o
de te rmi ne if the sur fa ce me ets the
sp ecified su rface prep arat i on requ i rement s
for clean liness.
Exampl e: The coat ing on t he i nt er ior
sur f ace of an exist ing st eel p ip e has
d et er ior at ed, and extensive r u st ing an d
p ittin g is ev id en t. Th e sp ecified su rfa ce
pr epar at ion method is NACE 5/ SSPC-
SP12, WJ-2/ SC-2 L.
r u st gr ad e D.
St ep 2: From t abl e 1, t he fini shed
sur fa ce photogr aph t hat corr esponds
t o r ust gr ad e D an d d egr ee of
clea ning WJ-2 is D WJ-2.
Step 3: From ta ble 2, th e a llow able
l igh t flash ru st ing t o remai n on t he
finish ed su r face is p hot og r ap h D WJ-2
L, corr espondi ng to rus t gr ade D
and light fl ash r u st ing L.
St ep 4: Eval uat e t h e fi nished wat er
jet ted sur f ace against ph ot ogr aph D
WJ-2 t o d et ermi ne i f t he su rface meet s
NACE 2/ SSPC-SP10 cleanliness
r equi r ement s and against ph ot ogr aph
D WJ-2 L for allowable r em aining
su rface fl ash ru st .
No t e: In t he above examp le, if light
flash ru st ing i s not al lowed by t h e
sp ecificat ion s (i.e., the su rfa ce
pr epar at ion method is NACE 5/ SSPC-
SP12 WJ-2/ SC-2), selection an d
ev alu ation of p hot og r ap h D WJ-2 L in
st eps 3 and 4 are exclu d ed .
31. Alternative Surface Preparation
Methods.Ther e are al t ern at i ves t o
t r ad it ional abr asive bl ast cleani ng met hod s
that may red u ce surface p rep ara tion costs,
du s t, or fouling of machiner y by small abrasive
p articles. These altern ative m eth od s, u nless
ot her wise n ot ed , ass u me a n exis tin g su rfa ce
(anchor) pr ofil e on t h e sub st rat e surface does
exist . If a su rface p rofil e d oes not exi st , or n ew
mat er ial r equi r es a d eeper p r ofile, t r adi t ional
abr asiv e blast cleaning mu st be em p loyed .
Th e follow ing sections p r ov id e a lter nativ e
cleani ng met hod s wi th an abbr evi at ed
de scr ipt ion.
(a) Sponge Abrasive Blasting.Thi s met hod
follows the tra d ition al abr asive blast meth od s,
except t hat the abr asive par t icles ar e
en cap su lated in a sp on ge mater ial. The
sp ong e mat eri al p reven t s abrasi ve pa rt i cl es
from brea ki ng u p an d d i ffusi ng on i mp act ,
t hus r edu cing t he amoun t of d ust . Spon ge
bl ast ing cr eat es abou t 10 t o 20 p er cent of
t he du st t hat wou ld be cr eated by
non en cap su lated abra sive m ater ials. The
met ho d d oes creat e a su rface pro fil e, an d t he
su r face cleanlin ess can be comp ar ed to SSPC-
VIS 1.
(b) Soda Bicarbonate Blasting.Thi s met hod
p rop el s large cryst al s of sod a bi carbon at e
(baking sod a) by p r es su r ize d air or water . It is
us ed mostly as a str ippe r for cle aning
conta minants an d for th in coa tin gs. Th er e is
no s u r face clea nlines s sta nd ar d for th is
met hod ; how ever, cl eanl iness can be sp ecified
to meet th e req u irements of a consen su s
su r face p r ep ar ation (e.g., NACE 3/ SSPC-SP6).
(c) Ice Blasting.Th is met hod p ro p els ice
p ar ticles by p re ssu riz ed air . On imp act , the ice
exert s a shee r force across t he su bst rat e
su r face , remov ing con ta minants an d th in
coat ing s. If d ry i ce is u sed , i t shou l d n ot be
u sed i n conf ined spaces becau se of car bon
d ioxid e bu ild u p . Ther e is n o s u rfa ce
cleanl i ness st and ard for t hi s met hod ; how ever,
clean l ine ss can be sp ecified t o meet t he
re qu iremen ts of a consensu s su rfa ce
p r ep ar ation (e.g., NACE 3/ SSPC-SP6).
(d) Chemical Strippers.Chemical str ipp er s
can be classified int o t wo gener i c comp osit ion
t yp es: (1) bond br eaker s and (2) caust ic. Bond
br ea ker st r ip p er s w or k by br ea king th e p aint's
mole cula r bonds betwe en pa int la ye rs a nd
bet ween t he pai nt and t he subst r ate so t hat
p aint w ill cr inkle u p and be ea sil y r emoved .
Bond breaker st rip p ers can cont ai n t olu ene,
me t hyle ne chloride , or me thyl e thyl ketone
th at r em ov es p aints in a r ela tiv ely sh or t t ime
Surface Preparation
31
bu t m ay be consid er ed hazar d ou s t o wor ker s.
Less hazar d ou s bon d br ea ker s conta in N-
met hyl -pryr rol id one (NMP) or d i basic est er
(DBE) comp ou nd s, bu t these rem ove p aint less
quickly. Bond br eaker s tr ipp ers will r emove
all coati ngs excep t oil-base d , inor ganic, and
met allic coat ings. Caust ic str ipp er s wor k by
soft ening t he ent i r e p aint system r at her t han
br eaking molecul ar bonds. Caust ic str ipp er s
can con ta in sod iu m, calciu m, an d magnes iu m
hy d roxi d e. Cau st ic st rip p ers are r est ri ct ed t o
oi l-based p ai nt s bu t wi ll not work on oi l-based
p aints th at a r e p igmen ted with alu minu m
flak es . This is b eca u se hyd r og en gas is
gen er ated when cau st ic com p ou nd s come in
cont act wi t h al um i nu m, t hu s p revent i ng t h e
cau st ic st r ip p er fro m p en et r atin g th e p aint
syst em.
Ch emical st r ip p er s ar e commonl y u sed f or
smal l areas wher e p ower i s not av ai labl e,
abr asi ve and wat er jet blast ing i s not
econom ically f easibl e, hose d ist ance is t oo
gr eat t o achi eve necessar y air p r essur e f or
blas tin g op er ations, or wher e a cces sibility is
l imi t ed. Ch emi cal st rip p ers are a l so used t o
minimize air bor ne p aint p ar ticles for or ganic
p aints or heavy-meta l base d p aints (e.g., lea d ).
In gener al, chemical str ipp er s may be messy,
may requir e r epet it ive app lications t o r emove
all for eign mat t er fr om t he subst r ate, and may
l eave a resid u e on t h e sub st rat e t hat requ i res
solven t clea ning. Ther e is n o s u rfa ce
cleanl i ness st and ard for t hi s met hod ; how ever,
clean l ine ss can be sp ecified t o t he
re qu iremen ts of a consensu s su rfa ce
p r ep ar ation (e.g., NACE 3/ SSPC-SP6).
33
Chapter VII
Environmental Conditions
Col d weat h er, hi gh h u mi di t y, wat er, fog, frost ,
mi st, r ain, ice , a nd snow a re some of the
envi ron ment al fact ors d et ri ment al t o t he
per f or mance of coat ings. Coatings shoul d be
ap p lied u nd er opt imu m envi r onment al
cond itions, bu t t he w ea th er can ab r u p tly
change. Th e p r ev ailing en vir on men ta l ru le-of-
th u mb is t hat e vap or ati on sh ou ld be occu r r ing.
Common sense, t he man uf act ur er s
i nst ru ct ion s, an d i nd u st ry p ract i ces ap p ear t o
be t he m ost commonl y foll owed gu i del ines
r eg ar d ing en vir on men ta l con d itions d u r ing
coati ng ap p lica ti on and th e cu r ing p er iod .
Failu r e t o conf or m w it h envi r onment al
r est r ictions r esul t s in a v ar i et y of ap p lication
failu res.
32. Environmental Factors Affecting
Coatings.Th e follow ing ar e fiv e
en vir on men ta l fact or s t hat r eq u ir e m on itor ing
d ur i ng coat ing ap pl icat ion and t he cur e
p er iod . (See app end ix K for t est p r ocedu r es on
th e fact or s b elow.)
(a) Ambient Temperature.Dur ing the
ap p lication of coat ings, Reclamat ion
sp ecificat ion s r equ ire th at th e a ir a nd su rfa ce
t emp er at ur e be 50 d egr ees F or hi gher and
wit hin t he manu fact ur er s up per t emp er atur e
limit or accor d ing to the manu factu r es
inst r u ctions, whichev er is th e m or e r es tr ictiv e
r equi r ement . Except ions ar e mad e for coat ings
for mu late d for cold weath er ap p lica ti ons.
Am bi ent (ai r ) t emp er at ur e i s imp or t ant f or
successfu l film for mat ion an d cur i ng. Some
ep oxy coa tin gs ap p lied below 50 d eg r ees F w ill
not cu r e, and cu r ing will not p r oceed ev en if
t emp erat u res exceed 50 d egrees F at a lat er
ti me.
A gen er al ru le-of-th u mb in th e coatin g
i nd u st ry i s t o ap p l y coat i ngs at ambi ent
tem p er at u re s betw een 40 and 95 degre es F,
d ep en d ing on th e coatin g mater ial.
(b) Surface Substrate Temperature.
Reclamat ion specificat ions r equi r e that
coat ings be app lied w hen t emp er atur es ar e
50 d egrees F or h i gher an d wi t hi n t he
man u fact u rers u p p er l imi t or accord i ng t o
t he man uf act ur er s inst r uct ions. The mor e
r est r ict ive r equ ir ement w ill be followed .
In gener al , i nd u st ry p ract ice requi res
su r face temp er atu r e b et ween ab ou t 40
and 125 d egr ees F.
(c) Relative Humidity.Reclamat ion d oes not
sp ecify limits for r ela tiv e h u mid ity; rath er , it
sp ecifies t hat t h e coat ing be ap p l ied wi t hi n t he
manu fact u r er s r ecommend ed hu mid it y r ange.
Gen er al ind u st r y p r actice r eq u ir es a m aximu m
rel at i ve hu mi di t y of abou t 80 t o 85 p ercent ,
except for t hose coat ings t hat ar e less moi st ur e
sensit ive or ar e moi stu r e cu r ed . However , as
a gen eral ru l e-of-t hu mb, t he closer t o t h e
op t i mu m rel at ive h u mi di t y, t he more l ikel y t o
ach ieve th e d esig ned ser vice life.
(d) Dew Point.Th e d ew p oin t d et er mines if
moistur e w ill for m on t he fer r ous subst r ates by
cond ensa ti on or if moist u r e will evap or ate .
Moi st ure wi ll form on ferrou s subst rat e
su rfaces whe n t h e d ew p oi nt i s hi gher t ha n t h e
sur face temper at ur e. Conver sely, moistur e
will not for m when th e s u r face temp er atu r e is
highe r th an the d ew p oint. Dew p oint is a
fun ct ion of ambi ent t emp erat u re, subst rat e
t emp erat u re, and rel at ive h u mi di t y. Al l t hree
of t hese envir onment al cond it ions must be
kn own t o d et ermi ne t he d ew p oi nt .
Reclamat i on sp ecificat ion s requ i re t hat t h e
fer r ou s su bst r ate temp er atu r e b e a minimu m
of 5 d egrees F hi gher t h an t he d ew p oi nt when
coat ings ar e app lied. The coat ing i ndu str y
imp ose s t he sa me d ew p oint r est r ict ion.
Recl amat i on speci fi cat i ons requ i re su rfaces
tha t a re not thoroughly dr y to be hea te d or the
envi r onment cont r olled by d ehu mid ifying an d
heat i ng equ i pment t o d ri ve off moi st u re.
34
Moi st ure cond ensat i on w i ll begi n whe n t h e
su bst rat e t emp erat u re i s l ess t han t he d ew
p oint . To allow for p ossibl e inst r u ment at ion
er r or or var i at ion, a mini mu m safet y mar gi n of
5 de gre es F substr ate te mpe r atur e a bove the
d ew poi nt is r egar ded as a gener al ind ust r y
requ i rement .
(e) Wind.Reclamat ion d oes not specify a
maximu m wind velocity r es tr iction in coa tin g
ap p l icat ion s. Wi nd becomes a fact or w he n i t
overcomes t he sp rayi ng op erat i on an d carries
coat ing p art i cl es away from t he i nt end ed
sur face. This pr oblem is known as air bor ne
ov er sp r ay. Air bor ne over sp r ay may r es u lt in
pr emat ur e dr yi ng of t he coat ing befor e
r eachi ng t he int end ed sur f ace, a lower DFT at
th e sp ra y a p p lication p oin t, a h igh er DFT
downwind, or spr a y being ca rr ie d to adja ce nt
veh i cl es, hom es, or ot her su rfaces not i nt end ed
t o be coat ed. Common sen se shou l d be u sed
to av oid airborn e ov ersp ray p rob lems.
35
Chapter VIII
Application and Curing
Coat i ng ap p lication i s next i n i mp ort an ce aft er
su rface p rep ara tion, an d accounts for most
failu re s. A coa tin g is not a fin ish ed p ro d u ct
u nt i l it ha s been su ccessfu l ly ap p l ied t o t he
st eel su bst r ate an d cu r ed . Coatin g
p er for mance is affect ed d u r ing ap p licat ion and
cu r ing by t emp er at ur e, r elat ive hu mid it y, and
d ew p oint . (See chap t er VII, Envir onment al
Cond it ions.) Mi xing, num ber of coat s and
thickn ess, and ap p lication tech niqu e will also
affect coat i ng p erforman ce. Not obser vi ng t he
env i ronment al rest rict ions or i mp rop er
ap p lication tech niqu es can resu lt in d efects,
p remat u re fail ure, or red u ced serv i ce li fe.
33. Application Temperature and Humidity
Restrictions.Envir onment al cond it ions ar e
not always cont r ollable. Weat her may
abr u p t l y cha ng e, an d cond i t ion s may v i olat e
t he m an u fact u rers t emp erat u re an d hu mi di t y
r est r ict ions. Unl ess cond it ions can be
cont r olled by d ehu mid ifyi ng, heat i ng, or a
combination of b ot h, field ap p licat ion sh ou ld
p r oceed only d u r ing favor able weath er .
Coa t i ng i n h i gh h u mi di t y ar eas, su ch as t h e
int er ior s of vaul t s or pi pes, shoul d be
p er for med on ly when th e envir on men t is
contr olled by d ehu mid ifying, heati ng, or both .
Reclamat i on sp ecificat ion s p rov i de t h e
foll owi ng t emp erat u re an d hu mi di t y
r estr ictions, u nless the manu factu r er s
i nst ru ct ion s are more st ri ng ent :
Air an d su bst r ate temp er atu r es sh all
be a bov e 50 d eg r ees F d u r ing
a pplica tion and c uring and w ithin the
manu fact ur er s up per t emp er atur e
l imi t .
Su r f aces shal l be a mini mu m of
5 d eg r ees F a bov e t he d ew p oin t
temp er atu r e a t t he t ime of coa tin g
a pplica tion.
Relat i ve hu mi di t y sh al l be w i t hi n t he
man u factur ers limits.
34. Coating Layers.Reclam ation typ ically
sp ecifies t he n u mber of coats to be a p p lied in
t he coat ing t abul ations. The following t er ms
p rov ide a d escription of the coat ing layers:
(a) Stripe Coat.St ri pe coat s are ap p l ied
to p rep are d bar e metal ed ges, bolthead s,
we lds , corne rs, a nd simi la r e dges before the
pr i me coat is app lied. St r ipe coat s ar e
nece ssar y beca u se, as th e coatin g d r ies, tensile
forces are creat ed at t he ed ges, forci ng t h e
coat ing t o p u l l away from t he ed ge i n bot h
d i rect i ons, resul t i ng i n a t h i nner coat i ng at t h e
ed ge. St r ip coat s p r ovi de an ad d it ional
t hickness bui ld u p t o pr event t hi n, DFT at
ed ges.
(b) Prime Coat.Pri me coat s are ap p l ied
ov er th e entir e s u r face to be coated , inclu d ing
st rip e coat ed ar eas. The p ri me coat mu st cover
the p eak s of the su rface p rofile. The
consequ en ce of not cov er ing th e p ea ks is
pi np oint r ust ing.
(c) Intermediate Coat.Int ermed i at e
coats ar e a p p lied ov er th e p r imer to p r ov id e
ad d it ional p r ote ct ion or to seal th e p r imer .
Mu l t ip l e int er med i at e coat s can b e ap p l ied t o
bu ild u p the film thickn ess.
(d) Topcoat.Top coat s or fini she d coat s
are ap p l ied over t he p ri mer or i nt ermed i at e
coat for col or aest het i cs or t o p rot ect t he
u nd er lini ng coat ing mat er ial fr om sun light and
UV li ght .
(e) Base Coat.Base coat i s a t erm often
u sed t o d escr ibe a self-p r iming mat er ial
ap p lied in mu ltip le coats. The ter m, base
coats , is u se d inst ead of p r imer ,
inter med iat e, an d t op coat beca u se all
36
t hr ee coat s are of t he same mat eri al . Base coat s
ar e not nor mally consid er ed sunl ight or UV
resi st ant .
35. Mixing.Befor e a p p licat ion , th e coatin g
ma t er ia ls r equir e mi xing to ma ke the paint
homogeneous and u ni for m. Liqu id s and
p i gment s of di fferent d ensi t ies may sep arat e,
sett le, or for m a s kin with in th e s hip p ing
cont ai ner. Mi xi ng i s t o be p erformed
accord ing to the man u factur ers instru ction s.
Coat i ngs ar e eit her singl e-comp onen t or
mu ltip le-comp on en t. Mos t mu ltip le-
comp onent coati ngs a r e tw o-comp onent.
Epoxies are an examp l e of a t wo-comp onen t
coati ng. Th ey conta in a r esin and a har d ener .
The comp onen t s of a mu l ti pl e-comp onen t
coatin g can be in eq u al p r op or tions (e.g., 1:1)
or u nequ al p r op or t ions ( e.g., 1:4). Pr op or t ions
are d eterm ined by volum e. Comp on ents mu st
be sh ipp ed in sep ara te containe rs. Regard less
of the p rop ort i on vol u me for mu l ti pl e-
comp on en t mater ials , th e m anu fact u r er will
shi p on e cont ai ner l arge en ou gh t o ho l d a l l t he
compon ent s for mixing.
The following a re common mixing meth od s:
Man u ally pad d ling (the most
inefficient met hod ).
Mechanically agit ating or pad d ling.
Shaki ng.
Boxing ( r equi r es pou r ing t he mat er ial
from t he ori gi nal ship p i ng cont ai ner
into an em p ty con ta iner an d r ep ea tin g
the p rocess sev era l times). It is most
oft en u sed for sing l e-comp on ent ,
moisture-cur ed mater ials.
If the man u factur er r ecommend s thinn ers,
t hey are ad d ed i n t he r ecommend ed amou nt s
d u ri ng mi xi ng. Aft er mi xi ng, some mu l ti pl e-
comp on en t mater ials r eq u ir e a 10- to 30-
minu t e ind u ct ion p er iod t o allow chemical
r eactions t o begi n befor e ap p lication.
36. Application Method.Once t he su rfa ce
substr ate has bee n proper ly pr epa r ed a nd
env i ronment al cond i ti ons are wi thi n sp ecified
toler ances , th e a p p licat ion of t he coatin g
mat eri al may p roceed. There are severa l
equ i pment choi ces from t ran sferring t he
coati ng fr om th e conta iner to th e su bst r ate .
App lica tion equipme nt ma y be dicta te d by the
mate r ial ty p e and th e siz e of th e su r face ar ea.
Th e m anu fact u r er s in st r u ctions w ill nor mally
p r ovi d e t he p r efer r ed ap p lication met hod for
sm all and lar ge ar eas.
The following i s a descr ip t ion of app lication
equ ipm ent an d meth od s.
(a) Brush.Ther e t wo gener al t ypes of
br u shes: wal l and sash. They come i n var i ou s
sizes, shap es, and bri st le t yp es. For st eel
sub st r at es, wal l br u shes ar e nor mal ly u sed f or
sm all ar eas, r ep air ar eas, a nd cr evices or gap s.
Wall or ov al br u sh es ar e w ell su ited for st r ip e
coating irregu lar su rfaces such as ed ges,
corn ers, bolthead s, an d similar a rea s. Sash
br u shes ar e bet ter sui t ed f or coat ing n ar r ow
are as.
(b) Mitten.Mi t ten or pai nt pad s hold mor e
coati ng th an a br u sh , bu t t hey r equ ir e a tr ay.
Th is ap p licat ion met hod is u sed for small,
ir r egul ar ly shap ed str u ct ur es such as
han d rails.
(c) Roller.Roller s consist of t wo gener al
p ar t s: cover an d cor e. The cover i s t he sect ion
th at a p p lies th e coatin g an d will var y in
d i amet er, lengt h , fabri c t yp e, an d fiber l engt h
(nap ). Roller s ar e nor mally u sed f or lar ge flat
ar eas (hor izont al and ver t ical sur faces) t hat ar e
t oo lar ge for br ush app licat ion or wher e
ov er sp r ay can not be t ole r ated . Thr ee basic
t yp es of r ol ler s ar e di scu ssed bel ow.
Pipe roller.Pi pe r ol ler s consi st s of t wo or
mor e r oller s hi nged t oget her t o conf or m t o a
curv ed sur face such a s a smal l-di amet er p i pe.
Fence roller.Fence r oller s have an extr a
long n ap so t hat when ap p lyi ng a coating f r om
37
one si de of a hur r i cane or w ir e fence, t he l ong
nap will cover both sides.
Pressure roller.Pressu re rol lers feed a
p er for at ed cor e wit h a st eady sup p ly of
coat ing mat er ial fr om a pr essur i zed t ank.
(d) Conventional Spray (applied cold or
hot).
Equipment.An air com p r es sor , an oil
and wat er separ at or , a p r essur e t ank ( pot ) or
pu mp, air and flui d h oses, and a spr ay gun ar e
ne ed ed . For hot spray, a heat er i s ad d ed t o
heat th e mat er ial to ab ou t 150 to 160 d egre es F.
Working principle.Com p r es sed air is
int r od u ced int o t he coat ing st r eam at t he spr ay
gu n noz zle, th u s br ea king d ow n th e coatin g
int o t iny d r opl et s (coat ing at omizat ion) and
p rop el li ng t he coat i ng t o t he su rface sub st rat e.
Advantages.The conven t ional sp r ay
met hod p r ov id es mor e fin ely at om ize d coa tin g
par t icles, r esul t ing i n a smoother and mor e
u nifor m film. Lar ge a r ea s can be cover ed in a
rel at i vely sh ort t i me. Op erat or cont rol of t he
sp ray gu n is excellent. The sp ray gu n has a
hi gh d egree of versat il it y regar d i ng d i fferent
coatin g mater ials an d sp r ay p att er ns. Str ip ing
can be accomp lished by t hi s met h od .
For hot sp r ay ap p licat ion , th e v iscosit y is
l owered t o imp rove a p p l icat ion or t o meet
mi nimu m mat eri al t emp erat u re.
Disadvantages.The conven t ional sp r ay
meth od u se s la r ge amou nts of air .
Con sequen t ly, t r ansf er efficiency is low
(mat er ial is lost) beca u se of bou nce back
(rebound ) and oversp ray. The rebou nd makes
it d ifficult t o co at cor ner s and cr ev ices . This
met hod is n ot gen er ally su ita ble for high-bu ild
coati ng mate r ials w it hou t e xcess ive th inning.
Use.Th is met hod is u sed on nea r ly all
Reclamat ion st r u ctu r es wher e over sp r ay i s not
a concern. The h ot spr ay met hod i s u sed
d ur i ng cooler weat her .
(e) High-Volume, Low-Pressure (HVLP)
Spray.
Equipment.This me thod r equir es a high-
volu me a ir su p p ly (com p r es sed air or tu r bine
gener at or ), a mat er ial sup p ly system, and an
HVLP spr a y gun.
Working principle.A high volu me of air
at omi zes the coat ing mat er ial at a low pr essur e
an d t ran sfers t he at omi zed coat ing p art i cles t o
t he su bst rat e by l ow p ressur e.
Advantages.The met hod has a b et t er
t r ansfer efficiency (less mat er ial lost) t han h as
th e conven tional sp ra y met hod , an d bou nce
ba ck an d oversp ra y a re r ed u ced . The HVLP
sp ray g u n i s more cont rol labl e t han ot her
sp ray gu ns. The met ho d works wel l wi t h
high-solid s coatin g mater ial.
Disadvantages.The cover age or
p r od u ct ion r at e is less t han w it h ot her spr ay
met hod s, and t he met hod may not at omi ze
certain coa ting mater ials.
Uses.Thi s met h od i s l imi ted t o smal ler
ar eas or sur f aces t hat cont ai n nu mer ou s
recesses.
(f) Airless Spray (Applied Cold or Hot).
Equipment.This meth od requ ires a
p ow er sou r ce (elect r ic mot or or air
comp r ess or ), a hyd r au lic p r ess u r e p u mp , a
hi gh-p r essu r e flu id hose, and an ai r less spr ay
gu n with a s afet y extension tip .
Working principle.At omi za tion of the
coat ing i s achi eved by f or cing t he mat er ial
th r ou gh a s mall or ifice u sin g hyd r au lic
pr essur e r ather t han air pr essur e. The high-
pr essur e pu mp m ul t ipl ies t he inp ut p r essur e
by a mi ni mu m fact or of 30, su ch t hat t he
ou t p u t p ressur e at t he sp ray g u n p rod u ces
p r essu r es up t o about 6,000 p si. The sp r ay gu n
ha s a fi xed ori fi ce size an d vari ou s fi xed ang l es
t o allow sever al spr ay f an pat t er ns and
t hicknesses t o be ap p lied wit h t he same
amou nt of mater ial.
Advantages.Thi s met h od p rovi d es
gr ea ter cap acity for ap p lying high bu ild
coatings, gr eater su rface p enetra tion b ecau se
of hi gh ap p lication p r essur es, hi gh cover age or
38
pr od uct ion r at es, t he capacit y to atomize high
vi scosit y mat er ial, r edu ced over spr ay and
bou nce b ack, an d th e p ot en tia l for r ed u ced oil
a nd wa te r conta mina tion.
Disadvantages.Thi s met hod d oes not
p rod u ce the finel y at omi zed coat i ng p art i cl es
t hat ar e pr od u ced by conven t ional sp r ay, and
it is not su ited for h igh qu ality finishe s. The
oper at or has less cont r ol of t he spr ay gu n t han
wit h t he convent ional spr ay met hod, and t her e
i s a h i gher p ot en t i al for ap p l icat ion d efect s
than with th e con ve ntional sp ra y meth od . The
high p ressu res ar e cau se for safety con cerns.
Uses.This met hod is best suit ed t o lar ge
su r face ar eas w her e over sp r ay is n ot a concer n.
It is u se d on near ly all Re clamati on st r u ct u r es.
The hot sp r ay met hod is used for ap p lication
d ur i ng cooler weat her .
(g) Air-Assisted Airless Spray.Ai r-assi st ed
air less spr ay ap p licat ion equ ip ment was
d evel oped t o comb i ne some of t he ad van t ages
of con ven t i onal and ai rless spr ay syst ems int o
one syst em.
hyd r au lic p r es su r e p u mp (500 to 1,000 psi),
hoses, an ai r comp r essor (10 t o 15 p si), and a
spr a y gun.
Working principle.The at omizat ion of
t he coat i ng i s simi lar t o t h e at omi zat ion of t he
ai rl ess sprayer, bu t t he p ressu re i s lower at t h e
or i fice of t he spr ay gu n w it h t hi s met h od ,
nor mally at ab ou t 10 p si.
Advantages.This met hod pr ovi des mor e
finel y at omi zed coat i ng p art i cl es, a l ower
p ot ent i al for ap p l icat ion d efects, and bet t er
oper ator contr ol of the spr a y gun tha n the
air less met hod . Also, tr ansfer efficiency is
bet ter than w it h t he convent ional spr ayer .
Disadvantages.Thi s met h od i s not su i ted
for hi gh- qu al it y fini shes becau se at omi zat ion
ap p r oaches but d oes not equal at omizat ion
with th e conven tional sp r ayer met hod . This
me t hod p r odu ce s ove rspr a y a nd r ebound .
Uses.Thi s met hod is sui tabl e for
medi um t o lar ge sur f ace ar eas wh er e
over spr a y a nd r ebound a re not a conce rn.
(h) Electrostatic Spray.
Equipment.The equipme nt us ed in the
el ect rost at i c sp ray met ho d i s simi lar t o
conven t iona l , ai rless, and ai r-assist ed spr ayer
equi pment , except t hat an elect r ost atic, hi gh-
vol t age su p p l y is requ i red.
Working principle.At omized coat ings
ar e a p p lied to th e s u bst r ate by con ven tional,
air less , or air -assist ed sp ra y equ ip men t, which
is connect ed to an el ect r ost ati c p ower sou r ce.
The coat ing mat eri al i s p osit ivel y charged ,
and t he su bst rat e i s neg at i vely charg ed
(conv ent i onal electri cal theor y). Sp rayed ,
p osit ivel y charged , at omi zed coat i ng p art i cl es
are at t ract ed t o n egat i vely charg ed sub st rat e.
Advantages.The elect r ost at ic spr ay
met hod is cap abl e of ap p lyi ng coatings t o od d
sha pes a nd a round corne rs, a nd ove rspr a y a nd
r ebound mat er ial in confined spaces ar e
rea ttracted to th e su bstr ate. This meth od has a
high tr an sfer efficiency r ate an d p rod u ces a
uniform f inish.
Disadvantages.The wind ma y ca rr y the
coatin g mater ial a way, th e m et hod allows only
on e t hi n coat , t he coverag e an d p rod u ct ion rat e
ar e less th an wit h th e oth er sp r ay meth od s, a
cond u ctiv e coatin g for mu lat ion is u su ally
r equi r ed , t he met hod is unsu it able for lar ge
stru ctures, and this meth od p resen ts a
pot ent ial elect r ical shock hazar d.
Uses.Th is met hod is su ited to small
ar eas behi nd cor ner s, r ecessed ar eas, ir r egul ar
ar eas, or ar eas that cannot be coat ed by
conv ent i onal -t yp e ap p l icat ion equ i pment .
(i) Plural Component Spray.This sp r ay
ap p l icat ion met ho d i s t he m ost comp l ex of t he
spr ay equi pment gr oup an d shoul d be used by
app licat ors wh o ar e t r ained and cer tified by
t he coating m anu factu r er . This app lication
met hod i s commonly used t o app ly t wo or
39
mor e compon ent mat er ials (hence, t he ter m
p lu r al) such as pol yur et hanes and p olyu r eas
t hat can hav e an ext r emely shor t set per i od
(3 to 30 second s for mater ial t o h ar d en ).
pr op or t ioning p um p, a mi x mani fold , a mixer ,
a spr ay gu n, mat er ial sup p ly cont ainer s, and a
solvent p u r ge (flu sh) cont ainer . Mat er ial can
be app lied by convent ional, air less, or air -
assist ed spr ay equ ip ment , bu t sp ecial spr ay
guns a re re quir ed. The equipme nt a nd
mat er ials m ay be h ea ted to d ecr ea se th e cu re
pe riod a nd a llow for cle anup.
Working principle.In d iv id u a l
comp on en ts ar e m ixed th r ou gh a m et er ing
syst em th at in clu d es a p r op or tioning p u mp , if
mi x r atios a re othe r tha n one -to-one, a nd
d eliver ed at t he sp r ay gu n or at t he sp r ay tip .
Th is met hod eliminates p r em ixin g in a
p ressu re p ot .
Advantages.With th is met hod , it is
p ossi ble t o ap p l y hi gh -bui ld , hi gh -vi scosit y
mat er ial s in on e pass, eliminat e l imit ed p ot
life, an d may p rov ide red u ced cur e times.
Disadvantages.Thi s met h od requ i res
p r ecise pr esett ing of pr op or t ioni ng and
t emp erat u re syst ems. It requ i res immed i at e
an d thorou gh clean ing o f equ ipm ent after u se
to p r ev en t mater ial fr om sett ing u p . It is
i mp ract ical for smal l jobs; i t requ i res t rai ned
op erat ors fami li ar wi th t h e speci fi c equ i pment
and mat eri al t o be u sed .
Uses.It is su it able for lar ge sur f aces that
ar e subject t o bu r ial, immer sion, and chemical
exp os u r es r eq u ir ing th ick bar r ier coa tin g
mater ial.
37. Application Technique.Reclamat ion
d oes not sp ecify t he p roced u re or t ech ni qu e t o
ap p ly th e coatin g. Recla mation r eq u ir es on ly
t ha t t he coat i ng be ap p l ied i n accord an ce wi t h
the man u factur ers instru ction s. These
i nst ru ct ion s are p rov i ded i n t he
ma nuf actur er s a pplica tion she et. The
ap p lication t echni qu e used by t he ap p licator
will va ry slightly with the type of e quipme nt
and mat er ial. Most coat ing jobs ar e
accomp lished u sing b r u sh, r ol ler s, spr ay er s, or
a combinat ion of these tools; how ever , spr ay
equ i pment i s t he most commonl y u sed
met hod . Sever al good p r act ice t ip s for spr ay
ap p lications ar e d iscu ssed bel ow.
(a) Pot Pressures.The p r essur e p ot
shou ld hav e t wo p r essur e gau ges: one f or pot
p ressu re an d on e for at omi zat ion of t he
coating m at er ial . The pr essur e p ot r egul at or
shou ld p r ovi d e suf ficient p r essur e t o move
coat ing mat er ial t hr ou gh t he h ose t o the spr ay
gu n. The at omizat ion p r essur e r egu lat or
should be se t high enough to atomiz e the
coatin g mater ial. A sett ing th at is too low will
cause t he mat er ial t o clu mp or p ossibl y clog
the spr a y gun.
(b) Air Compressor. Com p r es sed air
shou ld flow at a stead y r at e. Pu lsat ion of
mat eri al from t he sp ray g u n n ormal ly i nd i cat es
an inad equat e air sup pl y.
(c) Spray Gun Technique.The spr ay gu n
shou ld be hel d p er p end icul ar t o and abou t
18 inches aw ay fro m th e s u bst r ate. This
d ist ance may v ar y slight l y wi t h d iffer ent sp r ay
app ar atus. Angl ing, t ilt ing, or hold ing t he gun
t oo close or t oo far away cou l d cau se t he
coati ng to sa g or d r y befor e hit ti ng th e su r face.
The spr ay p at t er n shou ld over l ap t he p r evi ous
p ass by a p p roxi mat el y 50 p ercent , and t he
st roke l engt h of each p ass shou l d be b et ween
18 t o 36 inches. The ap p l icat or shou l d make a
pa ss of the spr a y gun by moving the ar m a nd
bod y, rat her t ha n r ot at i ng t h e wri st t o fan t he
gun.
38. Drying, Recoating, and Curing.Dr ying
and cu r ing ar e not i nt er chan geable t er ms as
they r elate to coatings. SSPC d efines cure a s,
Th e p r oces s of changing th e p r op er ties of a
p ai nt from i ts li qui d st at e int o a d ry, stabl e,
sol id p rot ect i ve fi lm by chemi cal react ion wi t h
oxygen, moi st ur e, or chemical ad d it ives, or by
t he app licat ion of heat or r ad iat ion.
Accor di ng t o thi s d efini tion, coat ings t hat for m
p r ot ect ive f ilms wit hou t chemical r eaction d o
not cu r e, bu t only d r y to for m a film. Dr ying is
the loss of solve nt or w ater , and the p rocess
ma y or ma y not form a pr ote ctive film. Cur ing
will alw ays p r od u ce a p r ot ect ive film.
40
Once t h e coat ing ha s been ap p l ied , t he
insp ect or can d o lit tle, exce p t t o p r ot ect new ly
coat ed su rfaces from bei ng d amaged an d no t e
temp er atu r e a nd hu mid ity d u r ing th e cu r ing
p er iod to en su r e th at p r op er cu r e is obta ined .
Man u fact u rers inst r u ct ion s may l i st a va ri et y
of t ime per i ods for d r ying, r ecoat ing, and
cur i ng at v ari ou s t emp erat u re an d hu mi di t y
combinat ions. These time per iods ar e
d iscu ssed below.
(a) Drying.Dr ying is the per iod whe n a
coat ed i tem can be moved or when i t can
accep t t r affic with ou t d amaging th e coatin g
befor e ful l cur e at a r efer enced t emper at ur e
an d hu mid ity. Mos t man u fact u re rs p ro d u ct
d ata sh eets r efer to d r ying tim es a s ta ck fr ee,
t o t ou ch, to han d le, or, to sta ck (t o s tack
items one on top of a not her , e.g., pip e
st acki ng), meani ng t he t i me bet ween
ap p lication an d when t he sur face is t ack f r ee or
d r y en ou gh to tou ch , to hand le, or to st ack.
Reclam ation sp ecifica tions consid er a co atin g
t o be d r y w hen it cann ot be d ist or t ed or
r emoved by exer t ing su bst ant ial, bu t less t han
ma ximu m, pr essur e wi th the thumb and
t u rn i ng t h e t hu mb t h rou gh 90 d egrees i n t h e
p lane of th e coati ng film.
(b) Recoating.Thi s is al so referred t o as t o
r ecoat or r ecoat w ind ow . Th is is t he t ime
p er iod wher e a pr evi ous coat ing can r eceive an
i nt ermed i at e coat or a t opcoat at a referenced
t emp er at ur e and hu mid it y. Wh en t he r ecoat
wind ow has been excee d ed , th e coatin g
su rfa ce may re qu ire fu rt her su rfa ce
pr ep ar ation for whi ch most manu fact ur er s
recommend abrad i ng t he su rface or sol vent
app licat ion or both. Recoat wind ows var y
wi del y, from a few mi nu t es t o a mon t h or
lon ger , d ep en d ing on th e t yp e of coa tin g
mater ial. If temp er atu r e a nd hu mid ity ar e n ot
shown o r are ou t sid e t he l i sted val u es on t he
manu fact u r er s in st r u ctions, th e coatin g
manu fact u r er sh ou ld be consu lt ed .
Reclamat i on sp ecificat ion s specify t he
manu factu r er s r ecommend ed r ecoat wind ow
becau se recoat wi nd ows var y gr eat l y wi t h
mate r ial ty p e.
(c) Curing.Thi s is t he necessar y t ime per i od
at a referen ced t emp erat u re an d hu mi di t y
combi nat i on t o al low t he coat i ng t o comp l et e
t he chemical r eact ion and t o achi eve st r uct ur al
i nt egri t y so t h at i t wi ll be read y for t he
int end ed ser vice exposu r e. Excessive moistur e
and low or hi gh hu mid it y or temp er at ur e can
stop or r etar d the curing p rocess. Most
manu fact u r er s in st r u ction sh eets p r ov id e
i nformat i on for cure t i me an d cur e t i me t o
imm e rsion.
Cu r r en tly, th er e is no a ll-en comp assing
met hod t o det er mine i f a coat ing h as
comp l etel y cu red .
41
Chapter IX
Field Inspection and Testing
Fiel d i nsp ect ion an d t est ing i s necessary t o
en su r e coatin g p er for mance a nd to ver ify
specificat ion accept ance. Field insp ect ion and
test ing ar e p er for med in th e follow ing coa tin g
areas: (1) su rface prep arat i on , (2) wet p ai nt ,
(3) har d ened p aint , and (4) d est r uctive t esting.
39. Surface Preparation Tests.The
foll owi ng t est s are performed on p rep ared
su r face s befor e coatin g ap p licat ion s and ar e in
ad d i ti on t o t he p hot og rap hi c st and ard s (see
chap ter VI, su bsection 29, Phot og r ap hic
Insp ect ion Stand ar d s ).
(a) Testing for Chlorides on Prepared
Surfaces.Solu ble salts, esp ecia lly th e ch lor id e
ion, if left on p rep are d su rfaces, can cau se
coatin gs t o b list er . If chlor id e conta mination is
suspected, Reclamat ion specificat ions r equi r e
t est ing t o d et er mine t he p r esence and
con cen tr at ion of ch lor id e ions after th e su rfa ce
p r ep ar ati on of p r eviou sly coate d meta lwor k.
(See ap p en d ix L for p r oced u r es .) If NACE
5/ SSPC-SP12 sur face p rep arat i on i s sp ecified ,
th e st and ar d r equ ir es t est ing for solu ble sa lt s.
For i mmersi on serv i ce exp osu re, t he
acceptan ce criteria for chlor ides is 7
micr og r ams p er squ ar e centimet er or less.
(b) Surface Profile and Adhesion.Surfa ce
p r of ile (or anchor p at t er n) is t he t opogr ap hy of
t he fini shed , abrasi vel y bl ast ed sur face. When
vi ewed p erp end i cu l ar t o t he sur face p l ane,
jagged p eaks and valleys can be observed.
Var ious peak hei ghts and val ley dep t hs can be
achieved by t he type and s ize of t he abrasive
mat er ials used. Sur f ace pr ofile is classified by
de pt h and t extur e pr oduce d. Dept h is the
measu rement of t he aver age d i st ance bet ween
t he p eaks an d t he v al leys. Text u re i s t he
angu lar fini shed app ear ance of t he peaks and
valleys, r anging fr om jagged to r ou nd ed . A
jagged t ext ur e will nor mally pr od uce bet ter
a dhe sion.
The p u rp ose of t he su rface pro fil e is t o
p romot e ad he si on of t he coat i ng t o t h e
su bstr at e. Abra sively blastin g a s u rfa ce
incr eases the sur face ar ea, t hus p r odu cing a
gr eat er ar ea for coating ad hesi on. Ad hesi on
st r en gth is p r imar ily ach iev ed by ion ic
bonding be twe en the coating and t he
su bst rat e. Int ercoat ad hesi on i s achi eved
chiefly by cov alent bon d ing. In g en er al, th ick
coatin gs r eq u ir e a d eep er p r ofile th an th in
coatin gs. Th er e is an op timu m su r face p r ofile
d ep th for th e s p ecified coa tin g mater ial. If a
p r of ile is t oo shal low, t he coating m ay not
achiev e p r op er ad hes ion . If a su r face p r ofile is
too h igh, th e coatin g may not cov er th e p r ofile
p eak s, resu lting in p inp oint ru sting . The
manu fact u rers pr od u ct d at a sheet
re com men d s th e su rfa ce p ro file for ea ch
specific coat ing p r imer .
The p rofil e may b e measu red wi t h an y of t he
following:
Su r f ace pr ofile comp ar at or
Di al sur face pr ofile gauge
Sprin g micromet er an d re p lica
imp r ession t ape
Recl amat i on speci fi es t he sp ri ng mi cromet er
a nd r eplica imp r ession ta pe me thod us ing
NACE RP 0287, St and ard Recommend ed
Pra ctice for Field Mea su re men t of Surfa ce
Profil e of Abrasi ve Bl ast Cl eaned St eel
Su rfaces Usi ng a Rep l ica Tap e. (See
ap p end ix M for th e p r oced u r e.)
Some old er ver sions of Reclamat ion
sp ecificat ion s specify ASTM D 4417, St and ard
Test Met hod s for Field Measur ement of
Su r f ace Pr ofile of Blast Cleaned St eel, met hod
C. Essen tially, NACE RP 0287 an d ASTM D
4417 ar e equ ivalent, p ro vid ed th at th e corr ect
mi l ran ge rep l ica t ape i s used .
42
Du r ing insp ect ion s, p r ot ect ive g lov es sh ou ld
be worn t o avoi d cont ami nat ing t he fini shed
p r ep ar ed su r face wit h oil and sa lt p er sp ir ati on.
Wher e foot tr affic is un avoi dabl e, such as
wi thi n p i pe i nt eri ors, p l ast ic sl ip cover boot i es
are recommend ed .
(c) Dust.Use clear ce llop han e t ap e (office
var i et y) t o det er mine amou nt of du st fr om
abr asive blasting an d ot her sou r ces that has
no t been bl own or vacuu med off. Press t h e
ta p e on th e s u r face , peel off, and visu ally
observ e t he a mou nt of du st t hat st i cks t o t h e
t ape. Clean t he t est ar ea wit h acetone or
al cohol t o r emov e t ape ad hesi ve fr om
pr epa r ed s ur fa ce . The te st ta pe showing the
du st pa r ticle s ca n be docume nte d by a pplying
it t o t he d aily insp ect ion r ep or t or an ot her field
rep ort .
40. Wet Film Thickens.Recl amat i on d oes
not req u ire testing the wet film thickn ess
(WFT). WFT is measu red i n accord an ce wi t h
ASTM D 4414. (Se e ppe ndix N f or the
p r oced u r e.) How ev er , it is a u sefu l
measu rement for the follow ing p u rp oses:
To ver ify th at a con sistent t hicknes s is
be ing a p p lied . A consistent WFT
shou ld d ry into an even DFT.
To pr ed ict t he r esul t ing DFT. Some
manu fact u rers inst ru ct ions st at e a wet
fil m t hi ckness coat i ng a p p l ied at a
cer ta in nu mber of m ils will resu lt in a
p r ed ete r mined DFT. For examp le, a
coatin g ap p lied 10 mils wet will resu lt
i n a DFT of 8 mi ls. However , i f t he
manu factu r er s inst r u ctions d o not
st at e t he DFT t hat wi ll resul t from t he
WFT, i t can be calcul at ed . (See
a ppe ndix O for formu la s a nd
exa mp les.)
Measu ring the WFT on q u ick d rying m ater ials,
such as inor gan ic zincs, may yield less t han
accur ate r ead ings.
41. Hardened Painted Surfaces.On ce a
coat ing system has dr i ed or har dened , but
before t he recoat wi nd ow has exp i red,
Reclam ation sp ecifica tions imp os e t wo cr iter ia
for accep t an ce. The first i s to meet t he
mi nimu m a nd m a ximu m DFT, a nd the se cond
i s t o d et ect and rep ai r any p i nhol es in t h e
coating or d amaged are as.
(a) Dry Film Thickness.Th e DFT of a coatin g
can be measur ed when t he mat er ial d r i es or
har d ens but bef or e t he r ecoat wi nd ow has
expi red . The t hi ckness is commonl y sp ecified
in mils, a lthou gh some manu factu r er s
inst r u ction sheet s will also use micr omet er s (or
micr on s) in th e m et r ic syst em . The follow ing
p rov ides conv ersion s of these u nits:
1 mil = 0.001 inch = 25.4 microm eters
1 micr om et er = 0.000001 met er = 0.039 mil
Recl amat i on speci fi es t hat t h e har d ened coat ed
su r face sh all meet a minimu m an d maximu m
specified t hi ckness. DFT is measur ed for
qu ality con tr ol and sp ecification DFT
accep t ance crit eri a. There are n u merou s t yp es
of DFT gau ges available on t he commer cial
mark et. These ga u ges measu re th e thickn ess
of a non cond u ctiv e coatin g on a m agnet ic
cond u ctiv e (fer r ou s) or non magnet ic
cond u ct ive (alu mi nu m, brass, bron ze, copp er,
et c.) su bst r ate. Ther e a r e DFT gau ges av ailab le
th at w ill read on ly magnet ic or non magnet ic
su bst r ate s a nd gau ges t hat w ill measu r e both .
Th e in sp ect or sh ou ld en su re th at th e corr ect
substr ate ga uge is being use d a nd tha t the
gauge r ange is wi thi n t he film t hickness t o be
measu red .
SSPC-PA2.Reclamat i on sp ecifies t hat t h e
DFT i s t o be measu red i n accord an ce wi t h
SSPC-PA2, Mea su r em en t of Dr y Coa tin g
Thi ckness wi t h Magn et i c Gag es, wi t h t he
except ion of t he following:
Section 5.2.1.The sp ecified
minimu m p er cen ta ge t hicknes s is
chan ged from 80 t o 90 p ercent .
Section 5.2.2.The sp ecified
maximu m p er cen ta ge t hicknes s is
chan ged from 120 t o 150 p ercent .
DFT gauges.The types of DFT gauges ar e
d et ermi ned by t h e speci fi c magn et ic prop ert i es
43
of t he i nst ru ment bei ng u sed i n measu ri ng t he
coating t h ickness, r at her t han by t he r ead ou t
mod e (anal og or d i git al ). The st and ard d oes
not cover DFT gau ges u sing an ed d y cur rent
meth od .
The foll owi ng secti ons d escri be DFT gaug es
wit hin t he stand ar d.
Pul l of f gauges .In gen er al, pu lloff
gau ges u se a p er manen t magnet in
cont act wit h t he coat ed sur f ace and a
calibra ted scale to mea su re th e force
requ i red t o p u l l t he m agn et from t he
coate d su r face. Th e scale is n onlin ear .
Th e follow ing ar e t wo t yp es of p u lloff
gau ges an d t hei r ap p roxi mat e
t hi ckn ess range:
" Ban ana gau ge (0 t o 200 m ils).
" Pen cil gau ge (0 t o 30 m ils).
Constant pressure probe gauges.
The general worki ng p ri nci pl e of the
const an t p ressu re p robe gau ge i s t hat a
pr obe exe rts a consta nt pr essur e on the
coat ed sur face, and elect r onic cir cui t ry
conver t s a r efer ence signa l int o a
coating t h ickness t hat i s d ispl ayed on
a n ana log or digita l scr ee n.
Terminology and definition.The
p roced u re for d et ermi ning t he DFT i nvol ves
t aking a n u mber of gau ge r ead ings at r an d om
locations. These r eadi ngs ar e called spot
me a sur eme nt s. It is imp orta nt to unde rsta nd
gauge re ading and s pot me a sur eme nt
ter minology beca u se with ou t comp r eh en d ing
th e meaning of the te rm s, the SSPC-PA2 DFT
p r oced u r e cou ld be cond u ct ed incor r ect ly.
Def ini t ions of gauge r ead ing and spot
measur ement ar e p r esent ed b elow:
Gauge reading.A singl e r ead ing at
on e p oi nt .
Spot measurement.The aver age of at
least t hr ee gauge r ead ings t aken at
d iffere nt p oin ts w ith in a 1.5-inch-
d iamet er cir cu lar ar ea.
Outline procedure.The following i s an
abbr eviate d ou tl ine of SSPC-PA2 p r oced u r e.
(See app end ix P for calibr at ion and pr oced ur e
for each gau ge type and a DFT pr oced ur e
examp le.).
1. Take 5 sp ot measu rements (at least
3 gau ge r ead ings p er spot
mea su r em en t) sp aced r and om ly
wit hi n each 100-squ ar e-foot ar ea for
DFT measu r ement s. The nu mber of
100- squa r e-foot ar eas wh er e t he spot
measu rement s are t o be t aken i s based
on the tot al coated su rface ar ea. The
100-squ ar e-foot ar ea s ar e r and om ly
se lect ed wit hin th e tota l coate d ar ea.
Table 8.1 p r ovi d es t he cr i ter ia for
d et er mining th e n u mber of 100-
squ ar e- foot ar eas for spot
measur ement s cor r espond ing t o t ot al
coat ed sur f ace ar ea.
Su r face ar ea s of irr eg u lar ly or od d ly
shap ed stru ctures, such as tr ash racks,
chan nel s, and I-beams, may exceed
1,000 squ are feet becau se these
st r u ct u r al member s a r e many sid ed .
The i nsp ect or shou l d r ou gh l y cal cu l at e
t he area t o d et ermi ned t he t ot al coat ed
sur f ace ar ea.
2. Cal i brat e t h e DFT i nst ru ment for t he
ant icip at ed DFT rang e.
3. Mea su re th e h ar d en ed coa ted su rfa ce
wit h t he calibr at ed DFT inst r um ent at
t he n u mber of sp ot measu rement s
ind icat ed i n t able 1. Di sr egar d
inconsist ent hi gh or low r eadi ngs t hat
cannot be r ep ea ted . The follow ing
are the nu mber of gau ge r ead ings,
sp ot measu rement s, and avera gi ng p er
100- squar e- foot ar ea:
a. Dete rmi ne the 5 spot me a sur eme nt
l ocat i ons requ i red p er 100-squ are-
foot ar ea.
b. Take 3 gau ge r ead ings p er spot
me a sur eme nt a nd a ver age the
3 r ead ings. Thi s is a t otal of
15 gau ge r ea d ings, minimu m
(3 gau ge r ead ings x 5 spot
mea su r em en t locations p er 100-
squ ar e-foot ar ea ).
44
Table 1.Number of spot measurements based on total coated surface area
Total coated surface area Number of 100-square-foot areas for spot measurements
Less than 300 square feet Each 100-square-foot area within the total area.
Greater than 300 square feet
but less than 1,000 square feet
Three (3) 100-square-foot areas within the total area
Equal to and greater than
1,000 square feet
Three (3) 100-square-foot areas for the first 1,000 square feet within the
total area; plus
One (1) 100-square-foot area for each additional 1,000 square feet of
coated areas or fraction thereof
c. Av er age t he 5 ind ivi du al spot
mea su r em en ts to ob ta in a s ingle
avera ged val u e for t he 100-squ are-
foot ar ea.
4. Repeat st ep s 2 t hr ou gh 5 for t h e
remaining 100-squ are -foot a rea s.
5. Det er mine minimu m an d maximu m
t hickness accept ance cr it er ia.
6. Mi nimu m accep t ance.
a. An y nu mber of ind ivid ual gauge
r eadi ngs may be less t han
90 p ercent of t he sp ecified
thickn ess.
b. No singl e aver aged spot
measur ement i n 100-squ ar e-foot
ar ea may be l ess than 90 p er cent of
th e sp ecified th ickness ..
Whe re av erag e sp ot measu rement s
are l ess t han 90 p ercent of t he
specified t hickness, ad d it ional
measu rement s may b e t aken t o
red efi ne t he n oncon formi ng area
7. Maximu m accep t ance.
a. An y nu mber of ind ivid ual gauge
read i ngs may exceed 150 percent
of the sp ecified thickn ess.
b. No singl e aver aged spot
measu rement i n a 100-squ are-foot
area sh al l exceed 150 p ercent of t he
sp ecified thickn ess.
Whe re av erag e sp ot measu rement s
exceed 150 percent of t he speci fi ed
t hickness, ad d it ional
measu rement s may b e t aken t o
r ed efine t he non conf or mi ng ar ea.
(b) Discontinuity (Holiday) Testing.
Reclamat i on sp ecifies t hat coat i ng s subject t o
bur i al or immer sion service exposu r es be
te st ed for holid ays (i .e., p inholes a nd void s).
Hol id ays p rov i de a n a ven u e for moi st ure t o
p enet rat e t h rou gh t he coat ing t o t he su bst rat e,
leadi ng t o gener al cor r osion, pit t ing, and
und e rfilm c or rosion.
Ther e ar e t wo t yp es of hol id ay t esting: low
volt age and hi gh volt age. The app lied vol tage
i s based on t he coat i ng t hi ckness an d t he
coat ing d ielect r ic str engt h. Low-volt age
test er s ar e u sed on th in films (20 mils and less),
and high-volt age t es ter s ar e u sed on high bu ild
films (20 mils or gr eater ) or as d et er mined by
th e manu fact u r er to p r event coati ng d amage.
Usi ng vol t ages t ha t are t oo h i gh or l eavi ng t h e
inst r ument in one p lace too long may dam age
t he coat i ng by sp arki ng or bu rn i ng t h rou gh t he
coat ing . Thi n coat i ngs are more su scept i bl e t o
vol tage dam age. Test ing of coat ings t hat
con tain electr ically con d u ctive p igm en ts s u ch
as alu minu m flakes, gr ap hi t e, or zi nc is not
r ecommend ed because an elect r ic d ischar ge
may spar k though t he coating at condu ct ive
p ar ticles, d amaging th e coatin g or ind icat ing
d i scont i nu i ti es wher e non e exist . Su ggest ed
45
vol t ages at DFT ranges are p rovi d ed i n t abl e 1
of t he N ACE RP 0188.
Reclam ation sp ecifies t hat t es tin g be in
accord an ce wi t h NACE RP 0188, except t h at :
Test ing is n ot r eq u ir ed on con d u ctiv e
coatin gs p igmen ted with alu minu m,
gr ap hite, zin c, or ot her electr ically
cond u ctive p igments.
Usin g a d et er gen t w et tin g solu tion is
not p ermi tt ed (d et ergen t s may cover
ove r p i nhol es aft er t est i ng, leavi ng t h e
false imp ression t h at no p i nhol es
exist ).
Pr ev iou s v er sions of Recla mation coa tin g
specifications r ef er ence ASTM D 5162 for
holid ay test ing . ASTM D 5162 an d NACE RP
0188 are essent i all y equi val ent , but t h e NACE
ver sio n is m or e comp lete and ea sie r to follow.
(See ap p end ix Q for th is p r oced u r e.)
42. Destructive Test Methods.Dest ructive
t est met ho d s are n ormal ly u sed t o eva l uat e
ov er coatin g or aid in d et er mining a co atin g
fail ure. The foll owi ng secti ons are abbr evi at ed
d escr i pt ions of the d est r uct ive t esting m et hod s
list ed i n t he above Ph ysical Coat ing I nsp ect ion
Su r vey met hod .
(a) Adhesion, Tape Method (ASTM D 3359).
Th is t es t is con sid er ed su bject ive a nd sh ou ld
be p erformed by qu al ified and exper i enced
p ersonn el . The choi se of test met hod d ep end s
on coating thickn ess.
Method A.Thi s met hod is used on
coatin gs 5 mils th ick or gr ea ter . An X cu t is
mad e in t h e coat ing t o t he su bst rat e. Pressu re-
sensit ive t ape i s app lied over t he X cu t and
pu lled of f. Coating ad hesion is assessed by a
comp ar ison scale of 0A (low es t) t o 5A
(hi ghest ), as descr ibed by w r i tt en d efini t ions
pr ovi ded in t he stand ar d.
Method B.Thi s met hod is pr i mar i ly f or
l aborat ory u se, al thou gh i t i s often emp l oyed
in t h e field . The met hod is not sui t able for
coati ngs w it h a th ickness gr eate r th an 5 mils.
A l at t ice pat t ern of 6 t o 11 evenl y spaced
ho ri zont al and ver t i cal li nes are cu t i nt o t he
coatin g to th e s u bst r ate. Pr es su r e-sen sit ive
t ape i s app lied over t he lat t ice pat t er n and
pu lled of f. Coating ad hesion is assessed by
maki ng t he best mat ch t o a comp ar i son scale of
0B (lowest) t o 5B (hi ghest) of nar r at ive and
p ho t ogr ap hi c descrip t i ons p rov i ded i n t he
stand ar d.
(b) Adhesion, Pulloff Method (ASTM D
4541).This met hod is mor e quan t it ative but
r equ ir es an exper i enced op er at or for
r epr od ucibilit y. These test ers are
recommend ed for flat hor i zont al su rfaces
u nless oth erw ise stated in th e ap p en d ix. The
st and ar d list s t he f ollowing t h r ee t ypes of
tester s in th e an nex:
Type I, fixed.Typ e I t est ers are restri ct ed
t o labora t ory u se.
Type II, fixed alignment.Type II t ester s
wer e d eveloped for labor ator y use but ar e
emp loyed in th e field . Typ e II are the most
common p u lloff ad hesio n te st er s for field u se .
(See ap p end ix R for th is p r oced u r e.)
Type III, self-aligning or hydraulic.Type
III testers were d evelop ed for labor ator y u se
bu t ar e emp loyed in th e field . (See ap p en d ix S
for p r oced u r e.)
Dry film thickness by Tooke gauge (ASTM D
4138).The Tooke gaug e is used for
measur i ng t he nu mber of coat s app lied and
DFT if t he coat ing l ayer s can be id ent ified by
color d i fference or by a d i st inct ive l ine. (See
ap p end ix T for th is p r oced u r e.)
47
Chapter X
Maintenance Coatings
Recl amat i on i nfrast ru ct ures may st i ll be coat ed
wit h t he or iginal mat er ials fr om t he ini tial
inst allat ion or th ey may have r ece ived fu ll,
p art i al , or sp ot coat i ng rep ai r in t h e
inter ven ing yea r s. Obviou sly, an y coa tin g
mat er ial has a fini te ser vi ce life, and
maint enance coat ings hav e become an
i mp ort an t comp on ent i n mai nt ai ni ng t he
stru ctural integ rity of high-cap ital-cost
infrastr u ctures.
43. Definition.A si mp lified d efini t ion of
maint enance coat ings is the r ecoat ing of any
exist ing coat ed su bst rat e sur face t o p reven t
cor r osio n or to mainta in ap p ear ance.
44. Purpose.Th e b asic p u r p os es of a
coating p r ogr am t o mai nt ain Reclamat ion
st r uct ur es ar e t o:
Pr event signi ficant loss of met al
Pr even t signi ficant degr ad at ion of
coat ing mat er ial
Main tain ae sth et ics or th e a p p ea ra nce
of st ru ct ures exp osed t o p u bl ic view
Id ent i fy by color code
Mi ni mi ze fu t u re rep ai r cost s
45. Risk Evaluation.Risk ev alu ation is
p rimar ily a p roject office resp on sibility. The
ov er r id ing or u ltimate con sid er ation in
ev alu atin g r isks associat ed with coa tin gs is
whet her t he coat ing i s maint aini ng st r uctu r al
integr ity or if coa tin g d eg r ad ation is allow ing
corrosi on t o p roceed , l ead i ng t o t h e p ossi bil it y
of str u ct ur al failu r e. Ther e is no stand ar d
meth od to ev alu ate r isks; how ever, the m ost
basic app r oach i s t o comp ar e est imat ed p ar t ial
or t ot al met al work rep l acement cost s wi t h t he
es timated cos ts of a maintenance coatin g
pr ogr am. Safet y t o the pu blic and wor ker s
may also be a major consid er ati on, and th ese
associated costs may be d ifficult to asse ss. To
p r ovi d e a basis for r i sk eval uat i on, insp ect ion
of the coat i ng an d sub st rat e is recomm end ed .
46. Inspection.To determine the cor rect ive
action r equ ir ed , st r uct ur es id ent i fied for
maint enance coat ings wor k shou ld be
insp ect ed bef or e beginn ing w or k. Pr eliminar y
work should includ e ga the ring ba ckground
infor mation on th e s tr u ctu r e, in clu d ing
location , original installation d ate, d imensions,
d r awings, su bst r ate ty p e, and coati ng hist or y.
The coat i ng hi st ory sh ou l d i ncl ud e t he
following i nf or mat ion, if know n:
Ser vice exposu r e
Typ e of subst rat e
Su r face (an chor ) p r ofile
Age of coating
Type of exist ing coat ing m at er ial or
br and name
DFT
Id ent i fication an d concent r at i on of
toxic met als in th e exist ing coa tin g
(cad miu m, chr omiu m, lead , et c.)
(a) Inspection Schedule.Id eally, insp ect ion
su rveys shou l d b e cond u ct ed ev ery 3 t o
5 year s, d epend ing on t he ser vice exposu r e
and t he str u ct ur e t yp e. The 3- t o 5-year
inter val is r ea sonable for st r u ctu r es sit u ated in
at mosp her i c servi ce exposu re. For st ruct ures
r equ ir i ng d ewat er ing, a 5-year i nspect ion
int er val may not be achi evable; how ever , some
d esign at ed i nt erval shou l d be i ni t iat ed .
(b) Inspection Types.The t yp e of insp ect ion
su rvey d ep end s mai nl y on t he t i me al lot t ed
and acces sibility. Ext er ior su r face s in
48
atmos p her ic exp os u r es ar e r ea d ily acces sible
for i nspect ion. Int er i or insp ect ions of
p enst ocks, p i pi ng, scrol l cases, and ot her
wat er-bearing sur faces requ i re a pl ann ed
out age to dew at er . Int er ior inspections ar e
consi d ered confine d sp ace, an d ap p rop ri at e
safet y requ i rement s mu st be met .
There are fou r t yp es of i nspect ion: thr ee t yp es
ar e coatin g r elated an d on e is stru ctu ra l. The
four t yp es are:
Gen eral overvi ew sur vey
Det ai led vi sual sur vey
Ph ysi cal coat i ng i nsp ecti on survey
St ru ct ural sur vey
For most Reclamat ion st r uct ur es, t he gener al
over vi ew and d et ailed vi su al sur v ey met hod s
ar e suf ficient t o id ent i fy coating an d cor r osion
d eterior ation tren d s.
General overview survey.This qualit at ive
sur vey can be accompl ished i n a few hou r s
and is ad equ at e t o ascer t ain sever e cor r osion
cond i t ion s and d egra d ed coat ing s. On l y t he
major featur es of t he st r uctur e or facilit y ar e
i nspect ed .
1. Visu al ly observ e:
The gener al cond it ion of coat ing;
check f or def ect s or det er i or ation
Any evide nce of r usting
2. Det er mine t he t yp e of toxic met al-
based p aint a nd its con cen tr ation, if
p resen t .
3. Rat e t he cond it ion of t he coat ing on
each major st r uct ur al feat ur e as good ,
fair , or poor .
Detailed visual survey.The t i me r equ i red
t o cond uct thi s sur vey var ies fr om a few hou r s
t o abou t 1 da y, dep end i ng on t he si ze of t he
st ru ct ure. Thi s semi quan t it at ive su rvey
r equi r es a mor e det ailed d escr ip t ion and
d ocu ment at ion of the coating cond it ion and
cor r os ion . Major fea tu r es an d st r u ctu r al
element s (beams, connect ions, ed ges, et c.) of
t he st ru ct ure or facil it y are i nsp ected
separ at ely.
1. Obser ve a nd d ocu men t t he follow ing
coating cond ition s:
Defect s: blister ing, chal king,
cr acki ng, er osion, del aminat i on,
p inh oles, p eeling, un d er cut t ing, or
ot her d efect s
Ap p ear ance: coat ing or t op coat
loss , abr asio n st r eaks, r u st st aining,
fadi ng color, weat heri ng , or ot her
ab nor mal ap p ea ra nce
2. By ob ser vation, d ocu men t t he follow ing
ru st cond ition s:
Type: u ni for m r u st ed su r f ace or
p itt ing
" On fl at or cur ved sur faces
" At corn ers or ed ges
" Un d er blister s
Est imat e t he amou nt of r ust by
u sing SSPC-VIS 2. (See ap p en d ix U
for p r oced u r es.)
Met al loss: mi ni mal or si gni fi can t .
3. Det er mine t he t yp e of toxic met al-
based p aint a nd its con cen tr ation, if
p resen t .
4. Rat e each st ru ct ural comp onen t
separ at ely as good, fair , or poor an d
combine th e r esu lt s. Usin g SSPC-VIS 2
to es timate th e a mou nt of ru st is
p referred met hod . A w ei ght i ng syst em
or spr ead sheet can help f acilit ate by
combini ng ind ivi du al r at ings int o an
overa ll assessment, setting p riorities,
and d evelopi ng quan t it ies for a
p rel imi nary cost esti ma t e.
Physical coating inspection survey.The
t ime r equ ir ed t o cond u ct t hi s sur v ey is fr om
1 d ay t o sever al d ays, d epend ing on st r uctur e
size an d access to th e coate d su rface. The
49
su rvey i ncorpor at es t he observ at i ons recorded
in th e Det ailed Visu al Sur vey with qu antit ativ e
measu rement s. Thi s surv ey eval u at es whet h er
an exist ing coat ing can be sp ot r epai r ed or
ov er coated or if full re mov al an d r ecoatin g is
requ i red . For a hi gher l evel of confid ence, t he
su rvey shou l d be cond u ct ed by a cert ified
NACE or SSPC coat ing sp ecial ist .
coating cond ition s:
Defect s: blister ing, chal king,
cr acki ng, er osion, del aminat i on,
p inh oles, p eeling, un d er cut t ing, or
ot her d efect s
Ap p ear ance: coat ing or t op coat
loss, abr asion str eaks, r ust st aini ng,
fadi ng color, weat heri ng , or ot her
abn ormal app earan ce.
ru st cond ition s:
Type: u ni for m r u st ed su r f ace or
p itt ing
" On fl at or cur ved sur faces
" At corn ers or ed ges
" Un d er blister s
Rust rat i ng b y SSPC-VIS 2. (See
ap p end ix U for p r oced u r e.)
Met al loss: mini mal or signi ficant
3. Per for m th e follow ing qu antit ativ e
measu rements:
Test ad he si on by one or bot h of t he
" Pu lloff (ASTM D 4541)
" Tap e (ASTM D3359)
Det er mine DFT (SSPC-PA2)
Dete rmi ne the pre se nce and
concen tr ation of s olu ble salts, if
pr ese nt
Dete rmi ne the type and
concent rat i on of t oxi c met al-based
pa int, if pr ese nt
Det er mine t he d ep th an d frequ en cy
of corro si on p i t s
Use a kn i fe t o d et ermi ne t he l engt h
of u nd er cut t ing cor r osion
Use a Tooke gauge to de te rmi ne the
nu mber of coat ings
Measu re th e steel wall thickn ess
wit h an u lt r asonic t hickness gauge
Ap p ly test p atch es to d et er mine if
t he coating i s comp at ibl e for
ov er coatin g (ASTM D 5064)
Structural inspection.The str u ct ur al
insp ect ion can be cond u cted in conju nct ion
wit h any of the above sur v eys. St r uct ur al
member s and comp onen t s ar e insp ect ed f or
sever e m et al los s, br ok en join ts, d efectiv e
weld s, bent member s, or ot her st r uct ur al
d efects. Nor mally, insp ect ion s ar e b y visu al
obse rva tion.
47. Toxic-Based Paints.Dur ing the
insp ect ion , samp les of t he exist ing coa tin g
ma t er ia l should be ana lyze d to de te rmi ne the
typ e an d concentra tion of toxic metals. The
common t oxic met als in p r e-1990s paint ar e
cad miu m, chr omiu m, cobalt , and lead;
how ev er , ar senic, bariu m, bery llium, mer cu ry ,
sil ver, seleni u m, van ad i um, or ot her hea vy
met als may be p r es en t in ver y low lev els.
The most common h eavy met al i n p ai nt u sed
on Reclam ation p r oject s is r ed lea d p r imer . It
was an excellent cor r osion i nh ibi ting p r i mer on
met al sur f aces. The use of r ed l ead p r imer has
d r amat ically d eclined in t he coat ing i ndu str y
since t he l at e 1980s, and Recl amat i on no l ong er
sp ecifies red l ead p ri mer. There i s no p robl em
with r ed le ad p r ime r as long a s it r ema ins
i nt act on t h e st ruct u re.
Th e p r ob lem with lea d -based p aints is
conta mination of t he local en vir on men t (soil
and wat er ) and exposur e t o hu mans. Lead
50
exp os u re nor mally occu rs d u rin g th e su rfa ce
pr ep ar ation p r ocess, as old coat ings ar e
r emoved and lead p ar ti cles b ecome air bor ne.
The envi r onment is cont aminat ed by lead
par t icle fallout . Hum ans ar e cont ami nat ed by
inh aling or ingesting th e lead p ar ticles. The
most ser ious ad ver se healt h effect of lead
exposur e i s p er manent d amage t o the cent r al
ner vou s syst em.
(a) Testing.Test ing of exist ing coa tin g
ma t er ia ls should be per forme d be fore sta rting
contra ct or m ainten an ce coating w or k. The
p u r p ose of t est ing i s t hr eefold : (1) t o mi ni mi ze
exp osu re t o en vi ron ment and workers; (2) t o
red u ce surface p rep arat i on cost s; an d (3) t o
de te rmi ne the type and c once ntr ation of a ny
toxic metals p resen t. The follow ing te st
met hod s are recommend ed :
Screen testing.Screen t est s wi ll ind i cat e
t he p r esence of t oxic met al s bu t will not
ind icate t he concent r at ion. These t est s ar e not
int end ed t o equal or r epl ace labor ator y
analysis. The follow ing tw o co mmon toxic
met als can be d et ect ed by color change u sin g
p remixed rea gen ts:
Lead at concent r at i ons of 2,000 par t s
p er million ( pp m) (0.2 p er cent ) or
mor e. (See ap p en d ix V for
manu fact u r er 's in for mation an d th is
p roced u re. )
Chr omat e (as Cr
+6
) at concent r at ions of
3 mi crograms or more. (See
a ppe ndix W for ma nufa ctur e a nd
p roced u re. )
Laboratory testing.Pai nt chi p samp l es
shou l d be t ak en an d p rovi d ed t o an accred i ted
labor at or y f or anal ysis t o ver ify concent r at i on,
even if screen tests w ere not p ositive . The
resu l ts shou l d be ev al uat ed by a cert ified
ind u st r ial hyg ieni st. (See app end ix X for
samp ling, labora tory testing, estimated costs,
and websit es for accr ed it ed l abor ator ies and
ind u st r ial h ygien ist s by city an d State).
48. Worker Protection from Toxic-Based
Paints.Blasting op era tions a re th e most
l ikel y event w her e lead i s i nhal ed or i ngest ed
beca u se th e p ar ticles ar e t oo small to be v isibly
seen. Lead d u st on t he skin i s not hazar d ou s
as long as it is not i nh al ed or i ngest ed . Prop er
r espi r ator y pr ot ect ion, consisting of eit her air -
fed r espi r at or s, p osit ive p r essur e hood s, or
negat i ve pr essur e HEPA f ilt er -car tr i dge h al f or
full faced resp irators, shou ld be w or n. The
following p rov ides some common sense
pr ot ect ion bu t does not includ e all necessar y
requ irements:
Wear wor k clot hing d u r ing r emoval
oper at ions and have clot hing i nd u st r ial
washed by cont r act or or owner .
Wear r espi r at or y pr ot ect ion
ap p r opr i at e t o concent r ation l evel and
exposu r e t ime per i od .
Wash h and s and face befor e eat ing or
smoki ng.
Aft er work, show er an d chan ge i nt o
st reet cl othi ng t o p reven t
cont aminat ing you r vehi cle, home, and
family.
For comp r ehensive r equi r ement s for per sonal
safet y, see t he following Cod e of Fed er al
Regu lat ion s (CFR):
29 CFR 1910.1018, Ar senic
29 CFR 1910.1027, Cad miu m
29 CFR 1926. 55, Ga ses, Vapors, Fum es,
Du st s, an d Mi sts
29 CFR 1926.62, Lead
49. Lead Exposure Levels by Removal
Methods.Engineer s, manager s, and wor ker s
shou ld be awar e t hat sur f ace pr ep ar at ion
meth od s w ill gener ate air bor ne lead p ar ti cles.
The Occu p at i onal Safet y an d Heal t h
Ad mini st r at ion ( OSHA) moni tor ed sever al
t ypes of lead r emoval oper at ions for t ypi cal
and maximu m exposu res. The moni t ored
r esul ts ind icat e high exposu r e levels, and no
su r face p r ep ar ation met hod will not tota lly
eliminat e a irb or ne lead p ar ticles. Vacu u m
shr ou d ed equ ip ment will r ed u ce t he amou nt
51
of airborn e p art i cles bu t wi ll not el imi nat e
t hem. Table 2 p r ovi des OSHA r esu lt s for
t ypi cal and maximum lead exposur e levels by
r emoval met hod .
Table 2.Typical and maximum lead exposure levels
in micrograms per cubic meter by removal method
Removal method
Typical
exposure
Maximum
exposure
Open blast cleaning 17,300 59,000
Blast cleaning in
containment system
25,700 59,000
Welding, cutting, or
burning
600 28,000
Hand tool cleaning 45 167
Power tool cleaning 735 20,600
Chemical stripping 11 476
Movement (air, foot
traffic, cleanup, etc.) in
the containment system
(causes particles to
become airborne)
500 2,100
50. Corrective Action.Afte r one of the
above in sp ect ion su r veys (see ch ap ter X,
su bsect ion 47(b), Insp ecti on Typ es) has been
compl eted and evaluat ed, the coat ing may be
in some s ta te of d et er ior ation, th u s r eq u ir ing
cor r ect ive act ion. Cor r ect ive act ion may r ange
fr om no p ainti ng to fu ll r emoval and r ecoati ng.
Th e follow ing sections p r ov id e a lter nativ e
r emed ial op t ions based on t he i nsp ect ion
assessment .
(a) No Painting Required.The insp ect ion
assessment i nd i cat es t he fol lowi ng: (1) t he
coating i s in good t o excellent cond it ion;
(2) th e s er vice envir on men t is mild ; (3) litt le
cor r os ion is exp ect ed to p r og r es s at coatin g
fil m b reaks; (4) mi nor d i scolorat i on i s not ed
bu t app ear ance is not an imp or t ant fact or ; and
(5) no si gni ficant met al l oss is not ed .
Essent i ally, t hi s op t ion means d o not h ing f or
x numbe r yea rs. It doe s not me a n ?d o
not hing for ev er . It mea ns t hat t he coatin g
mai nt enance pr og r am is del ayed u nt i l some
time in th e for es eeable fu tu r e w hen coa tin g
d et er ior at ion r equ ir es at tent i on or u nt i l some
t ime when coat ing mai nt enan ce is sched u l ed
wit h oth er major mainte nance p r ogr ams.
Anot her r ea son for not p aintin g is th at fu nd ing
may not be available for x n u mber of year s.
(b) Spot Repairs.Sp ot rep ai rs are in or d er
whe n t h e i nsp ect ion assessment i nd i cat es t he
following: (1) th e coatin g is d et er ior atin g in
l ocal ized areas; (2) t he servi ce envi ronm ent
i s mi ld t o corrosi ve; (3) corro si on i s exp ect ed t o
p rog ress at coa ting film br eaks;
(4) discolor at ion is not ed bu t ap p ea ra nce
ma y or ma y not be a n imp orta nt fa ctor; a nd
(5) mi nor met al l oss is not ed .
This opt ion i s app r opr i at e for isolat ed and
rel at ivel y smal l areas t hat d o no t exceed
1 p er cent of t he t otal coat ed sur f ace ar ea and
ar e n ot in a h igh ap p ea r ance a r ea . If color is
imp or t ant , such as i n a pu bl ic ar ea, t ake color
chi p sam p l es to t he coat ing man u fact u rer t o
mat ch t he exist ing color becau se the or iginal
coat ing color may h ave fad ed .
Sp ot r epai r s ar e a viabl e op t ion f or
exp osu res.
(c) Spot Repairs Plus Full Recoat.Sp ot
r ep ai r s ar e in or d er when t he i nspect ion
coat ing i s d et er ior at ing i n localized ar eas t hat
r epr esent bet ween 1 and 3 p er cent of t he t otal
ar ea and ar e expect ed t o det erior ate fur t her ;
(2) t he servi ce env i ronm ent i s mi ld t o
corrosive, (3) corrosion i s expect ed t o p roceed
at coatin g film br ea ks, (4) d iscolor ation is
not ed and ap p ear ance is a factor , and (5) minor
t o mod erat e met al l oss is not ed .
This opt ion is app r opr i ate for coat ings t hat ar e
in r el at ively good cond it ion bu t def ect s and
cor r os ion ar e n ot icea ble. Th e coatin g sh ou ld
st il l be resi li ent , i t can st il l hav e a red u ced
DFT, a nd a dhe sion should be good w he re the
coat ing has n ot d et eriorat ed . When
ov er coa tin g an exis tin g p ain t, a t est p at ch
shou l d b e ap p l ied t o d et ermi ne comp at i bi li t y
betw een the coating mater ials. The test
p at ches shoul d be eval uat ed b et ween 1 and
3 months after ap p lication. The str u ctu r es
52
ap p ea ra nce may be of aesth et ic imp or tance
(such as when i n p u blic vi ew), and a fu ll r ecoat
will pr ovide a u niform color an d gloss.
Th e s p ot r ep air p lu s fu ll re coat is a v iab le
op tion for coa tin g st r u ctu r es in at mos p her ic
servi ce exposu res, bu t it is not recommend ed
for bu rial and immersion serv ice exp osu res.
(d) Complete Removal and Recoat.
Comp let ely r emovi ng t he old coat ing an d
r ecoating i s in or d er when t he i nspect ion
coat ing i s d et er ior ating i n localized and lar ge
areas r ep resen t i ng gr eat er t h an 3 per cent of t he
t ot al area, and i t i s exp ect ed t o d et eri orat e
furt h er; (2) t he servi ce env i ronm ent i s mi ld t o
corrosive; (3) corr osion is expected to p rog ress
at coatin g film br ea ks; (4) discolor ation is
not ed an d may or may not be a n ap p ea ra nce
fact or ; and (5) mod er at e t o signi ficant met al
l oss is not ed .
Th is op tion is cond u cive t o co atin gs t hat a r e in
p oo r con d ition an d ar e n o longer p r ot ect ing
th e s u bst r ate. This op tion r eq u ir es fu ll
r emoval of all t he exist ing coating mat er ial and
recoat ing t he en t ire su rface.
Com p let e r em ov al an d r ecoatin g is a viab le
op tion for at mos p her ic an d immer sion serv ice
exp osu res.
51. Material Selection Factors.Ther e ar e
nu merou s fact ors to be consi dered when
se lect ing a coati ng to meet s p ecific cond it ions.
The most basi c fact or i s the env i ronm ent t he
coa tin g will be su bject ed to (e.g., atmos p her ic,
bu ri al, or i mmersion su rface exposu re). (See
chap ter I, su bsection 6, Ser vice Exp os u r es .)
Coat i ngs sh ou l d be sel ect ed for t hei r i nt end ed
u se (i.e., a coatin g for mu lat ed for at mos p her ic
ser vice exposu r e is not sui t able for
i mm ersion). The foll owi ng are some ot her
fact ors t o be t aken i nt o consi d erat i on when
select ing a co atin g mater ial:
(a) Coating Properties.
Abra sion or er os ion re sist an ce
Ad hesi on of pr i mer
Ap p ea ra nce
Color a nd gloss r ete ntion.
Recoat wind ow
Cu r e or d r y time
Flexi bil it y
Mild ew or fu ngu s r esista nce
(b) Suitability to Substrate Type.
Fer r ous (st eel or ir on)
Nonferrou s (al umi nu m, brass, bron ze,
or copp er )
Concr et e or masonr y
Ol d coat ings
Wood
(c) Environmental.
Temp erat u re an d hu mi di t y ext remes
a nd va ria tions
Cavita tion.
Chemical contact
Tr affic, foot or veh icle
52. Scheduling.Accessible st r uctur es ar e
r elat ively easy to sched u le for insp ect ion and
ma inte nance coating wor k. Howe ve r, ma ny
Reclamat ion st r u ctu r es such as int er i or of
tu rbines, pu mp u nits, p enstocks, draft tu bes,
d i scharge l ines, and ot her i nt eri or wat er
bear i ng sur faces ar e di fficul t t o access wi t hou t
a sched ul ed ou t age and many ar eas cannot be
d ewat ered i n excess of 5 years. Therefore,
p l anned or u np l anned ou t ages shou l d be t ak en
ad vant age of for eit her inspection or coat ings
wor k.
In sched ul ing a p lanned out age to per for m
maintenance coatin g wor k, th e r ev en u e loss in
elect r icit y or wat er d eliver y needs t o be
accou nted for sin ce r ev en u e loss will likely
become a signi ficant fact or .
53
Chapter XI
Galvanizing
Gal vani zing i s t he app lication of zinc ont o a
st eel su r face . Zin c is anod ic to st eel (i.e., zin c
will sacr i fice it self t o pr ot ect st eel fr om
cor r osion) . Reclamat ion sp ecifies nu mer ou s
st eel meta lwor k ite ms t o be galvanized .
Met alwork i t ems may ran ge from smal l i tems
such, as bolt s and nu t s, t o lar ge it ems, such as
gat es. The foll owi ng are reason s t o coat over
galvanizin g: (1) to for m a b ar r ier coa tin g in
bu rial or immersion serv ice exp osu res becau se
t he z i nc wi ll be rap i dl y consu med ; (2) t o
rep ai r da maged areas; and (3) t o imp rove
aest het i cs (color ap p earan ce). Coat i ng ov er
gal van i zed su rfaces pr esent s u ni qu e p robl ems
th at a r e ch ar acter ist ic of z inc an d th e coatin g
mat eri al selected .
53. Galvanizing Methods.Ther e ar e sever al
met hod s t o use w hen ap p l ying zi nc. Tabl e 3
p r ovi d es t he most common met hod s for
galvanizin g an d inclu d es manu fact u r ing
p r oces ses, sp ecifica tion r efer en ces , zin c coa tin g
th ickn esses, an d typ ical ap p lications for ea ch
meth od :
Table 3.Galvanizing methods
Method Process Specifications Thickness Typical application
Electro-
galvanizing
Electrolysis ASTM A 591 Up to 0.14 mil Interior service exposure: appliance
panels, studs, and acoustical ceiling
members
Zinc
plating
Electrolysis ASTM B 633 0.2 to 1.0 mil Interior or exterior service exposure:
fasteners and hardware items
Mechanical
plating
Peening ASTM B 695 0.2 to 4.0 mil Interior or exterior service exposure:
fasteners and hardware items
Continuous
galvanizing
Hot-dip ASTM A 653 Up to 4.0 mil Interior or exterior service exposure:
roofing, gutters, culverts, automobile
bodies
Hot-dip
galvanizing
Hot-dip ASTM A 123
ASTM A 153
1.4 to 5.0 mil Interior or exterior service exposure:
nearly all shapes and sizes, ranging
from nails, bolts, and nuts to large
structural items
Thermal
Spraying
Hot zinc
spray
AWS C2.2 3.3 to 8.3 mil Interior or exterior service exposure:
items that cannot be galvanized by
other methods because of their size
and shape or because galvanizing
must be performed onsite.
Zinc-rich
painting
Brush, roller,
airless, or
conventional
spray
Varies with
owner's or
manufacturers
specifications
0.6 to 5.0 mil
per coat
Interior or exterior service exposure:
Items that cannot be galvanized by
other methods because of their size
and shape or because galvanizing
must be performed onsite. Aesthetics
(color).
54
Most Recl amat i on gal van i zed met alwork i t ems
th at r eq u ir e p aintin g ar e b y th e h ot -d ip
pr ocess. This met hod r equi res t he met alwor k
items t o b e immer sed in a b ath of m olt en zin c
th at clad s t he m et alwor k su r face in a n ea r ly
pu r e zinc layer .
54. Zinc Corrosion and Service Life.Zinc,
by i t self, d oes not cor r od e like st eel. Cor r osi on
of zinc i s achi eved by exp osing zi nc to oxygen
and moist ur e. The r esu lt is a whi t e cor r osion
bypr od uct . Bar e galvani zed met alwor k
i mmersed i n seawat er may l ast for 6 mon t hs
befor e being consumed . Bar e galvani zing may
last 5 t o 10 year s in f r esh wat er , d ep end ing on
t he wat er chemistr y. However , bar e
galv an izin g in an at mos p her ic ser vice
exposu re wi ll form a p rot ect ive l ayer bet ween
1 an d 2 yea r s after th e in itial galvanizin g
p rocess, and t hi s prot ect ive l ayer i mp ed es
fu r t her cor r osion. The ser vi ce life of
at mosp her i c gal van i zed met alwork h as been
kn ow n to exceed 50 yea rs.
55. Zinc Chemical Reactions.Zi nc is an
act ive m et al and wi ll react wi t h ot her el ement s
to for m oxid es an d com p ou nd s. Th e follow ing
zi nc comp ou nd s are formed on t h e gal van i zed
su rface:
Zinc oxid e is for med ab ou t 24 t o 48
hou r s aft er t he galvani zing p r ocess by
t he r eact ion of zinc wi t h oxyge n i n t he
air .
Zinc hydr oxide is forme d by the
r eaction of t he zinc wit h moist ur e f r om
r ai n, d ew, or hi gh cond ensat ion.
Zinc ca rbona te is forme d by the
r ea ction of z inc oxid e a nd zin c
hyd r oxid e wit h car bon d ioxid e fr om
fr ee flowing air .
Zinc oxid e (fir st p hase r ea ction) an d zin c
hyd r oxid e (second ar y ph ase r eact ion) ar e
pr od uct s t hat ar e wat er solubl e and not ver y
d ense. These p rod u ct s adh ere very l oosel y t o
t he subst r ate sur f ace. Paint d oes not adh er e
we ll to zinc oxide a nd z inc hydr oxide , a nd
p aintin g ov er th es e m ater ials will pr ob ably
resu lt in p rematu re coating failu re. The first
and second ph ase r eact ions may cont inu e for 1
to 2 yea r s after th e g alvanize d manu fact u r ing
p r ocess is fini shed , d epen d ing on t he local
environment. Zinc carbon ate (third p hase
r eact ion) is a dense, insolu ble mat er ial t hat
for ms the p r ot ect ive layer . The final
galvani zed sur face is a du ll mat te gr ay.
Zi nc oxi de, zi nc hyd roxi d e, an d zi nc carbon at e
pr oducts do not form u niforml y ove r the
galvanize d su r face or to a u nifor m d ep th . All
th r ee p r od u cts ar e a whitish color an d nea r ly
imp os sible to visu ally d istin gu ish from ea ch
ot her . With ou t know ing which zin c
comp ou nd i s p resent , coat i ng ov er gal van i zed
su rfa ces becomes p ro blemat ic.
56. Contaminants.Con t aminan t s on
gal van i zed su rfaces are zi nc ash r esid u es
de posite d dur ing the ga lva niz ing pr oce ss a nd
nat ur al occur r i ng whi te oxid e st ain t hat for ms
d u r i ng st or age. The following t w o sect ions
p rov ide a more d etailed d escription of zinc ash
an d stora ge sta in contaminan ts.
(a) Zinc Ash.In th e ga lvan izing p rocess,
p ar t icles of oxid ized zinc float on t he su r f ace of
th e m olt en bath . When th e m et alwor k is
removed from t he bat h , resid u e of oxid i zed
zinc p ar ti cles can r emain on th e meta lwor k. A
t hi n l ayer of resid u e can form on t h e sur face,
and th is r esid u e is r efer r ed to as zinc ash .
(b) Wet Storage Stain.Newl y galvan i zed
it ems ar e stor ed and shipp ed. If t he st or age
area o r shi pp i ng cont ai ner p revent s t he
cir cu lat ion of ca r bon d ioxid e in fre e flowing air
cond i t ion s, a whi t e ru st wi ll form on t he
ga lvan ized su rface. This is a na tu ral p rocess
t hat is oft en r efer r ed t o as wh it e stor age
sta in. White s tora ge stain re su lts fr om a la ck
of car bon d ioxid e t o conver t zinc oxid e and
zi nc hy d roxi d e t o t he st abl e zi nc carbon at e
comp ou nd . If l eft u nchecked and sufficient
moistur e i s pr esent , all t he zinc may be
consu med (r ar e occu r r ence), or t he zinc may
be consu med in p at chy ar eas, or t he r esu lt may
be r ed u ced zinc thickn ess.
To pr event whi te st or age st ain, manu fact ur er s
may p erform a p ost t reat ment p rocess. The
Galvanizing
55
foll owi ng are t h e most common p ost t reat ment
met hods and t heir effect s on p aint ing:
Apply a coating of oil to form a barrier
from moisture.Pain ts will not a d here to oils,
and app lying oil will r esul t in ad hesion failur e
i f t he oi l i s not rem oved .
To check for t he p r esence of oil, p er for m a
water bea d test . Pla ce a d r op of w ater on th e
su rface. If t he w at er bead s, i t i nd i cat es t he
p r es en ce of oil.
Quenching (cooling in a water bath).
Wat er may cont ain gr ease and oils t hat float on
t he w at er su rface and cont ami nat e t h e
galvanize d su r face , resu ltin g in coa tin g
ad hesi on fai lu r e if t he gr ease and oil ar e not
removed .
Chromate quenching.Typ i cal ly, pa i nt s
wi ll not ad her e t o gal vani zed sur faces t reat ed
by th is met hod . Ch r om ate qu en ching is bein g
discontinue d beca use of huma n sa fe ty and
environmental concern s.
Phosphate quenching.Adhe sion of pa int
is imp r oved by t hi s met h od .
Ther e i s no easy fiel d t est t o d et ermi ne t he
ty p e of qu ench tr eatm ent t hat w as u se d , if any.
The most rel iabl e met ho d i s t o cont act t he
gal vani zing sh op .
(c) Deposited Contaminants.Dep osit ed
cont aminan t s ar e for eign su bst ances that
accumu late on the ga lvan ized su rface. The
most common con t ami nant s are d i rt , grease ,
oil, and solu ble salt s. Chl or id e salt s ar e
aggr essivel y d est ruct ive t o gal van i zed
met alwor k. For p r ot ect ion ag ainst chlor id e
cont ami nat ion, galvani zed it ems shoul d be
p r ot ect ed b y cont ainer s d u r i ng t r ansp or t or
st orage.
57. Surface Preparation.The met hod of
sur face pr epar at ion of galvani zed met alwor k
before painting de pends on whe t her the
met alwork i s newl y galvan i zed or weat hered :
Newly galvanized metalwork.The
su r face is u nd er goin g th e a ctiv e
for mat ion of r eact ive zinc oxid e and
zinc hy d roxide comp ou nd s. The
chemi cal react ion may con t i nu e for 1 t o
2 years, d ep end i ng on l ocal weat her
cond it ions and met alwor k geomet ry.
Weathered galvanized metalwork.
The sur face has comp let ed chemical
conver sion fro m zin c oxid e a nd zin c
hydr oxide comp ound s to nonr eact ive
zi nc carbon at e.
(a) Newly Galvanized Metalwork.Zinc is st ill
r eact ive on n ewly galvani zed met alwor k, and
sever al con ta minants may exist , su ch as oil
coatin g or p os tt r ea tmen t a p p lied at th e p oin t
of galvani zing. Each sp ecific cont aminan t may
r equ ir e a special ized sur f ace pr ep ar at ion
met hod . The follow ing ste p s are su rfa ce
p r ep ar ation met hod s for r em ov al of sp ecific
conta minan ts:
Removal of white storage stain (white rust),
if present.Ap p ly a 1- t o 2-p er cen t ammon ia
sol ut i on by b ru sh or sp ray. For severe w hi t e
st or age s ta in, ap p ly 1 p ar t a cet ic or citr ic acid
t o 25 p art s of wat er. Thorou gh l y rinse t h e area
wher e the solut i on w as app lied w it h war m
pot able wat er and allow t he ar ea t o air d r y.
Removal of dirt, grease, and oil.Solvent
cleani ng i n accord ance wi t h SSPC-SP1. Wat er-
based emu lsifier s and al kaline cleaner s have
been sh ow n to wor k bes t. En su r e t hat a lkaline
clea ner s h ave a p H of less th an 12 beca u se zin c
will dissolve in h ighly a lkaline solu tions.
Ap pl y cleaning solut i ons by di pp ing,
sp r aying, or br u sh ing wit h soft br ist le br u sh es.
Dippi ng a nd spr a ying wor ks best whe n the
cleani ng solu t ion i s at abou t 140 t o 185 d egrees
F. Thor ou gh l y ri nse t he a rea w he re t h e
solven t was ap p l ied wi th h ot p ot abl e wat er
and allow t he ar ea t o air d r y.
Removal of zinc ash.Ap p ly a 1- t o
2-p er cent a mmonia solu ti on by br u sh or sp r ay.
Th or ou ghly r inse th e a r ea wher e t he a mmon ia
solu t ion w as ap p l ied wi th w arm p ot abl e wat er
and allow t he ar ea t o air d r y.
Repair of physical defects (high spots and
droplets).High spots occur whe n exce ss z inc
56
r u ns d ow n th e ed ges of m et alwor k as it is
removed from the molten ta nk. The excess
zinc for ms p r otr u sio ns or ir r egu lar ed ges.
Hi gh sp ot s shou l d be g rou nd off wi th a p ower
t ool. Dr opl ets for m at met alwor k edges wh er e
zi nc dr ai ns when t he met alwork i s removed
fr om t he molt en bat h. Dr op let s can be gr ou nd
d own or kn ocked off by p ower t ool s. When
u si ng p ower t ool s, d o not gri nd off t he z i nc t o
less than the req u ired thickn ess.
If t he z i nc on met al work ha s been remove d t o
bare met al or t hi nn ed bel ow t he sp ecified
t hi ckness d u r i ng shi pp ing, const r u ction,
ha nd l ing , or i nst all at ion, t he d amaged
galvanize d ar ea s can be r ep air ed by coa tin g
wit h a zinc-r ich p r imer .
Removal of zinc oxide and zinc hydroxide
compounds.Th e r ea ctiv e z inc oxid e a nd zin c
hy d roxi de comp ou nd s may n ot hav e been
comp let ely r em ov ed d u r ing th e in itial clea ning
p r ocess, and t her e is no simp le field d et ect ion
met hod . To avoi d p remat u re coat ing fai lu re,
t he coat i ng i nd u st ry recommend s one of t he
final sur face pr epar at ion met hods be
emp loyed t o r emove r eactive zinc oxid e and
zi nc hy d roxi d e comp ou nd s; however , t he
coat ing manu fact u rer sho u l d be consu l ted
befor e ap p lyi ng t he p r i mer becau se some of
t he m et ho d s may n ot be comp at i bl e wi t h t he
zinc-r ich p r imer :
Phosphate treatment.Ap p l y a p ho sp ha t e
conta ining solu tion to for m a n on r ea ctiv e z inc
p ho sp ha t e l ayer on t he su rface and i nhi bit t he
for mation of z inc oxid es . The t r ea tmen t w ill
slight l y et ch t h e sur f ace, p r od u cing an anchor
p r ofile for th e coatin g p r imer . Ap p licat ion is
by immersion , spr ay, or soft br istle bru sh. The
solu t ion i s left on for about 3 to 6 minu t es and
r insed off w ith p ot able w ater . Color ation is
ret u rn ed t o t he gal van i zed su rface after
washing so that any missed ar eas wi ll be
visible and can be r et re at ed . Allow th e su rfa ce
t o air d r y befor e coat ing.
For new const ruct ion met alwor k it ems t hat ar e
specified t o be coat ed, p hosp hat e quen chi ng at
t he ga l vani zi ng p l ant wi ll prod u ce high er
qu al it y an d at l ess cost t han ap p l icat ion i n t he
field .
Zi nc-rich p ri mer sh ou l d n ot be ap p l ied t o
p ho sp ha t e t reat ed su rfaces. The p ho sp ha t e
will form a n insula te d bar rie r betwe en the zinc
p aint p ar ti cles a nd th e zinc galvanized meta l.
To be effectiv e, zinc-rich p rim er s r equ ire d irect
conta ct bet ween th e z inc p ar ticles in th e p aint
and th e zinc meta l on th e galvanized su r face.
Wash primers.Wa sh pr ime r s a re coating
mater ials for mu lat ed to neu tr alize su r face zin c
oxi des an d zi nc hyd roxi d es and t o et ch t he
gal vani zed su r f ace, p r od u cing an anchor
p rofil e for t h e coat ing p ri mer. Typ i cal ly, t he
manu fact ur er r ecommend s a singl e thi n coat
be ap p l ied by b ru sh or sp ray at abou t 0.3 t o
0.5 mi l s. At t h i s t hi ckn ess, t he gal van i zed
su rface sho u l d sh ad ow or ret a i n a n ear mat t e
gra y ap p ea ra nce. If the galv an ized su rfa ce
becomes hi d d en, t he wash p ri mer was ap p l ied
t oo t hickly, and it may d elaminat e because of
the wa sh pr ime r s poor cohesive str ength.
A common w ash p r imer is pol yvinyl but yr al
(SSPC Pa int Specification N o. 27). Other w ash
p r imer for mu lat ion s ar e commer cially
avai l able.
Acrylic passivation.Ap p licat ion of a n acid ic
acryl ic solu t i on wi ll passi vat e or neu t ral ize t h e
r eact ive zinc oxid es and zi nc hyd r oxid es and
r ou ghen t he sur face, p r od u cing an anchor
p r ofile for th e coatin g p r imer . The s olu tion is
ap p lied at ab ou t 0.04 mil (1 micr on ). This
met hod i s consid er ed app licable only for ver y
th in layer s of zinc oxid es a nd zinc h yd r oxid es.
The solu t ion mu st be d r y befor e app lying an y
coatin g mater ial.
Sweep blasting.This is a light blast
clea ning met hod to r em ov e t he r ea ctiv e z inc
oxid es and zi nc hyd r oxid es and t o p r od u ce an
anchor p r ofile for th e coatin g p r imer . Soft
abr asives shou ld be used t o r edu ce signi ficant
zinc met al los s and sh ou ld have a Moh s scale
har d ness of 5 or less and a par t i cle size
bet ween 8 t o 20 mils. Typical abr asives ar e
alu minu m or m agnesium silicate, corn cobs,
walnu t shel l, limestone, and some miner al
san d s.
Galvanizing
57
Th e b las t n oz zle shou ld be h eld at a r ela tiv ely
l ow ang l e t o remove t h e react ive zi nc oxid es
and zin c hyd r oxid es . Hold ing th e b las t n oz zle
p er p en d icu lar to th e s u r face can qu ickly
remove sou nd zi nc met al. Op t imal ambi ent
cond ition s for sweep blasting are 70 d egr ees F
and 50 p ercent or l ess relat i ve hu mi di t y. Aft er
sw eep blas tin g, coa t t he s u r face with in
24 hou rs.
(b) Weathered Galvanized Metalwork.Fu lly
weat her ed gal vani zing w it h an ou t d oor
exp os u r e of bet ween 1 an d 2 yea r s shou ld
have comp let ely conver t ed t he zinc oxid e and
zinc hyd r oxid e comp ou nd s t o for m a s ta ble
(non r ea ctiv e) p r ot ect ive la yer of z inc
car bon at e. Th e mos t common su rfa ce
p r epar at i on met hod is wat er power washing at
a p ressu re of abou t 1,450 psi t o remove d i rt ,
gr ease, and oil. Higher pr essur es shoul d be
avoi ded t o r edu ce t he r i sk of r emovi ng sou nd
zi nc. Sweep bl ast ing i s ano t her m et hod u sed ,
oft en u sed aft er wat er p ower w ashi ng t o
pr omot e adh esion of t he pr imer .
Aged or weathered galvanized
metalwork.Ol d, aged gal vani zing t hat has
been in ser vice for sever al yea r s and is
showi ng ev i den ce of d et eri orat i on p resen t s
ad d it ional pr obl ems and r equi r es r emed ial
sur f ace pr ep ar at ion met hod s di ffer ent f r om
t hose ap p rop ri at e for n ewl y galvan i zed
met alwor k.
Det er ior at ed ar eas may show a r ed d ish- br own
st ain. Thi s color st ain may be mist aken for
cor rosion of t he s teel base met al. Jus t above
t he int er face between t he steel base met al and
th e z inc th at w as ap p lied d u r ing th e h ot d ip
galvanizin g p r oces s, a zin c-iro n alloy lay er is
for med. The zinc-ir on alloy layer may be
cor r od ing r at her t han t he steel base met al, and
be bl eed i ng t hr ou gh t he more p u re zi nc above,
r esul t ing i n t he r ed d ish- br own st ain. Zinc-ir on
alloy is br ow nish , an d st eel cor r os ion is
red d ish. It is difficu lt to visu ally d istingu ish
t he di ffer ence between the t wo met als by
color .
A magnet ic or elect r onic DFT gauge can be
u sed t o d et ermi ne if t he st eel base met al or t he
zinc-iro n alloy is cor r od ing. Since zin c is
non magnet ic, mea su r ing ov er zin c will
p r od u ce a th icknes s r ea d ing. A r ea d ing
show i ng t hi ckness ind i cat es gal vani zed
mat er ial is pr esent ( i.e., br owni sh color ) (hot
d ip gal vani zing i s app lied at a t hickness of
abou t 2 t o 5 mils). Readi ngs t hat show no
thickn ess ind icate ferro u s ru st (i. e., red d ish
color ind icat es zin c has been con su med ). This
is impor t ant because t he ar eas t hat ar e
br ow nish may st ill have s u fficien t galvanizin g
ma t er ia l le ft inta ct, a nd this wi ll a ffe ct the
su rface p rep ara tion r equ irements.
The su rface p rep arat i on of old , aged
ga lvan izing r equ ires the following ste p s:
1. Wat er p ower w ash t he en t i re sur face t o
r emove d ir t , oil, and gr ease at about
1,450 psi.
2. Abr asiv ely blas t (N ACE 3/ SSPC-SP6)
or p ow er tool (SSPC-SP3 or SSPC-SP11)
clean t he r u st ed r ed d ish ar eas (lit t le or
no gal vani zing i nt act ) t o bar e st eel and
feathe r th e ed ges.
3. Hand (SSPC- SP2) or pow er t ool clean
(SSPC- SP3) t he br owni sh- color ed ar eas
(galvani zing i nt act ), ensur ing no mor e
galvanizin g is r em ov ed th an is
necessar y.
4. Sweep bl ast t he en t ire gal van i zed
su rface t o pr omot e t he ad he si on of t he
p ri mer coat .
58. Coatings.Nu mer ous coat ing mat er ials
can be a p p lied ov er galvanizin g; howev er , it is
bes t t o e nsu r e t hat t he m ater ial s elected is
comp at i ble wi th zi nc. The selecti on d ep end s
not on ly on com p atibility bu t a lso, in cer ta in
cas es, on chemical tr ea tmen ts, su rfa ce
p r ep ar ation, an d ser vice exp os u r e. Con su lt
th e coatin g manu fact u r er or th e s p ecific
p rod u ct da t a shee t s for comp at i bi li t y wi t h
sp ecific chemical tr ea tmen ts a nd su rfa ce
p r ep ar ati on meth od s .
(a) Coating Selection.The following coat ings
ar e sui t able to over coat galvani zing u nd er
58
cond ition s:
At mospher ic ser vice exposu r e
" Acr ylic or water -bor ne a cr ylic
" Acryl ic lat ex
" Wat erborn e lat ex
" Zinc-r ich ae r os ol s p r ay for r ep air ing
d amaged areas of bare gal van i zed
su rfaces
" Epoxy pr i mer wit h UV- r esist ant
alip hat ic u r et hane t opcoat
" Moi st u re-cu red u ret han e p ri mer
with UV-r esista nt a lipha tic ur etha ne
t opcoat
" Zi nc-ri ch ep oxy or moi st u re-cu red
u r et hane p r imer wit h UV- r esist ant
comp at i ble t op coat for d amaged
ar eas
Bur i al or immer sion service exposu r e
" Coal tar ep oxy
" Ep oxy
" Moistur e cur ed u r etha ne
" Zi nc-r ich ep oxy for d amaged ar eas
" Zinc-r ich moistur e cur ed u r etha ne
for d amaged ar eas
Do not u se oil-ba sed or a lkyd coatings u nless
t hey ar e sp ecifically f or mu lat ed f or
galvanizing. Zinc is an alkalin e meta l.
Moi st ure wi ll event u al ly p ermeat e t hrou gh t he
coat ing fi lm. The zi nc and bi nd ers in oi l -based
or al kyd coat ings r eact in t h e pr esence of
alkalinity an d mois tu r e t o for m a m et allic
soap . Th is p r ocess is called sa p onifica ti on.
Case hi st or ies show t hat oil-based and alkyd
coat ings t hat ar e ad her ing w ell will r equi re
abou t 6 mont hs t o 1 year aft er app licat ion i n an
ou td oo r en vir on men t t o b eg in to fail.
59
Chapter XII
Coating Failures
Coat i ngs fail for many reason s. These fai lu res
can be r elat ed t o mat er ial select ion,
formu l at ion, ad hesi on, subst rat e t yp e,
ap p lication, st r u ctu r e d esign, or exter ior
for ces. These r elated failu re typ es may act
i nd ep end ent l y of each ot h er or i n concert wi t h
each ot h er. The read er i s st rongl y urged t o
p u r chase on e of th e p hot og r ap hic coa tin g
failu r e books lis ted in ap p end ix B.
59. Material Selection.To pr ote ct the
su bstr ate, coatings a re r equ ired to resist
d et er ior at ion f r om at mosph er ic, bu r ial, and
immer sion ser vi ce exposu r e. No one t yp e of
coat ing has ev er been d evel oped t o p rot ect ed
all su bst r ate ty p es in all ser vice exp osu r es.
Rat her , manu factu r er s for mu lat e coat ings f or
specific ser vice exp osur es. Coat ing mat er ial
selection is gen er ally bas ed on serv ice
exposu re su i tabi li ty, past hi st ory p erformance,
recommend ations from oth er facility owners,
an d accelera ted p erform an ce tests.
The foll owi ng are some examp l es of imp rop er
mat er ial select ion:
Select ion of a pai nt for t he wr ong
ser vice exp osur e. For examp le, if an
at mosph er ic coat ing i s sp ecified for
immer sion service exposu r e, failur e
will occu r in a r ela tiv ely sh or t t ime
p er iod .
Select ion of a pai nt based solely on
cost s. N ot a ll p aints ar e eq u al. A
manu factu r er may p r od u ce some
excell ent p rod u ct s but ot her p ai nt s
fr om t he same manu factu r er may not
per f or m well. As a r ul e-of-t hum b,
what you p ay f or is nor mal ly what you
get , and t hi s, i n gen eral , ap p l ies t o
p aint m ater ials.
Select ion of a p aint based solely on an
uns ubsta ntia te d opinion. A pe rson
wit h limit ed kn owled ge of ind u st r ial
coatin gs can select th e w r on g or p oo r ly
p er for ming mater ials , resu ltin g in
p r ematu r e failu r e.
Select ion of a pai nt syst em t hat is not
comp at ibl e wit h an ot her p ai nt . For
examp l e, a coat ing p ri mer
ma nuf actur ed by one coating compa ny
shou ld not be t opcoat ed w it h a mat er ial
manu fact ur ed by a di ffer ent compan y,
even i f t he t wo coating m at er ial s ar e of
the same gen eric typ e, such as a
p olyamid e epoxy. Incomp at ibi lit y of
solven ts betw een two similar p aints is a
common cau se for p remat u re fail ure.
60. Formulation. For mul ation failur es ar e
failu r es th at a r e in her en t w ith in th e coatin g
ma t er ia l itse lf. The compone nts of a coating
consis t of r esin s, solvents , and p igments , and
th ey ar e mixe d in var iou s p r op or ti ons.
Imp rop er comp on ent mi xt u re d u ri ng t he
manu fact u r ing p r ocess can lead to failu r e.
Formu l at ion fail ur es are su bd i vi ded i nt o t he
following or ganic an d inor ganic coa tin g
cl asses:
(a) Formulation - Organic Coatings.Or ganic
coatin gs can fail beca u se of ch anges in
formu l at ion, raw mat eri als, i mp rop er
p rop ort i oni ng, insu ffi ci ent mi ll ing , and ot her
man u factur ing p rocesses, . Table 4 prov ides a
d escription of form u lation for or ga nic failur es,
t he cau se of fai lu re, and t he r emed y for t he
failu res.
(b) Formulation - Inorganic Zinc.Inor ganic
coat ings suf fer fr om inh er ent pr obl ems t hat
resu l t in fai lu res cau sed p ri nci pal l y by si li cat e
veh icles an d met allic zin c th at a r e u sed in th eir
comp osit ion. Tabl e 5 p r ovi d es a descr ip t ion of
th e t yp es an d cau ses of inor ganic zin c coa tin g
failu res an d the rem ed ies for th e failu res.
60
Table 4.Formulation-related failures for organic coatings
(modified from SSPC, Good Painting Practice, volume 1, third edition, 1997)
Failure description Cause Remedy
ALLIGATORING - Very large
macrocracking, generally cross-
hatched pattern.
Internal stress where surface
shrinks more rapidly than the
body of the coating. Hard
topcoat applied over soft
undercoat.
Remove failed coating. Apply thin coats
and thoroughly dry before applying
additional coats. Never apply hard
topcoat (epoxy) over soft coats
(asphalt).
CHALKING - Surface is soft,
powdery, and easily removed
by wiping.
Surface disintegration caused
by UV sunrays on an organic
resin binder; formulated with
improper pigmentation.
Select coatings formulated with UV-
resistant resins (acrylics) and light
stable, high hiding pigments.
CHECKING - Surface
phenomena with uneven, small,
noncontinuous fissures in
coating that do not penetrate to
the substrate.
Surface stresses resulting from
shrinkage caused by
weathering and continued
coating polymerization and
oxidation.
Select a coating formulated with
weather-resistant resins, inert
reinforcing pigments, and light stable
pigments.
CRACKING - Small breaks in
coating to substrate. May be
linear, cross-hatched, or
curved. Cracks may or may not
be continuous.
Stress set up in coating
because of continued
polymerization and oxidation;
improper pigmentation or
improper coating system.
Select coating formulated from
nonreactive, weather-resistant resins;
reinforcing pigments; and nonreactive
colored pigments. Primer must be
compatible with intermediate and finish
coats.
DISCOLORATION - Yellowing,
graying, or darkening of
coating.
Resin or pigment color change
caused by weather or chemical
reaction.
Select coating formulated with both
color stable resins and pigments.
EROSION - Similar to chalking.
Surface removed on high spots
and brush marks to base or
primer coating.
Chalking mechanism, coating
surface removed by weathering
and abrasion.
Select a tough, chalk-resistant coating
with good flow out characteristics that
will form a smooth film.
MICROORGANISMS - Blotchy
brown or black spots on coating
surface causing poor, dirty
appearance with softening or
slimy feel.
The biodegradation of the
coating by bacteria or fungi.
Bacteria or fungi use coating
ingredients for nourishment.
Use oil coatings containing permanent
fungicide or bactericide. Nonoil
coatings should use modifiers that will
not biodegrade.
MUD CRACKING - Large
cracking. Coating may curl at
cracks and lose adhesion.
Rapid drying of high filled
coatings, especially water-
based materials (water
emulsion paints).
Select coatings with strong adhesion.
Apply coatings under proper drying
conditions and avoid sags or areas of
excess thickness during application.
WRINKLING - Furrows and
ridges in coating surface. May
be linear or random pattern.
Wrinkle may be fine or quite
large.
Surface reaction where surface
of coating expands more rapidly
during drying than does the
body of the film.
Select coating with even, thorough
drying characteristics. Apply evenly
and avoid excessive thickness.
Coating Failures
61
Table 5.Formulation-related failures for inorganic zinc coatings
CHECKING - Usually fine, visible, or
microscopic checks. Does not
penetrate to the substrate.
The zinc pigment to binder ratio is
high, causing rapid drying and
resulting in surface cracking.
Formulation should include
reinforcing pigments. Apply
coating as thin as
recommended. Apply second
coat only if necessary. Apply
under favorable conditions.
CHEMICAL - Pinpoint rusting
progressing from spotty to
continuous area.
Acid or alkali reaction on both
silicate binder and metallic zinc.
Apply resistant topcoats over
inorganic zinc coatings.
MUD CRACKING - Fine to fairly
large segments, about 1/4-inch
across, flaking from the coating
surface.
Application too heavy or drying
too rapidly.
Apply coating at no more than
recommended thickness and
apply under favorable drying
conditions.
PINPOINT RUSTING - Pinpoint
spots of corrosion progressing from
a few spots per square foot to almost
continuous rusting.
Uneven coating thickness. Thinly
coated areas show failure first.
This is a normal failure pattern for
inorganic zinc coatings.
Apply a maintenance coat at
first sign of pinpoint failure.
61. Adhesion.Ad hesion failur es ar e
nu merou s and can be cat ast roph i c. Fail ures
are cau sed for a nu mber of reasons. On e of t he
mos t common r ea sons for ad hes ion failu r e is
p ainti ng over a conta minate d su bst r ate .
Conta minate d su r faces p r event a d hesio n.
Sol ub l e salt s left on t he su rface pro mot e
osmot ic blist er ing w her e moist ur e or gaseou s
va por is tr ansmi tte d thr ough the
semip er meabl e coating m at er ial , and gases or
l iqu i ds can form bet w een t he coat i ng an d t he
sub st r at e. Table 6 p r ovi d es a descr ip t ion of
t he t ypes and cau ses of ad hesion f ailu r es and
the rem ed ies for th e failu res.
62. Substrate.Th e t yp e of su bstr at e su rfa ce
can be a fact or rel at ed t o coat ing fai lu res. The
most common su bst r at es ar e st eel, cast ir on,
alu minu m, zinc, cop p er , concr ete , and wood .
These sub st rat es all have d i fferent
ch ar act er ist ics, su ch as d ensit y, p or osit y, and
chem ical reactivity. Steel is ver y d ense
(related to su rface smooth ness), non p orou s,
and l ess chem i cal ly react ive t h an ot her
subst r at e mat er ials. On t he ot her hand ,
concret e is not a h i gh d ensi t y (non u ni formed
sur face) mat er ial; it is por ous and ver y
chemi cal ly react ive. Thi s simp l ified
comp ari son i ll ust rat es t he d i fferences bet ween
sub st r at e t yp es. Table 7 p r ovi d es a descr ip t ion
of the t yp es and causes of su bst rat e fai lu res
an d the rem ed ies for th e failu res.
62
Table 6.Adhesion-related failures
BLISTERING - Small to large
(1/32 to 1 inch plus)
hemispherical bubbles in the
coating that contain gases or
liquids. Bubbles may range
from 1 per square foot to
several hundred per square
foot.
Blisters may be due to poor
surface preparation, internal
soluble materials (salts), or poor
wetting of substrate. Osmosis
causes absorption of gases into
substrate or solvent entrapment
(also referred to as solvent
blistering).
Select a coating with very strong
adhesion strength and low moisture
vapor transfer rate. Ensure clean
substrate with proper surface
preparation and reduced soluble salt
levels to suit service exposure.
FLAKING or SCALING - Small
to large (1/16 to 1 inch plus)
pieces of coating, curling at
edges. Easily removed from
surface, leaving substrate
exposed.
Normally, coating is brittle, with
internal shrinkage characteristics
and marginal adhesion strength.
Oil type coatings may scale or
flake from galvanized surface
(never apply an alkyd to a
galvanized surface).
vapor transfer rate. Ensure clean
substrate with proper surface
preparation and reduced soluble salt
levels to suit service exposure. For
galvanized surfaces, use a primer
compatible with zinc.
INTERCOAT DELAMINATION -
Coatings that do not adhere to
the previous coat. Failure is
between the primer and the
intermediate coat or between
the intermediate coat and the
top coat. The substrate is not
normally exposed.
Coating material is not
compatible with undercoat;
undercoat surface may be
contaminated with dust, dirt,
overspray, or other
contaminates; or undercoat may
have cured beyond maximum
recoat time.
Select a coating with good
compatibility and adhesion between
coats. Ensure that the undercoat
surface is clean before applying the
next coat. For epoxies, do not expose
to moisture (water and humidity) or
excessive sunlight before applying the
next coat.
PEELING - Coating may be
smooth and lying on the surface
or hanging in shreds. Little or
no adhesion is evident.
Adhesion is less than the tensile
strength of the coating. Coating
peelings can easily be pulled
from the surface down to bare
substrate.
vapor transfer rate. Ensure that the
substrate is clean, the surface has
been cleaned properly, and salt has
been reduced to levels suited to the
service exposure.
UNDERCUTTING - Corrosion
byproducts from the substrate
build up under the coating and
will break the coating at edges
or pinholes. The corrosion
progresses under the coating.
Poor adhesion because of
improper surface preparation
(dirt, dust, soluble salts, other
contaminates); smooth surface
(no surface profile); or coating
incompatibility with the substrate
surface.
adhesion strength. Apply coating over
a surface that has been abrasively
cleaned or cleaned by water jet
blasting. Use of a zinc-rich primer
reduces undercutting.
63. Application.Coating failur es are most
comm onl y r elat ed t o t he met hod of
ap p lication. Ther e ar e a var i et y of r easons for
ap p licat ion -re lat ed failu r es th at h ave n ot hing
t o d o wi th m at eri al selecti on or i mp rop er
formu l at ion. These fai lu res are mai nl y cau sed
by hu mans. Ther e ar e nu mer ou s exa mp les,
r anging fr om f ailur e to unde rsta nd the
consequ en ces of imp r op er ly p r ep ar ing
su rfaces t o i mp rop erl y ap p l ying coat ing s t o
r u shi ng t he job. Table 8 p r ovi d es a descr ip t ion
of ap p lication failu res, the cau se of the failur es,
and t he remed y for t he fail ures
Coating Failures
63
Table 7.Substrate-related failures
AGED STEEL - The surface
includes blisters, rust, pitting,
tubercles, or adhesion loss in
areas where the substrate was
exposed to a corrosive
environment.
Substrate surface retained
minute corrosion byproducts or
contaminants even if it was
abrasively blasted or water jet
blasted to a high degree of
cleanliness.
Water jet blast surface with water;
dilute phosphoric acid; or salt-
bonding, chemical-removal
solution. Apply an anticorrosion
primer or barrier coating with high
adhesion strength.
AGED CAST IRON - The surface
includes blisters, rust, pitting,
tubercles, or adhesion loss in
areas where the substrate was
exposed to a corrosive
environment.
A silver gray to a dark gray color
may indicate graphite corrosion.
This kind of corrosion can be
easily cut or pierced with a knife.
Cast iron has a rough, more
porous, crystalline surface matrix
than steel, causing more
moisture to be retained.
For graphite corrosion, it is the
selective leaching of ferrous ions
from some cast irons, normally
gray cast iron.
Water jet blast surface with water or
salt-bonding chemical removal
solution. Heat surface to hot-to-
touch to drive off moisture. Brush
apply primer while surface is warm
to allow a maximum wet-coat
penetration. Select compatible
intermediate coat and/or topcoat.
GALVANIZED or METALLIC
ZINC - White zinc corrosion by-
product developing under or
breaking through the coating.
Formation of zinc salts (oxide,
sulfide, oxychloride, zinc soaps)
under the coating.
Brush or low-pressure water-jet
blast zinc surface or treat with
commercial zinc treatment solution.
Select an inert, nonoil primer with
high adhesion strength.
ALUMINUM - White aluminum
corrosion by-product is causing
pinpoint coating failure, adhesion
loss from smooth surface,
blistering, or pitting.
Environmental pH outside the
range of 5 to 8.5. Lack of
accessible oxygen. Lack of
adhesion to a very smooth
aluminum oxide surface, i.e., lack
of sufficient surface profile.
Light dust blast or soft abrasive
blast or treat with commercial
aluminum treatment solution.
Select a compatible primer with
high aluminum surface adhesion
strength.
COPPER - Blue or gray-green
corrosion by-products, adhesion
failure blistering, or pitting.
Lack of adhesion to a very
smooth copper surface (no
surface profile) or the presence of
oxides on surface.
Light brush blast, soft abrasive
blast, or treat with commercial
copper treatment solution. Select a
compatible primer with high copper
surface adhesion strength.
CONCRETE - Adhesion loss,
blistering, or peeling of coating.
Chemically reactive and high
moisture content. Formation of
calcium salts under the coating.
Pinholes, air, and water pockets
in concrete surface. Water vapor
transmission through concrete.
Abrasive blast or water jet blast
(acid etching not recommended) to
obtain clean and dry surface.
Select a low molecular weight, high
penetrating primer with high alkali
resistance (coal tar epoxy or
modified epoxy).
64. Design.Nu mer ou s coatin g failu r es
occur , not becau se of misform u lated mater ials,
d eficient sur face p r ep ar at ion, or app lication
er r or s bu t beca u se of t he in her en tly d ifficult
p robl ems p resen t ed by t h e d esi gn of t he
s tr uct ur e. Mos t des igners do not have
corrosion mecha nisms an d coating op era tions
in mind when th ey d esig n st r u ct u r es.
Howe ver , wi th the proper se le ction of coating
ma t er ia ls a nd a pplica tion te chnique s, ma ny
d esign i nad equ acies can be over come. Tabl e 9
p rov i des a d escrip t i on of d esi gn fai lu res, t he
cause of t he fail ur es, an d t he r emed y for t he
failu res.
64
Table 8.Application-related failures
IMPROPER MIXING - Coating is
too thin, pigment distribution is
nonuniform, or both. Entire or
localized areas may have poor
adhesion, uneven color,
checking, or cracking.
Failure to sufficiently mix material,
resulting in improper pigment-to-
vehicle ratio; settled pigment
remains in bottom of container.
Thoroughly mix the liquid material
to an even, smooth, homogeneous
consistency, with no color variation.
During use, continue mixing as
necessary. Mechanical mixing is
the preferred method.
IMPROPER THINNING - Poor
adhesion or pigment flotation,
resulting in uneven color.
Separation of pigment and
vehicle after application, resulting
in pinholing or blushing.
Thinner is incompatible with
resins or pigments. Improper
drying, resulting in surface
tension change. Thinner
evaporated too rapidly causing
moisture to condense on liquid
coating. Excessive thinner,
resulting in curdling or
flocculation of pigment.
Use only the manufacturers
recommended thinner for selected
coating material in the amounts
specified. Add thinners slowly and
mix thoroughly.
IMPROPER ENVIRONMENTAL
CONDITIONS - Blistering and/or
poor adhesion caused by damp,
humid conditions. Powdery
coating where drying occurred too
rapidly (overspray). Soft, uncured
coating.
Ice, moisture, condensation
(above dew point), or standing
moisture on surface before
application. Lack of proper cure
because the temperature and/or
humidity were outside restrictive
range.
Apply coatings using the
manufacturers environmental
(temperature, humidity, dew point,
and surface condition) restrictions
or more restrictive requirements.
IMPROPER THICKNESS -
Where coating is thin, pinpoint
corrosion areas result. Where
coating is overly thick, checking,
cracking, or flaking result.
Improper applicator technique:
too close or too far away during
spraying; incomplete or excessive
spray passes. Difficult areas
(restrictive accessibility or space).
Use proper application techniques
for even passes and overlaps,
follow the manufacturers
application instructions, and use
the equipment recommended by
the manufacturer.
AMINE BLUSHING - Oily, amber-
colored film on coating surface for
aliphatic, amine-cured epoxy
materials.
Material applied relatively thickly
on cold, damp days or in similar
environments where amine rises
to surface and reacts with carbon
dioxide and moisture in the air.
Wait for proper temperature and
humidity before application.
BLUSHING - Milky or whitish
appearance of coating film with a
dull or flat finish.
Moisture condensation on coating
in high humidity because of fast
evaporation or unbalanced
thinners. Occurs most often on
hot, humid days or in similar
environments.
Wait for improved humidity, reduce
atomizing air pressure to a
minimum, or add evaporation
retardant to thinner.
BLEEDING - Staining of topcoats. Soluble resins or pigments in
undercoat migrate to topcoat.
Seal undercoat with coating in
which bleeding components are
insoluble.
CRATERING - Small, uniform
indentations in coating film (also
referred to as pitting).
Air pockets trapped in wet film
during spray application.
Abrasive blast, water jet blast, or
roughen affected area; ensuring
removal of contaminants within
craters; and reapply coating.
FISHEYES - Separation or pulling
apart of wet film to expose
underlying coat or substrate.
Coating applied over dirt, oil,
silicone, or incompatible coating
material.
Remove all material by abrasive
blasting or water jet blasting, ensue
substrate is contaminant free, and
reapply coatings.
Coating Failures
65
HOLIDAYS - Bare areas on the
substrate that were not coated by
the applicator (also referred to as
painters holiday).
Improper and inconsistent
application technique, reflecting a
lack of care. Most often occurs in
areas difficult to coat.
Apply coating in a careful and
professional manner, consistent
with industry standards.
LIFTING - Wrinkling, swelling, or
blistering appearance on the film
surface.
Solvents in a coating attack or
swell the underlying coating,
resulting in film distortion.
Remove all material by abrasive
blasting or water jet blasting and
reapply coatings.
ORANGE PEEL - Overall
appearance is bumpy. Film
surface is smooth but irregular.
Resembles skin of an orange.
Note: Orange peeling is not a
coating failure, but the
appearance may be
objectionable.
Inherent with sprayed-on
materials; caused by improper
application techniques: gun too
far from surface, solvent
evaporation too rapid, spray
pressure too low for proper
atomization, paint particles falling
outside of spray pattern, or
material too viscous.
Brush out excess paint before
material cures. Correct spray
technique. After material has
cured, sandpaper surface before
applying another topcoat that
reacts more slowly.
OVERSPRAY - Very rough
coating surface. Surface may be
dry, pebbly, or sandy. Some
coated areas may have the
appearance of dryness or feel dry
(also referred to as dry spray).
Improper application techniques:
gun too far from surface, solvent
pressure too low, atomizing
pressure too high, paint particles
falling outside of spray pattern, or
material too viscous.
Before the material cures, remove
the overspray by dry brushing,
followed by solvent wiping. After
the material has cured, wire screen
and sandpaper the surface before
applying another topcoat that
reacts more slowly.
PINHOLES - Small, tiny, deep
holes (1/32 inch) in coating,
normally through to the substrate.
Generally, the distribution of
holes appears to be random.
Improper application techniques:
gun too far from surface, solvent
pressure too low, atomizing
pressure too high, paint particles
falling outside of spray pattern, or
pigment settlement.
Correct any improper application
techniques. If pinholes already
exist and the material has not
cured, apply additional coat by
brushing into holes. If material has
cured, but it is still within the recoat
window, apply an additional coat. If
outside the recoat window, abrade
surface and apply additional coat.
RUNS or SAGS - Downward
movement of coating material on
vertical or curved surfaces in the
form of droplets or streams.
Runs are the result of excess
material continuing to flow after
the surrounding surface has set.
Sags are the result of differences
between application and setting
times. Sags have the
appearance of a curtain.
Excessive application of coating
material, spray gun too close, too
much thinner, surface too hard or
glossy to hold material, or
temperature too cold for proper
drying.
techniques. Apply thinner coats. If
material has not cured, brush out
excess material. If material has
cured and is still within the recoat
window, apply an additional coat. If
outside the recoat window, abrade
surface and apply additional coat.
66
SPATTER COAT - Areas of thin
coating (less than specified
coating thickness), normally at
end of the spray pass or around
complex sections of structure.
Under good lighting conditions,
coating appears continuous;
under poor lighting, coating
appears discontinuous. May
develop into pinpoint corrosion at
a later date.
Improper application techniques,
causing a noncontinuous coating
over the surface: inconsistent
spray passes not overlapping by
50 percent, spray gun flipped at
end of spray pass, or spray gun
not held perpendicular to the
surface.
techniques. If material has not
cured, apply additional coat. If
material has cured but it is still
within the recoat window, apply an
additional coat. If outside the
recoat window, abrasive blast or
water jet blast all material off and
recoat.
Table 9.Design-related failures
BACK-TO-BACK ANGLES and
PLATES - Corrosion between
back-to-back angles and plates is
resulting in undercutting of
coating.
Impossible to apply coating in
crevice between angles and
plates.
Design: Use T bar or pipe in
construction.
Precoat: Coat angles and plates
before construction assembly.
Stopgap measure: Fill crevice with
resinous chalking and topcoat with
compatible material.
EDGES - Linear corrosion along
edge and undercutting coating
away from the edge.
Surface tension causing coating
to pull away from edges.
Brush or stripe coat surfaces
before full coating. Overlap full
coating on both sides of edges.
Spray directly at edge to build up
thickness and reduce surface
tension.
INTERIOR CORNERS - A void or
blister is developing under
coating.
Excessive coating thickness,
resulting in coating shrinkage
during or after curing.
Apply multiple thin coats and allow
coating to thoroughly dry between
coats, but within recoat window.
SKIP WELDS - Corrosion in weld
gaps and between overlapping
metal is causing undercutting of
coating.
crevices in weld gaps and
between metal surfaces.
Provide continuous weld in gaps
and overlap areas before applying
coating in any corrosive
environment.
SMALL DISCONTINUOUS
AREAS - Corrosion is developing
on edges of bolt heads, bolt
threads, nuts, washers, rivets,
and other small edged or
cornered surfaces.
Small surfaces with high ratio of
edges and corners to plain, flat
area will increase coating surface
tension and cause coating to pull
away from edges and corner
points.
Brush or stripe coat surfaces prior
to full coating. Overlap brush or
stripe coat with each full coat
applied. Applying multiple thin
coats is more beneficial than one
thick coat.
Coating Failures
Table 9.Design-related failures
67
STORAGE TANK ROOFS
(Interior of umbrella type for
center post and rafters) -
Corrosion is developing between
roof and rafter and between
lapped roof plates.
crevices between roof and rafter
and between lapped roof plates.
Butt weld or double weld roof
plates. Precoat rafters and
underside of roof.
WELDS - Corrosion along welds,
particularly hand welds, is
undercutting coating away from
weld. Corrosion along weld may
be continuous or discontinuous.
Welding flux in undercuts along
weld. Rough weld surfaces.
Soap remaining after pressure
testing of welds. Blue scale
(similar to mill scale) remaining on
weld surface.
Remove all soap solution and blue
scale. Grind rough welds smooth
or nearly smooth. For interior of
hydraulic structures, such as
pipelines, grind welds down to
1/8 inch, minimum. Abrasive blast
weld and apply brush or stripe coat
2 to 3 inches on each side of weld,
working coating into all rough
areas before applying full coating.
65. Exterior Forces.The envir onme nt the
coating i s su bject t o can be a p r i mar y cause of
failu r e. Cor r os ive envir on men ts nor mally
encoun t ered on Reclamat ion p r oject s ar e
fr eshwat er envi r onment s t hat cont ai n var i ous
concent r at ions of d issolved salt s and flowing
wat er that cont ains abr asive mat er ial such as
sand p ar t icles. In t hi s sect ion, or d inar y
atm osp her ic exp osu r es a r e not consid er ed .
Tabl e 10 prov i des a d escri pt i on of fai lu res
rel at ed t o ext eri or forces, t he cau se of t he
fail ures, and t he remed y for t he fail ures
Table 10.Failures related to exterior forces
Failure Description Cause Remedy
ABRASION or EROSION -
Thinning or wearing away of
coating is resulting in a bare
substrate subject to corrosion.
Wear caused by wheeled traffic,
impact, wind, or liquid-borne
abrasives.
Select coating with strong
adhesive properties and specific
abrasion and erosion resistance.
Thoroughly prepare surface (near-
white blast minimum) and apply
new coating.
CAVITATION - Loss of coating
and metal material. Appears as
tiny craters overlain by multiple
craters in metal surface,
accompanied by significant metal
loss.
Drop in water vapor pressure,
forming air bubbles that
repeatedly collapse at high
pressure.
Select coating with strong
adhesive properties and high
cavitation resistance.
CHEMICAL - Dissolution of
coating; undercutting or underfilm
corrosion.
Selection of unsuitable coating
material. Improper coating
application.
The prime requirement is to select
a coating for the specific chemical
service exposure.
Table 10.Failures related to exterior forces
Failure Description Cause Remedy
68
FAYING SURFACES - Coating
failure and corrosion in joint area.
Concentration (or crevice)
corrosion caused by oxygen
differences between closely
spaced or joined coated surfaces,
subject to friction-producing
movement (e.g., steel plates and
high strength bolts).
Precoat metal surfaces before
assembly with inorganic zinc
coating or a suitable coating with a
high coefficient of friction.
GRAFFITI - Painted words or
graphics over coated surface.
Vandals painting coated surfaces,
especially with spray cans.
Select the manufacturer's graffiti
remover and antigraffiti coating
69
Bibliography
Becht el Pow er Corp orat i on, St eel St ru ct ures
Painti ng Cou ncil, Coat ing and
Lining Inspect ion Manual, Pittsbur gh,
Pen nsylvania, 1991.
Bookcock, Si mo n K. , R.E.F. Weaver,
B. Ap p leman, and G.C. Solt z, Effect s on
Surface Cont aminant s on Coat ing Life.
Becht el Pow er Corp orat i on, St eel
Structures Painting Cou ncil, Pittsbu rgh,
Dep ar tm ent of th e Navy, Paint Failures -
Causes and Remedies, Navy Civil
Engi neeri ng Laborat ory , Port H u enem e,
Califor nia, 1982.
Ele ct r ical Power Rese ar ch Inst it u te , Inc.,
Steel Pen st ock Coa tin g an d Lin ing
Rehabilit ation: A Hydropower Technology
Roundup Report, volu me 3, TR-113584,
Plea sa nt H ill, Ca lifor nia, 2000.
Fit zimons, Br end an, Prot ect ive Coating
In spect ion Manual, Rob inson Irw in
Technical Su p p or t Lt d ., Englan d , 1997.
Fit zimons, Br end an, V isual Comparison
Manu al: Application and Coating Defects.
Robinson Ir win Tech nical Su p p or t Ltd .,
En glan d , 1998.
Generic Coat ing T ypes: An In t roduct ion t o
Indust rial Maint enance Coating Materials,
Smit h, Lloyd M., ed ., Techn ology
Publishing Comp a ny, Pittsbur gh,
Mu nger , Char les G., Corrosion Prev ent ion
by Protective Coating, Nat ional Associat ion
of Cor rosion Eng ineer s, Hou ston , Texas,
1984.
NACE In te r nati onal, NA CE Corrosion
Engineer' s Reference Book, second ed it ion,
R.S. Tr ese d er , R. Baboian, and
C.G. Mu nger , ed s., Hou st on , Texas, 1991.
Nati onal Ass ociati on of Cor r osio n En gineer s,
Corrosion Basics: An In t roduct ion, Hous ton,
Texas, 1984.
The Society of Protective Coating s, Good
Pain t in g Pract ices, volu me 1, th ir d ed it ion,
John D. Keane, Dean Ber ger , Har ol d
Ho wer , Ber n an d R. Ap p lema n, Josep h
Brono, Kitt i Con d iff, Mar k O'Don nell,
Janet Rex, Ai mee Beggs, Vilma Macur a,
Ter r y Sower s, a nd Monica Mad au s, ed s.,
Pitt sbu r gh, Pe nnsylvania, 1993.
The Soci ety of Prot ecti ve Coat i ngs, St eel
Str u ct u r es Painti ng Cou ncil, Syst ems and
Specificat ions, vol ume 2, sevent h ed it ion,
Ber nar d R. Ap p leman, Janet Rex, a nd
Ter r y Sower s, eds. Pit tsbur gh,
Th e Society of Pr ote ct ive Coati ngs, The
Inspect ion of Coat ings an d Linings: A
Handbook of Basic Practice for Inspectors,
Owners, and Specifiers, Ber nar d R.
Ap p leman , Richard W. Drisko, Ju d ith K.
Neu gebau r, Si mo n K. Bookcock, Russel
Davi son, Lawr ence J. Gr abiak, CIH, CSP,
Jan et Rex, a nd Ter r y Sower s, ed s.,
Th e Society of Pr ote ct ive Coati ngs, C-1:
Fundament als of Protective Coatings
for In dust rial S t ru ct ures, ver sio n 10,
Supervision/Compet ent Person Training for
Deleadin g of Indust rial S t ru ct ures, t wo
volum es, ver sion V7-T, Pit tsbur gh,
Specifying and Managing Prot ect ive Coating
Projects, tw o volu mes, v er sio n 7,
Guide to Protective Coatings
70
Th e Society of Pr ote ct ive Coati ngs,
SSPC-V IS 2: St andard Method of Evaluating
Degree of Rust in g on Pain t ed St eel Surfaces,
Th e Society of Pr ote ct ive Coati ngs, Surface
Preparation Specifications, Pittsbur gh,
The Society of Protective Coating s,
SSPC-V IS 4/ NA CE V IS 7: Guide and
Reference Phot ographs for St eel Surfaces
Prepared by W aterjet t ing, Pittsbur gh,
SSPC-V IS 5/ NA CE VIS 9: Guide and
Reference Photographs for Steel Surfaces
Prepared by Wet A brasive Blast Cleaning,
SSPC-S P 15: Commercial Grade Power Tool
Cleaning, Pitt sbu r gh, Pe nnsylvania, 2002.
A-1
Appendix A
Organizational Sources for Standards and References
American Society of Testing an d Mater ials (ASTM)
1916 Race St reet
Philad elp hia PA 19103
Telep hon e: (610) 832-9500
Fax: (610) 832-9555
Websit e Ad d r ess: www.astm.or g
NACE Inter nation al (NACE)
PO Box 218340
Hou st on TX 77218
Telep hon e: (218) 228-6223
Fax: (281) 228-6329
Websit e Ad d r ess: www.nace.or g
Society for Pr ote ct ive Coati ngs (SSPC)
40 24
th
Str eet, 6
th
Floor
Pitt sbu r gh PA 15222
Telep hon e: (412) 281-2331 ext 16
Fax: (412) 281-992
Websit e Ad d r ess: www.sspc.or g
Bu r eau of Reclamat ion
Guide Spe cifica tions
Website Ad d re ss: htt p :/ / intr a.u sbr.gov / gu id esp ecs
B-1
Appendix B
Reading Sources
Good Pai nt i ng Pra ct ice, St eel St ru ct ur es Pai nt i ng Man u al , Vol ume 1, Thi rd Ed i t ion , 1993. (The four t h
ed it ion is d u e in 2003.)
Sys tems and Specifica tions, Steel Str u ctu r es Paintin g Manu al, Volu me 2, Eig hth Ed ition, 2000.
Coat i ng an d Lini ng Insp ecti on Manu al , Becht el Corp orat i on, 1983, excl usi vely d i st ri but ed by St eel
Str u ctu r es Paintin g Cou ncil (SSPC), Au gu st 1991, SSPC Pu blicat ion No. 91-12.
Th e Insp ect ion of Coati ngs a nd Lin ings, A Hand book of Bas ic Pr act ice for Insp ect or s, Owner s, a nd
Sp ecifier s, SSPC Pu blicat ion No. 91-12, Fir st Ed ition, 1997.
Corr osion Preven t ion b y Prot ect ive Co at i ngs, by Cha rl es G. Mu ng er, Pu bl ished by N ACE
Inter national, Firs t Ed ition, 1984.
Paintin g: New Con st r u ction an d Maintenance, U.S. Ar my Cor p s of En gineer s, Manu al No. EM 1110-2-
3400, Ap r il 30, 1995.
FHWA Fi eld Manu al for Bri dg e Pai nt Inspect ion, U. S. Dep art ment of Transp ort at i on, Feder al
Highway Ad minist r ation (FHWA), FHWA Brid ge Coa tin gs Te chnology Team, October 1997.
St eel Penst ock Co at i ng a nd Lini ng Rehabi l it at i on, A H yd rop ower Techn ol ogy Rou nd u p Report ,
Volu me 3, Technical Rep or t TR-113584-V3, Au gu st 2000.
Av ai labl e fr om Elect r ic Power Resear ch I nst it ut e ( EPRI), 3412 Hillvi ew Av enu e, Pal o Alt o CA
94304; t elep hone: (650) 855-2000; Cu stomer Ser vice: (800) 313-3774; Websit e Ad d r ess:
www.ep r i .com
Visu al Com p ar ison Manu al, Ap p licat ion an d Coa tin gs Defects, Bren d an Fitz imon s, Robinson Irw in
Technical Su p p or t Lt d ., Englan d 1997-1998, (SSPC Pu blicat ion No. 00-8)
C-1
Appendix C
Inspection Checklist
G Deliv er ed mater ials
G Ap pr oved mat er ials, r ecor d bat ch nu mber s
G Stor ed p r op er ly
G Con t ai ners secu red
G Shel f l ife not exceeded
G Abr asi ve mat er ial
G Com p lies with SSPC-AB1, Class A, Typ e I or II
G Con t ami nan t s
G Check for p r es en ce of oil, ASTM D 4940
G Check for chlor id e ion, if su sp ect ed with Chlor *Rid A test kit
G Reta in samp le
G Air compr e ssor e quipme nt
G Comp ressed ai r li nes
G Check for oil a nd water con ta minants, ASTM D 4285
G Blast nozzle pr essur e
G Check pr essur e at blast nozzle wit h hyp oder mic needl e gauge
G Su r f ace pr ep ar at ion
G Do not p r oceed w it h sur f ace pr ep ar at ion i f t he subst r ate sur face t emp er at ur e is less t han
5 d eg r ees F a bov e t he d ew p oin t
G Det er mine t he r ust gr ade by one of t he following p r ior t o cleaning:
G SSPC-VIS 1, for ab r asiv e b las t cleaning
G SSPC-VIS 3, for hand an d p ow er tool cleaning
G SSPC-VIS 4(I), for water jet tin g
G Ch eck for chl orid e ion con t ami nant i n w ash w at er or w at er u sed i n wat er jet t ing , if su sp ected
G Use Chlor *Rid W test kit
G Pr ep ar ati on comp lies w it h sp ecificati on meth od (i.e., NACE N o. 2/ SSPC-SP10, N ACE
No. 3/ SSPC-SP6, etc.)
G Check for chlor id e ion con ta minant a fter clea ning with Chlor *Rid test kit
G Det er mine d egr ee of sur face cleanliness by one of t he following aft er cleaning:
G SSPC-VIS 1, for ab r asiv e b las t cleaning
G SSPC-VIS 3, for hand an d p ow er tool cleaning
G NACE No. 7/ SSPC-VIS 4(I), for wa t er je tting
C-2
G Su r face p r ofile
G Det er mine s u r face p r ofile by NACE RP 0287
G Envi r onment al cond it ions
G Ambient (air ) t emper at ur e
G Subst r ate sur f ace temper at ur e
G Relat i ve hu mi di t y
G Dew point
G Wind velocity, if ap p licab le
G Coat i ng ap p lication
G Coat i ng mat er ial comp lies wit h sp ecifications
G Mixed i n accor d ance wit h manu factu r er s inst r u ctions
G Typ e of ap p l icat ion m et hod u sed
G Ensu re st rip e coat s are ap p l ied before overal l ap p l icat ion p roceeds
G Temp er at ur e an d hu mid it y r est r ictions
G Ai r and su bst rat e t em p erat u res are 50 degrees F or great er or comp l ies wi t h t he
ma nuf actur er s instr uctions
G Su r face s ar e a minimu m of 5 d eg r ees F a bov e d ew p oin t
G Relat ive hu mid it y wit hi n manu factu r er s inst r u ctions
G Surfa ces free of moistu re , frost, and ice
G Cur ing
G Coat ed it ems ar e not moved or allowed f oot tr affic befor e dr y
G Comp lies wit h manu factu r er s inst r u ctions f or temp er at ur e an d hu mid it y d u r i ng cur i ng p er iod
G Post app lication i nsp ect ion
G Dr y film t hickness by SSPC-PA2
G Holid ay test ing by NACE RP 0188
D-1
Appendix D
Reference Standards Cited in Guide
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
ASTM A 123 Zinc (Hot-Dip Galvanized) Coatings on Iron and Steel Productions
ASTM A 153 Zinc (Hot-Dip) Coatings on Iron and Steel Hardware
ASTM A 591 Steel Sheet, Electrolytic Zinc-Cated, Light Coating Weight [Mass] Applications
ASTM A 653 Steel Sheet Zinc-Coated (Galvanized or Zinc-Iron Alloy-Coated (Galvanized) by the Hot-
Dip Method
ASTM B 633 Electrodeposited Coatings of Zinc on Iron and Steel
ASTM B 695 Coatings of Zinc Mechanically Deposited on Iron and Steel
ASTM D 3359 Measuring Adhesion by Tape Test
ASTM D 4138 Field Measurement of Dry Film Thickness of Protective Coating Systems by Destructive
Means
ASTM D 4285 Indicating Oil and Water in Compressed Air
ASTM D 4414 Measurement of Wet Film Thickness by Notch Gages
ASTM D 4417 Field Measurement of Surface Profile of Blast Cleaned Steel
ASTM D 4541 Pull-Off Strength of Coatings Using Portable Adhesion Testers
ASTM D 4940 Conductimetric Analysis of Water Soluble Ionic Contamination of Blasting Abrasives
ASTM D 5064 Conducting a Patch Test to Assess Coating Compatibility
ASTM D 5162 Discontinuity (Holidays) Testing of Nonconductive Protective Coating on Metallic
Substrates
ASTM E 337 Measuring Humidity with a Psychrometer (the Measurement of Wet- and Dry-Bulb
Temperatures)
ASTM E 832 Laboratory Filter Papers
American Welding Society (AWS)
AWS C2.2 Recommended Practices for Metallizing with Aluminum and Zinc for Protection of Iron
and Steel
D-2
NACE International (NACE)/Society of Protective Coatings (SSPC)
NACE RP 0188 Discontinuity (Holiday) Testing of New Protective Coatings on Conductive Substrates
NACE RP 0287 Field Measurement of Surface Profile of Abrasive Blast Cleaned Steel Surfaces Using
a Replica Tape
SSPC-AB1 Mineral and Slag Abrasives
SSPC-PA2 Measurement of Dry Paint Thickness with Magnetic Gages
SSPC-SP1 Solvent Cleaning
SSPC-SP2 Hand Tool Cleaning
SSPC-SP3 Power Tool Cleaning
SSPC-SP8 Pickling
SSPC-SP15 Commercial Grade Power Tool Cleaning
SSPC-SP11 Power Tool Cleaning to Bare Metal
NACE No. 1/
SSPC-SP5
White Metal Blast Cleaning
NACE No. 2/
SSPC-SP10
Near-White Metal Blast Cleaning
NACE No. 3/
SSPC- SP6
Commercial Blast Cleaning
NACE No. 4/
SSPC-SP7
Brush-Off Blast Cleaning
NACE No.5/
SSPC-SP-12
Surface Preparation and Cleaning by High- and Ultrahigh-Pressure Water Jetting Prior
to Coating
NACE No. 8/
SSPC-SP-14
Industrial Blast Cleaning
SSPC-VIS 1 Abrasive Blast Cleaned Steel (Standard Reference Photographs)
SSPC-VIS 2 Evaluating Degree of Rusting on Painted Steel Surfaces
SSPC-VIS 3 Power- and Hand-Tool Cleaned Steel (Standard Reference Photographs)
NACE No. 7/
SSPC-VIS 4
Guide and Visual Reference Photographs for Steel Cleaned by Water Jetting
NACE-VIS 9/
SSPC-VIS 5
Guide and Reference Photographs for Steel Surfaces Prepared by Wet Abrasive Blast
Cleaning
E-1
Appendix E
Inspection Equipment
Inspectio n Gauges, Ins truments, and Ki ts:
Ad hes ion test er (Elcomet er ), d es tr u ctiv e t es tin g (op tional)
Blast noz zle a nalyzer gau ge (op tional)
Calibr ated sh ims
Con d u ct ivi t y met er
Dr y film t hickness gauge
Pu ll-off
Fixed or const ant pr essur e p r obe
En vir on men ta l met er for am bien t a nd su r face temp er atu r e, h u mid ity, an d d ew p oin t
Holid ay d et ect or (op tional):
Low volt age
High vol tage
Micr omet er and r epl ica t ape
Noz zle or ifice gau ge (op tional)
Pit gau ge (op tional)
Pr es su r e n eed le gau ge (op tional)
Sl ing p sychromet er
Swab che cks for l ead an d chrom at e
Test kits, chlor id e ion sp ecific (Chlor *Rid Inter national)
Th er mom et er with magnet ic backing
Took e g au ge, d es tr u ctiv e d r y film th icknes s in st r u men t (op tional)
Wet film t hickness gauge
Inspecti on Tool s:
Flashlight
1 t o 1-1/ 2 inch wid e st iff pu t ty kni fe wit h shar pened edge
Kn ife
Lat ex gloves
Pl ast ic boot ies
Magn et
F-1
Appendix F
Example of Inspection Daily Check Sheet
COATING DAILY INSPECTION REPORT 1 of 2
Project: Date:
Feature: Report By:
Contract No: Paint Contractor:
SPECIFICATIONS Tabulation No: ______ Item to be Coated: _____________________________
Coating Category: ________ Total DFT (min.): ______ mils Tab Surface Prep. Method: _________
Coat No. Material Manufacturer Product Name DFT Range
Primer:
Intermediate:
Topcoat:
WEATHER Reading Time:
1. Substrate Temperature (degrees F):
2. Ambient (Dry Bulb) Temp. (degrees
F):
3. Wet Bulb Temperature (degrees F):
4. Relative Humidity (percentage):
5. Dew Point Temperature (degrees F):
6. Item (1) minus (2) (in degrees F):
7. Wind (mph) and Direction:
Comments:
SURFACE PREPARATION Surface Preparation Method
Used:
SSPC-SP _____ / NACE No. ______
Abrasives: Manufacturer: ______________ Product Name: _____________ Class A, Type _____
Contaminants (ASTM D 4940): Fines __ yes / __ no; Oil __ yes / __ no; pH ____; Conductivity_______
Chloride Specific Ion: Test Method Used __________________________; Results _____________
Compressor Air: Type: _____________ ______ CFM Passes ASTM D 4285: ___ yes / ___ no
Surface Profile (NACE RP 0287): No. Measurements Taken ______; Averaged Measured ______
mils
Cleanliness: Chloride Specific Ion: Test Method Used _____________ _; Results _____________
Visual Standards (SSPC/NACE): VIS 1 __ yes / __ no; VIS 2 __ yes / __ no; VIS 4 (I) __ yes / __ no
F-2
COATING DAILY INSPECTION REPORT 2 of 2
APPLICATION AND MATERIALS
Manufacturer Product Name Batch Number Gal Color Thinner
Product Gal/Oz %
Environmental Control: Heaters ___ yes / ___ no; Dehumidification ___ yes / ___ no, Unit Size _________
Material Mixing: Power Mixing Time _____ minutes; Induction Time ___ yes / ___ no, _____ minutes
Stripe Coats Applied: ___ yes / ___ no; Method: ___ Bush/Roller ___ Spray
Application Method: ___ Brush; ___ Roller; ___ Airless; ___ Conventional; ___ Plural; ___ Electrostatic
Applied Within Recoat Window: Primer __ yes /__ no; Intermediate __ yes /__ no; Topcoat __ yes /__ no
Wet Film Thickness (WFT): Primer ______ mils; Intermediate ______ mils; Topcoat ______ mils
Comments:
TESTING OF HARDENED COATING
Dry Film Thickness (DFT) by SSPC-SP PA2:
Area Inspected: ___ less than 300 ft
2
; ___ less than 1,000 ft
2
; ___ equal to or greater than 1,000 ft
2
Number of 5 Spot Measurement Groups Taken Within Above Inspected Area: _____ at _____ 100 ft
2
areas
Average of 5 Spot Measurement Groups _______ mils; Conform to Specifications ___yes /___no
Discontinuity (Holiday) Testing by NACE RP 0188
Tester Used: _____ Low Voltage (Sponge) _____ High Voltage
Set at _______ volts; Number of Defects Found _______; Defects Repaired ___ yes / ___ no
Comments:
G-1
Appendix G
Procedure for Detecting Moisture and Oil in Compressed Air
(ASTM D 4285)
A. Purpose
Th is t es t d et ect s t he p r es en ce of mois tu r e a nd oil conta minants in com p r es sed air for ab r asiv e
bl ast ing , ai r blast cl eani ng, and coat ing ap p l icat ion o p erat i ons. The cont ami nant s are d et ect ed
visually.
B. Equi pment
White ab sor ben t mater ial, filte r p ap er , blott er p ap er , or clot h with a r igid backing.
C. Procedure
1. Allow the air comp ressor to rea ch op era ting cond ition s.
2. Shu t off t he abr asi ve flow.
3. Place t he absor bent mat er ial wit hin 24 inches of t he d ischar ge- point -cent er ed ai r st r eam an d
d ow nstrea m from the in-line oil and moisture sep ara tors.
4. Al l ow ai r t o fl ow for 1 mi nu t e.
5. Visu ally check ab sor ben t mater ial for th e p r es en ce of mois tu r e or oil.
Any observ ed cont ami nan t s on t h e clot h or i n t h e ai r fl ow wi ll requ i re corre ct ive act i on. Tests
sh ou ld be p er for med at t he beginning of th e sh ift or aft er th e air comp r ess or has b een sh u t off.
Test ing is r ecommen d ev er y 4 hou r s d u r ing blas tin g op er ations or mor e fr eq u en tly if hu mid ity is
high.
H-1
Appendix H
Procedure for Detecting Chlorides and Soluble Salts in
Abrasives by Conductivity Method
A. Purpose
To det ect and d et er mine t he l evel of solu bl e salt s in abr asives t o pr ev ent sub st r at e d et er ior at ion
and sub sequ ent coat ing fai lu re.
B. Conducti vi ty Met hod
1. Equipme nt
a. Electron i c cond u ct ivi t y met er
2. Pr ocedu r e
a. Ca libr ate th e cond u ctivity m eter a ccord ing to the man u factur ers instru ction s.
b. Place equal volu mes of abr asive mat er ial and d ist illed or d e-ioni zed wat er in a gl ass and
st ir for 1 minu te. Let st and for 8 minu tes and st ir ag ain for 1 minu te. Allow th e a br asiv e
mat eri al t o set t le.
c. Inser t t he cond u ctiv ity met er p r ob e in th e w ater with ou t conta ctin g ab r asiv e m ater ial.
d . Allow the cond u ctivity meter to stabilize in accor d ance with the manu factu r er s
instru ction s.
e. Read and r ecor d th e d ir ect r ead ing in micr osie mens.
C. Chl ori de-Specif i c Ion Method
1. Pu rp ose
To d et ermi ne t he concent r at i on of chl ori des i n a bra si ve mat eri al s and p revent subst rat e
cont ami nat ion a nd sub sequ ent coat ing fai lu re.
2. Equipme nt
CHLOR*TEST A, Ch lor id e Ion Test For Abr asiv es tit r ation kit
H-2
3. Pr ocedu r e
a. Ov er fill t he smal l cont ainer wit h abr asive blast mat er ial and level-off wit h t he met al
snap p er i nclu d ed wi th t h e ki t or wi th a st rai gh t ed ge.
b. Remov e t he lid fro m th e CHLOR*EXTRACT so lu tion con ta iner an d p ou r th e leveled -off
bl ast abr asive mat er ial int o t he sol ut ion.
c. Repl ace t he lid of t he CH LOR*EXTRACT solu t ion cont ai ner and vi gor ousl y shake for 2
minu t es. Al low t he abr asive mat er ial t o set tle for about 5 mi nu t es befor e pr oceed ing. Clear
solu t ion sh ou l d be v i si ble abou t a inch from t he t op sur face.
d . Hold t he t it r at ion t u be along t h e mid d le. Do n ot han d le or t ouch t he n ar r ow end s befor e or
aft er snap p i ng t h em off. Han d l ing of t he t i t rat ion t u be n arr ow end s can cont a mi nat e t h e
sol ut i on wi t h bod i ly p ersp i rat ion , i .e. , sal t s, an d affect t he resu l t s. Sna p off bot h end s of t he
ti tr ati on tu be and hold th e tu be in th e solu ti on wit h th e blu e ar r owhead p ointi ng u p . Do
not i nsert t he t i t rat ion t u be i nt o t he ab rasi ve mat eri al because t h i s may p l ug t h e t ub e.
e. Allow th e t itr ation tu be t o r em ain in th e ext r acted solu tion u ntil t he s olu tion has w icked -u p
to th e t op of t he cott on wicket . Satu r ation of t he w icket is comp let e w hen th e cott on tip
changes t o an amber color .
f. Immed i at ely aft er t he cot t on t i p ha s chan ged t o an amber col or, remove t he t i t rat i on t u be
fr om t he t est sleeve and r ead t he chlor i de l evel at t he int er f ace of t he p ink- whi t e color
change. White ind icat es th e p r es en ce of chlor id e. If no co lor change occu r s (r em ains all
p ink), the chlor ide leve l is below the th resh old d etection limit of the titration kit. The
chl orid e concent rat i on l evel is read d i rect ly from t he t i t rat ion t u be i n mi crogra ms per
squar e cent imet er or pp m.
I-1
Appendix I
Procedures for Detecting Chloride Ion in Water
A. Purpose
To det er mine t he concent r at ion of chl or id e ions i n wat er used wit h w at er jet t ing b last cleani ng or
for wat er eval u at i on t o p reven t sub st rat e cont am i nat ion a nd sub sequ ent coat ing fai lu re.
B. Equi pment
CHLOR*TEST W, Ch lor id e Ion Test For Water / Liqu id s t itr ation kit
C. Procedure
1. Remove d rop p er assembl y cap from bot t l e.
2. Use t he d rop p er assembl y i n t he bot t l e t o tr an sfer th e w at er to be t ested . Ad d ab ou t a inch
of wa t er t o t he bot t l e.
3. Hold t he t it r at ion t u be along t h e mid d le. Do n ot han d le or t ouch t he n ar r ow end s befor e or
aft er snap p i ng t h em off. Han d l ing of t he t i t rat ion t u be n arr ow end s can cont a mi nat e t h e
sol ut i on wi t h bod i ly p ersp i rat ion (i.e. ), sal t s, an d affect t he resu l t s. Sna p off bot h end s of t he
t it r ation t ube and hold t he tube i n t he solut i on w it h t he blue ar r owhead poi nt ing u p.
4. Al low t he t i t rat i on t u be t o rem ai n i n t h e ext ract ed sol ut i on u nt i l t he sol ut i on ha s wi cked -up t o
t he t op of cot ton w icket . Sat ur at ion of the wicket is comp let e when t he cot ton t ip chan ges to an
amber color .
5. Immed iat ely af ter t he cott on t ip has chang ed t o an amber color , r emove t he t i tr at ion t u be fr om
th e te st sle eve and r ead th e ch lor id e level at t he inte r face of th e p ink-whit e color ch ange.
Whi t e i nd i cat es t he p resen ce of chl ori de. If no col or cha ng e occu rs (remai ns al l p i nk), t he
chlor id e level is below th e t hr es hold d et ect ion limit of th e t itr ation kit. Th e ch lor id e
concent rat i on l evel i s read d i rect ly from t he t i t rat ion t u be i n mi crogra ms per squ are cent i met er
or p pm.
J-1
Appendix J
Procedures for Determining Blast Cleaning Air Pressure
A. Purpose
To measur e t he blast hose air pr essur e f or assessing abr asive blast cleaning efficiency.
B. Equi pment
Hyp od ermi c need l e p ressur e gau ge, 0 t o 120 p ou nd s per squ are i nch (psi ) or more.
C. Procedure
1. Blast clean ing e qu ipm ent is to be op era tiona l at the time of testing. If more than on e blast h ose
is to be u sed , ope rate all blast h oses.
2. Inser t h yp od er mic need le p r es su r e g au ge in to th e in ter ior of t he b las t h os e immed iat ely in
front of t he b l ast nozzl e an d slan t t he n eed l e at a 45 deg ree an gl e so t hat i t is p oi nt ed i n t he
d i rect ion t h e abrasi ves are flowi ng t o mi nimi ze need l e cloggi ng and d amage.
3. Read th e b las t cleaning air p r es su r e d ir ect ly fro m th e d ial g au ge. N or mal blas t p r es su r e is
bet ween 90 an d 100 p si.
4. Pr essu re r ead ings sh ou ld be ta ken p eriod ically or w hen blast clean ing e fficiency d ecreases.
NOTE:
1. Use th is t es t met hod on ly for ab r asiv e b las t h os es . Do n ot u se th is met hod on coa tin g
ap p lication h oses.
2. Ther e is no cu r r ent stand ar d r efer ence t o det er mi ne blast p r essu r e; ASTM D 4264 was
withdr a wn.
K-1
Appendix K
Determination of Environmental Factors
Envi r onment al factor s ar e d et er mined by var iou s inst r u ment s, and some inst r u ment s can p er for m
mu l ti pl e fu nct ions. El ect roni c and d i git al i nst rum ent s are becomi ng i ncreasing l y more accu rat e,
fas ter , mor e a ffor d able, and accep ta ble. Th e in st r u men ts ar e n ot d et ailed below beca u se of w id e
va ri at ion amon g i nst ru ment t yp es and becau se of t he va ri at ion i n t he w ay i nst ru ment s are u sed . Bu t ,
as wit h an y i nst r ument , always follow t he manu factu r er s inst r u ctions. The following sect ions
d escr ibe the inst r ument and t he p r ocedu r es t o be used t o det er mine each envi r onment al fact or :
A. Ambi ent Temp erature by Thermometer
1. Descr ipt i on of t he Pr ocedu r e
a. Det er mini ng t he ambient temper at ur e by a singl e d ir ect r ead ing w it h a t hermomet er .
2. Equipme nt
a. A t her momet er or the d r y bul b ther momet er of a psychr omet er .
3. Pr ocedu r e
a. Ambien t t em p er atu r e s hou ld be t aken nea r th e s u r face to be coated . Loca te all
th er mom et er s and inst r u men ts wher e t hey ar e n ot su bject to d ir ect su nlight, wind ,
const ru ct ion l i ght i ng, heat ing or ven t il at ion d u ct s, and wher e t hey ar e not su bject t o ot her
cond ition s that wou ld affect tru e temp era tu re r ead ings.
b. Let temper at ur e equi pment st abilize for 1 t o 2 minu t es if it was br ough t fr om a pl ace wher e
th e t em p er atu r e w as d iffer en t fr om th e a r ea wher e t he equ ip men t w ill be u sed (e.g., an air
cond itioned or hea ted r oo m or next t o s om eone's bod y).
c. All instru ments are d irect read . For electron ic instru ments, follow instru ction s an d ensu re
t hat t he cor r ect mod e is being u sed an d t he r ead ing i s on t he d esir ed scal e, d egr ees F or
Celsius.
B. Subs trate Surf ace Temperature
1. Descr ip t ion
a. Det ermi ning t he su rface t emp erat u re of t he sub st rat e t o be coat ed
2. Equipme nt
a. Dial thermometer w ith a m agnetic base
K-2
3. Pr ocedu r e
a. Pl ace t he d ial t her momet er on t he st eel subst r at e and allow t he t emp er at ur e t o st abilize for
abou t 2 to 3 minu tes.
C. Re lati ve Humid ity and Dew Poin t (ASTM E 337)
1. Descr ip t ion
a. Deter mining r elative hu midity an d d ew p oint to a scerta in if eva p or ation will occu r. The
su bst rat e su rface is t o be at l east 5 d egrees F abo ve t h e d ew p oi nt .
2. Equipme nt
a. Psychr ometer, either sling or batt ery, and p sychrom etric table an d char ts.
b. Electr on ic or d igita l met er (p r ov id es d ir ect r ea d ings).
3. Proced u re for Psychromet er
a. Th e w ick of a w et bu lb p sychro met er (cott on sock) shou ld be r elatively clean. Dir ty wicks
need t o be cleaned or rep l aced .
b. Sat ur at e t he wi ck on t he wet bul b, but keep t he dr y bu lb t her momet er d r y.
c. Whi rl (sl ing t yp e) or op erat e fan (bat t ery t yp e) un t i l t he t h ermomet ers st abi l ize, abou t 20 t o
30 second s, and not e t h e t emp erat u re.
d . Repeat steps 2 and 3 wit hout r e-wet ting t he wick un t il t wo or mor e wet bul b r ead ings ar e
equ al to t he l owest t emp erat u re obt ai ned .
e. Record the d ry (air) and wet bu lb temp era tu res.
f. The r elat ive hu mid it y is det er mined fr om t he i nt er sect of t he d r y an d wet bul b r ead ings on
p sychro met ri c t abl es or char t s. Psychr omet ri c t abl es and chart s n ormal ly ar e i nclu d ed wi t h
t he i nst ru ment .
4. Dew Point
a. Using th e p sychrom etric tables:
(1) Det er mine t he at mosph er ic (bar omet r ic) p r essur e f or your geogr ap hi cal location f r om
U.S. Dep ar tmen t of Com mer ce or U.S. Wea th er Bur ea u ta bles. The a ver age b ar om et r ic
p r es su r e a t sea lev el is ab ou t 30 in ches of m er cu r y, an d it w ill av er age less th an 30
inche s at h ighe r eleva tions.
K-3
(2) Det er mine t he d iffer en ce b et ween th e d r y an d wet bu lb temp er atu r es . The w et bu lb
t emp erat u re i s always l ess t han t he d ry b u l b. The d i fference i s common l y cal led t he
d ep r ess ion of th e wet b u lb.
(3) Fr om th e t ables, loca te you r geogr ap hic at mos p her ic p r es su r e (located in ta ble h ea d er ),
d r y bu lb t emp er at ur e (r ow head er ), and d epr ession of wet bu lb (colu mn h eader ) and
d et ermi ne t he corresp ond i ng d ew p oi nt val ue. Dew p oi nt is gi ven i n d egrees
Fahren heit or Ce lsiu s.
D. Wi nd
1. Descr ip t ion
a. Det er mi ni ng w he n t h e wi nd vel ocit y can cau se i n d ry sp ray, over sp ray, or d amage t o
near by equipm ent , met alwor k, or pr op er ty.
2. Equipme nt
a. Rota tin g vane a nem om et er s, d ir ect d ial, or electr on ic (d igita l)
3. Pr ocedu r e
a. Place or hold th e inst r u ment in th e d ir ect ion of th e wind and r ead th e wind (air ) velocit y.
Di git al anemomet er s may r equ ir e hol di ng d own a swit ch or bu t t on for a fixed p er iod of
time to d eterm ine th e av era ge a ir velocity. Follow the man u factur ers instru ction s.
L-1
Appendix L
Procedures for Detecting Chloride Salts on Prepared or Existing Surfaces
A. Purpose
To det ect chlor i de i ons and t hei r concent r at ion l evel on p r ep ar ed sur f aces or exist ing su r f aces for
p recoat ing eval u at i on t o p reven t sub st rat e cont am i nat ion a nd sub sequ ent coat ing fai lu re.
B. Equi pment
CHLOR*TEST t itr ation kit
C. Procedure
1. Test a sp ot wher e t he sur f ace is r elat ively smoot h. Do not p ick ir r egul ar sur faces su ch as
corrosion p i ts and wel d sp at t er, and d o no t p i ck areas bet w een d ep ressed and rai sed su rfaces
becau se t hese su rfaces may al l ow t he sol u t i on t o l eak ou t .
2. Pou r t he en t ire cont ent s from t he sol ut i on bot t l e int o t h e t est sl eeve.
3. Peal off t he blu e backing f r om t h e adh esive st r ip on t he op en end of t he t est sleeve and
d iscar d t he backing. Remove air fr om t he t est sleeve by squeezing bet ween finger s and
t hu mb. Do n ot sp i ll any of t he sol ut i on. If sol ut i on i s l ost , d i scard t he t est sl eeve an d t he
remai ni ng sol ut i on a nd bega n w i t h a n ew ki t .
4. Ap p ly th e a d hes ive s tr ip of t he t es t sleeve t o t he t es t su r face an d firm ly p r es s t he a d hes ive
st ri p t o en su re a p rop er seal . For ap p l ying t he a d he si ve st ri p t o h ori zon t al surfaces, al low t he
sol ut i on t o fil l t he cl osed end of t he t est sleeve a nd squ eeze t h e t est sleeve i n t h e mi dd l e wi t h
ind ex an d midd le finge rs to p rev ent solution loss.
5. Massage t he s olu tion ag ainst th e t es t su r face for 2 minu tes. All th e s olu tion sh ou ld be
exp os ed to th e t es t su r face d u r ing massaging to extr act a ny chlor id e s alts. The follow ing
p r oced u r es ar e r ecommen d ed for th e v ar iou s t es t su r face p os itions, so th at t he s olu tion will
flow tow ard s the test su rface withou t solution loss.
a. Hori zon t al and ver t i cal - Lift the closed end of t he t est sleeve u p , al lowi ng t h e sol ut i on t o
flow t oward s t he t est surface.
b. Ov er head - Lift t he closed end of t he t est sleeve up , allowing t he solu t ion t o flow t owar d s
t he m i dd l e of t he t est sl eeve. The n sq u eeze t h e emp t y p ort i on of t he t est sleeve w i t h t he
ind ex and mid d le finger s an d slid e t he finger s al ong t he t est sleeve, for cing t h e solu t ion
t o t he t est surface.
L-2
If th e s olu tion is leaking ou t fr om th e t es t sleeve, d iscar d th e t es t sleeve a nd th e r em aining
sol ut i on an d begi n wi t h a n ew ki t .
6. After massag ing th e solu tion for 2 minu tes, remove the test sleeve a nd solution from the test
su r face . To r emov e t he t es t sleeve a nd r et ain th e s olu tion fro m th e t es t su r face , th e follow ing
p roced u res ar e recommend ed for the va riou s test su rface p osition s:
a. Vert i cal and over he ad - Lower t h e t est sleeve, al lowi ng t h e sol ut i on t o flow t oward t he
closed end of the t est sleeve.
b. Hori zont al - Wi th t h e t est sl eeve l ayi ng flat , squ eeze t he sol ut i on t oward s t he closed end
of t he t es t sleeve. Th en , pinch off a nd lift u p th e t es t sleeve n ea r th e t es t su r face , allowing
t he sol ut i on t o flow t oward s t he closed end of the t est sleeve.
7. Pu nch ou t t he p er for ated hole on th e lid of t he or iginal box con ta iner lid , close t he b ox lid ,
and i nsert t he t est sl eeve w i th t h e solu t ion i nt o t h e hol e.
8. Hold t he t it r at ion t u be along t h e mid d le. Do n ot han d le or t ouch t he n ar r ow end s befor e or
aft er snap p i ng t h em off. Han d l ing t he t i t rat i on t u be n arr ow end s can cont a mi nat e t h e
sol ut i on wi t h bod i ly p ersp i rat ion (i.e. ), sal t s, an d affect t he resu l t s. Sna p off bot h end s of t he
t it r ation t ube and hold t he tube i n t he solut i on w it h t he blue ar r owhead poi nt ing u p.
9. Allow th e t itr ation tu be t o r em ain in th e ext r acted solu tion u ntil t he s olu tion has w icked -u p
t o t he t op of cot t on w i cket . Sat u rat i on of t he wi cket i s comp l ete when t he cot t on t i p chan ges
t o an amber color .
10. Immed i at ely aft er t he cot t on t i p ha s chan ged t o an amber col or, remove t he t i t rat i on t u be
fr om th e te st sle eve and r ead th e ch lor id e level at t he inte r face of th e p ink-whit e color ch ange.
Whi t e i nd i cat es t he p resence of chl ori de. If no col or cha ng e occu rs (remai ns al l p i nk), t he
chlor id e level is below th e t hr es hold d et ect ion limit of th e t itr ation kit. Th e ch lor id e
concent r at ion level is r ead d ir ect ly fr om t he tit r ation t ube in micr ogr ams p er squar e
cent imet er or pp m.
11. Af t er comp let ing t h e t est , clean t he t est su r f ace (sub st r at e) wit h acetone or al cohol t o r emov e
al l ad hesi ve st rip resid u e.
NOTE: The pr esence of some salt ions an d cer t ain p H r ang es can ad ver sely af fect t he above
chlorid e test resu lts in the follow ing w ays:
The p resence of bromi de, iod i de, or cyan i de i ons can yi eld a hi gh er concent rat i on l evel
t han t he act ua l chl ori de i ons ext ract ed from t he t est surface.
The p resen ce of sulp hide ions can tu rn the cotton wick in th e titration tu be a br ow nish
color r ath er th an white an d can yield a h igher con cen tr ation lev el t han th e a ctu al chlor id e
i ons ext ract ed from t he t est surface.
p H val ues of less t han 3.5 and hi gher t han 11 can yi eld a hi gher concent r ation l evel t han
t he act ua l chl ori de i ons ext ract ed from t he t est surface.
M-1
Appendix M
Determining Surface Profile of Blast-Cleaned Steel Using Replica Tape
(NACE RP0287 or ASTM D 4417, Method C)
A. Descri pti on
To d et ermi ne t he an chor p at t ern d ep t h of abrasi ve bl ast ed sur faces by u se of a sp ri ng mi cromet er
and rep l ica imp ression t ap e.
B. Equi pment
1. Sp ri ng mi cromet er
2. Rep lica imp ression tap e, coar se or e xtra coar se
C. Procedure
1. Measu rement s are t o be t a ken on a smoot h , flat or cu rved p l at e t hat i s free of surface di rt ,
d u st , and abr asive p ar t icles t hat will d ist or t r esul t s. An accu r at e pr of ile cann ot be mad e on
p itted or p artially coated are as.
2. Sel ect t he corr ect repl ica t ap e ran ge for t he sp ecified p rofil e dep t h
a. 0 to 2 mils, u se coarse
b. 1.5 to 4.5 mils, u se extra coarse
The r epl ica t ape has a t hickness of 2 mils but will var y slight ly.
3. Pr ep ar e th e sp r ing micr omete r by cleaning th e anvils, sett ing th e gau ge to zer o, and
calibr ati ng wit h a sh im betw een 1 and 4 mils. Th e sp r ing micr omete r sh ou ld be p r ecise to 0.3
mil.
4. Remov e a sin gle p iece of r ep lica im p r es sion ta p e fr om con ta iner an d p u ll off t he a d hes ive
ba cking . The r elease p ap er (n on ad hesive p iece) with th e circle can be d iscard ed . The
mea su r ing p ap er st r ip has a 0.4 inch squ ar e w hite p las tic film at th e center of t he a d hes ive
back.
5. Before ap p l ying t he fil m t o t h e bl asted sur face, t he t h i ckn ess of t he fil m m u st be sub t ract ed
from t he fi nal read i ng. Su bt ra ct ion of t he fil m t hi ckness can be accomp l ished by one of t he
M-2
a. Measur e t he r ep lica tap e wit h t he sp r i ng micr omet er at t he r ou nd cut ou t por t i on
opp osit e t he 0.4 inch squar e wh it e pl ast ic film and subt r act the r epl ica film t hickness by
on e the follow ing m eth od s:
(1) Subt r act the t hickness fr om t he final r eadi ng.
(2) Tur n t he d ial ind icat or ar m on t he spr i ng micr omet er coun t er clockwise fr om zer o
t he measu red rep l ica fi lm t hi ckn ess (e.g. , for a measu red 2.2 mi l s fi lm t hi ckn ess, set
th e d ial in d icat or ar m at 7.8). This met hod com p en sa tes for th e r ep lica film
t hickness and pr ovi des a di r ect r ead ing.
b. Nom inal th icknes s of th e r ep lica t ap e is 2 mils. Inst ea d of m ea su r ing th e r ep lica t ap e, it is
accep ta ble p r actice to u se th e 2 mil nom inal th icknes s and su btr act t he r ep lica film
t hickness by one t he following:
(1) Subt r act the t hickness fr om t he final r eadi ng.
(2) Set t he d i al i nd i cat or a rm at 8.0 (t u rn i ng i t cou nt er clockwi se from zero) on t he
spr ing micr omet er t o pr ovi de a d ir ect r ead ing.
6. Ap p l y t he fi lm t o t he bl ast ed su rface. The ad hesi ve backi ng w i ll hol d t h e fi lm i n p l ace.
7. Wi t h a rou nd ed t ool (a bar p l ast ic swi zzle st ick has b een foun d t o work wel l), ru b ov er t h e
rou nd cut ou t p ort i on of t he rep l ica t ap e wi t h mod erat e p ressu re. The circul ar area of t he
r ep lica ta p e will become d ar ker or gr ayish , ind icati ng th e blast ed p r ofile has b een r ep lica te d .
Ensu re t he en t ire circul ar area h as u ni forml y da rken ed .
8. Remove t he r ep l ica t ap e an d p l ace i t bet ween t he a nv i ls of t he sp ri ng mi cromet er (wi t h
cir cu lar ar ea cent er ed bet ween t he anvi ls). Gent ly r elease t he t r igger of t he micr omet er and
t ake r ead ing. Depend ing on t he gauge set ting, eit her zer o or the measur ed r epl ica t ape
t hickness, ensur e or iginal r epl ica t ape t hi ckness is subt r act ed fr om r eadi ng.
9. Thr ee r ead ings shou ld t aken in on e locat ion w it hin abou t 3 inches of each ot her and
aver aged . Locat ion r eadi ngs (t hr ee aver aged r eadi ngs) shoul d be t aken on ever y 100 squar e
feet of sur face, or p ort i on t hereof, t o est abli sh consi st ency of t he p rofil e.
10. Ret ain r ep l icat ed t ap e samp l es for fut u re reference.
N-1
Appendix N
Procedures for Measuring Wet Film Thickness (ASTM D 4414)
A. Purpose
To d eterm ine th e wet coating thickn ess being ap p lied an d to estimate th e d ry film thickn ess.
B. Equi pment
A n ot ch gau ge is a r ect angu lar or squ ar e-shap ed p lat e. Each ed ge has t wo ou t er pr oject ions of
equ al h eight. Betw een th e ou ter p ro ject ion s is a series of gr ad u at ed not ches mar ked in mils. Each
ed ge of t he not ch gau ge is calibr at ed f or a sp ecific mil t hickness r ange. Typi cal not ch gau ge
mater ials ar e a lu minu m, plas tic, p olis hed st eel, an d st ainless steel.
NOTE: The p lastic gau ges ar e d isposa ble an d ar e int en d ed for a limited nu mber of read ings. The
al umi nu m and p l ast ic gaug es wi ll wear d own an d become ina ccu rat e wi th ext end ed u se.
C. Procedure
1. If p ossi ble, t est a flat area . For cur ved su rfaces, t est al ong t h e l ongi t u d i nal axis, no t t he
cur ved axis. Test smoot h ar eas t hat ar e fr ee fr om sur f ace ir r egu lar i ties su ch as seams or
weld s.
2. Select the m il thickn ess ran ge a long the ed ge of the gau ge for th e an ticipa ted film thickn ess.
3. Test i mm ed i at el y aft er t he coat ing i s ap p l ied .
4. Firml y press t he g au ge i nt o t h e wet coat ing , ho l di ng t h e gau ge p erp end i cu l ar t o t he su bst rat e
wit h t he two equal out er pr oject ions r esting on t he subst r at e. Do not tilt or scr ape t he gauge
t hr ough t he wet coat ing.
5. Remove t he g au ge from t he w et coat ing an d no t e t he sh ort est coat ed st ep bet w een t he
not ches. The w et fi lm t hi ckn ess li es bet ween t h i s val ve an d t he ad jacent u ncoat ed st ep.
6. Cl ean t he g au ge before t ak i ng t h e next measu rement .
O-1
Appendix O
Wet Film Thickness Formulas and Example Calculations
A. Descri pti on
Deter mining th e wet film thickne ss (WFT) to a chiev e a d esired d ry film thickne ss (DFT)
B. Formu l as
Wit hou t Thinning t he Coat ing M at erial
Not e: Per cent of solid s by volum e is expr essed i n d ecimal for m.
Examp l e: The d esired DFT is 8 mils. The coa ting mater ial conta ins 83 per cent solid s by
vo lume. Dete rmine t he WFT to ach ieve a n 8-mil DFT.
Wit h T hinning t he Coat ing M at erial
Not e: The per cent of solid s and t hi nner s ad d ed by vol ume is expr essed i n d ecimal for m.
Examp l e: Th e sp ecified DFT is 6 mils. Th e su r face ar eas r equ ir es 5 g allons of th inned p aint.
Th e coatin g mater ial conta ins 86 p er cen t solid s, by volu me. Th e m anu fact u r er 's
inst r uct ions stat e 1 pi nt s of t hinn er is add ed t o each gal lon of coat ing mat er ial
(16 pints = 1 gallon). De ter mine t he WFT to ach ieve a 6-mil DFT.
P-1
Appendix P
Procedures for Dry Film Thickness Gauges (SSPC-PA2) and Example
I. Purpose
Det er mini ng t he thi ckness of a har d ened coating.
II. Equi pment
The non d estru ctive gau ges d escribed in SSPS-PA2 are gr ou p ed into tw o ge nera l categories:
Typ e I, magn et ic pu l l off gau ge.
Typ e II, fixed p rob e or con stan t p ressu re p rob e ga u ges.
III. Type I, Magneti c Pul lof f Gauge
A. Descr i pt ion
Typ e I, magn et i c p u l l off gau ges, common l y referred t o as ba na na gau ges, measu re t h e
coat ing t hi ckness of a non- magnet ic coat ing over a f er r ous met al subst r at e. The gauge has an
exp osed magn et at t ached t o a sp ri ng. The am ou nt of t ensi on ap p l ied on t he sp ri ng t o l ift the
magn et from t he coat ed su rface is d i rect l y pr op ort i ona l t o t he d i stan ce of t he m agn et from t he
ferrou s surface.
B. Cal ibr at i on
1. Use non magnetic, stan d ard calibr ated shims, common ly chrome. Plastic and mylar sh ims are
not accept abl e for calibr at ing p u ll off gau ges becau se pl ast ic or mylar is nonad her ent and
may cause t he magnet wit hin t he gauge t o lift pr emat ur ely.
2. Sel ect a shi m t hat w i ll be in t h e ran ge of t he expect ed d ry fil m t h i ckn ess t o be measu red .
3. Pl ace t he shi m on t he p rep ared su bst rat e or an y clean bar e st eel an d p l ace t he g au ge on t he
sh im.
4. Rota te th e d ial for war d u ntil t he m agnet con ta cts th e s him.
5. Rota te th e d ial backwar d slowly and ev enly u nti l th e magnet b r eaks conta ct and lift s u p . A
clicking sound may be heard .
6. If the rea d ing d oes n ot ag ree w ith th e shim thickn ess, check th e magnet for clean liness.
7. If t he r ead ing i s st ill not i n agr eement wit h t he shi m t hi ckness, t he gau ge is out of cal ibr at i on
and shou ld be r e-calibr ated by the manu factu r er or r ep laced . Follow the manu factu r er s
inst r u ct ions for ad ju st ment or r etu r n th e gau ge to th e manu fact u r er for fact or y ad ju st ment.
Do n ot ad ju st th e g au ge y ou r self.
P-2
8. The gau ge is to calibr ated before u se, du ring u se, and after u se to verify accur acy of rea d ings.
C. Pr ocedu r e
1. Ensur e t he magnet is clean.
2. Hold th e ca libr ated gau ge fir mly to th e coated st eel su r face an d r ot ate th e d ial for war d u ntil
t he magn et cont act s t he coat ed su rface.
3. Rota te th e d ial backwar d slowly and ev enly u nti l th e magnet b r eaks conta ct and lift s u p . A
clicking sou nd may be h ear d . The following m ay influ ence read ings:
a. Vi brat i ons may p remat u rel y brea k t h e magn et i c cont act .
b. Soft or t acky coat i ngs may i nh i bit t he l i ft i ng of t he m agn et .
4. Read t he coat ing t hi ckness on t he di al t hat aligns wit h t he mar ked line on t he gau ge and
r ecor d t he r eadi ng.
IV. Type II, Fixe d Probe or Constant Pressure Probe Gauges
A. Descr ip t ion
The t yp e II, fixed or const ant p ressu re p robe gau ge, measu res t he magn et i c flu x associat ed wi t h
non -magnetic coatings ap p lied to ferrou s su bstr ates. For reliable read ings, the ga u ges mu st
r emain i n d ir ect cont act wit h t he coat ed sur f ace un t il a r eadi ng i s obt ained . These gauges ar e
norm ally faster an d more accur ate th an the magnetic p u ll off gau ges.
B. Cal ibr at i on
1. Use non magnetic or p lastic calibr ated shim stan d ard s.
2. Sel ect a shi m t hat w i ll be in t h e expect ed ran ge of t he d ry fil m t h i ckn ess t o be measu red .
3. Pl ace t he shi m on t he p rep ared su bst rat e or an y clean bar e st eel an d p l ace t he g au ge on t he
sh im.
4. Place the gauge fir mly against the shim and obt ain a r eadi ng.
5. If t he r ead i ng d oes not agr ee wi t h t he sh i m t hi ckness, ad ju st t he gau ge i n accord an ce wi t h t he
man u factur ers instru ction s. Ad ju stment is nor mally cond u cted by p ressing key s to ad ju st
u p ward or d ownw ard u nt i l t he gau ge rea d i ng an d t he sh i m t hi ckness ar e i n agr eement .
C. Pr ocedu r e
1. Ensur e t he pr obe i s clean.
2. Set gau ge to rea d in d esired scale, either mils or microm eters.
3. Hol d t h e cali brat ed gau ge firml y t o t he coat ed st eel sur face.
P-3
4. Read t h e coat ing t h ickness on t h e d igi tal d ispl ay. Some gau ges will st or e sever al r eadi ngs for
d ow nload ing in to p rinte r an d may be cap able of avera ging rea d ings.
Examp l e:
Sp ecifica tions r eq u ir e t he u p st r ea m face of a r ad ial g ate be coated . The g ate has t he d imen sions of 26
feet in height along th e ra d ius cu rv atu re a nd is 10 feet in w idth. The coating tabu lation sp ecifies 2
coats of epoxy at 8 mils per coat and 1 t opcoat of p olyu r et han e at 3 mils for 19-mil DFT, mini mu m, for
t he t ot al system.
Step 1: Det ermine th e nu mber of spot measu rements requ ired on an are a ba sis.
Su rface area of stru ct ure: 26 feet x 10 feet = 260 squ are feet
Surfa ce are a is less th an 300 squ ar e feet ; ther efore , 5 sp ot mea su re men ts a re re qu ired in ea ch
of t wo 100 s qu ar e feet ar ea s (t ot al of 30 in d ivid u al gau ge r ea d ings).
Step 2: The DFT in st r u men t is calib r ated with a 20-m il sh im.
Step 3: An imaginar y line is d r awn hor izo nta lly acr os s t he g ate at th e m id elevation, effect ively
d i vid i ng t he g at e int o equ al lower an d u p p er areas. Fi ve spot measu rement s are ran d oml y t aken
i n each area, consi st ing of thr ee ind i vid u al gau ge read i ngs wi thi n a 1.5-i nch-di amet er circle p er
sp ot measu rement. The follow ing a re th e resu lts:
Lower Gate Area
Gauge
reading
Spot measurement (DFT in mils)
A B C D E
1 18.2 20.6 21.0 16.7 26.4
2 18.6 19.1 21.8 17.1 29.8
3 17.8 20.4 20.8 16.8 29.0
Average 18.2 20.0 21.2 16.9 28.4
Upper Gate Area
Gauge
reading
Spot measurement (DFT in mils)
A B C D E
1 22.6 20.4 18.6 19.5 29.3
2 22.1 21.7 18.3 19.9 31.0
3 21.9 21.3 19.4 19.2 30.4
Average 22.2 21.1 18.8 19.5 30.2
P-4
Ste p 4: Dete r mine minimu m and maxim u m accep ta nce th ickness cr it er ia.
a. The sp ecified coat ing t hi ckn ess is 19 mi l s. The al lowabl e cri t eria are:
Minimu m - 90 p er cen t of sp ecified th icknes s (0.9 x 19 mils) = 17.1 mils
Maximu m - 150 p er cen t of sp ecified th icknes s (1.5 x 19 mils) = 28.5 mils
b. The foll owi ng eval u at es t he resu l ts for t hi ckness accep t ance:
(1) Av er age spot measur ement s t hat ar e bet ween t he mini mu m specified t hi ckness of
17.1 mils and th e m aximu m sp ecified th icknes s of 28.5 mils
(aa) Sp ot m easu r ements A, B, C, a nd E on th e lower gate ar ea (18.2, 20.0, 21.2, a nd
28.4, resp ecti vely) are accep t abl e.
(bb) Sp ot m easu r ements A, B, C, a nd D on th e u p p er gate ar ea (22.2, 21.1, 18.8, a nd
19.5, resp ecti vely) are accep t abl e.
(2) Aver age sp ot measu rement s t hat a re l ess t han t he 90 per cent mi ni mu m of t he
sp ecified th icknes s of 17.1 mils at sp ot mea su r em en t D on th e lower gate ar ea (16.9) ar e
not accept abl e.
(3) Av erage sp ot measu rement s t ha t are great er t h an t he 150 percent maximu m speci fi ed
t hi ckness of 28.5 mils at sp ot measur ement E on t he u p p er gat e ar ea (30.2) ar e not
accep t abl e.
St ep 5: From t he abo ve eva l uat i on, the foll owi ng can be concl ud ed :
On e averag e sing l e sp ot measu rement (D) on t he l ower gat e area w as less t han t h e 90 p ercent
mi nimu m, and one av erage si ngl e spot measu rement (E) on t h e u p p er gat e area w as great er
t ha n t h e 150 per cent maxi mu m. Therefore, t he coat i ng t h i ckn ess d oes not conform t o t he
mi nimu m and maximu m t hi ckn ess requ i rement s an d i s not accept abl e.
However , ad d it ional gau ge r ead ings a r e allowed to be ta ken to ver ify p r eviou s r esu lt s.
Sever al factor s cou ld hav e affect ed t h e gau ge r ead ings. Possibl e factor s inclu d e cal ibr at i on,
d irty su rface, soft or tacky coating su rface, p roximity to ed ges or oth er steel masses,
cur va t u re of st eel, t i lt i ng of p robe, p ossi ble ot her n earb y magn et i c sou rces, t emp erat u re
ext r emes, a nd vibr ati ons.
Q-1
Appendix Q
Procedures for Discontinuity (Holiday) Testing (NACE RP 0188)
I. Purpose
To locate p inh oles and oth er d efects in hard ened coating u sing low or h igh v oltage instru ments.
II. Usi ng a Low Vol t age Inst rument f or Coati ng Thi cknesses of 20 Mi l s and Less
A. Descr ip t ion
A l ow vol t age, nor m al ly bet ween 5 and 90 vol t s DC, bat t er y p ower ed d evi ce wit h a wet spong e
el ect ri c p robe i s d ragged across t he coat ed su rface t o locat e d i scon t i nu i t ies (p i nhol es) i n t he
coat ing fi lm. Shou l d d i scont i nu i ti es be encou nt ered , an el ectri c curren t wi ll fl ow t o t he st eel
su bst r ate. This p r oces s w ill close a n electr ical cir cu it w ith in th e in st r u men t a nd set off an au d ible
or visual alar m.
B. Equipme nt
1. The following ar e t wo gener al t ypes of low vol t age holid ay t ester s. Each u ses a wet spong e
p rob e, bu t they a re based on d ifferent electrical pr inciples.
a. Elect romagn et i c-sensi ti ve or a sol i d st at e el ect roni c relay ci rcu i t tha t , whe n d i scon t i nu i t y
is d et ect ed , closes th e cir cu it and p r od u ces an au d ible or visu al ala r m. Ge ner ally, th is
i nst rum ent can be fi eld ad ju st ed.
b. An electr on ic relaxat ion os cillator cir cu it mea su re s th e d ro p in electr ical r esista nce
bet ween t h e coat ing and t he st eel sub st rat e and p rod u ces an a u d i ble al arm when
d i scont i nu i ty i s det ect ed. Genera l ly, thi s inst ru ment t yp e canno t be fiel d ad ju st ed.
C. Pr ocedu r e
1. En su r e th e coati ng is s u fficie ntl y d r y (se e ch ap te r VIII, su bse ct ion 36, Dr ying, Recoati ng, and
Cu r ing) befor e test ing.
2. Tes t th e in str u men t's p ow er su p p ly b at teries for su fficient p ow er with th e bat tery check
switch. If the ba tteries ar e low, replace or recharg e the ba tteries.
3. Test the instr u ment for op er ational u se and calibr ate it in accor d ance with the manu factu r er s
i nst ruct i ons or NACE RP0188, sect ions 3.3 and 3.4, before it s ini t ial use.
4. At t ach t h e electri cal grou nd (neg at i ve) wi re from t he i nst ru ment t o t he st eel su bst rat e.
5. Wet t he sp ong e p robe w i th p ot abl e wat er
Q-2
Not e:
a. A l ow-sud sing w et ting agent such as that used i n ph ot ogr aph ic d evelopm ent can be
ad d ed to th e p otab le water at a r atio of fluid ou nce to 1 gallon of water to increa se
sensit ivit y.
b. The u se of d et ergen t wet t ing solu t ions i s not p ermi tt ed because a bu bbl e may form over
a d efect, rend eri ng i t un d et ect abl e.
6. Tur n t he i nst r ument swit ch t o t he on p osit ion.
7. Th e s p on ge is to be m ov ed ov er th e coatin g su r face at ab ou t 1 foot p er second , usin g a d ou ble
p ass over each ar ea an d ap p l ying su ffi ci ent p ressu re t o kee p t he su rface wet .
8. The spon ge shou ld be kept sat ur at ed , but not d r ipp ing w et , whi le movi ng over the coat ing.
9. When a d iscontin u ity is d et ect ed , the sp on ge is t o b e t u rn ed on ed ge t o d et er mine t he exact
spot of t he d efect , and t he spot is to be mar ked for r epai r . Use a gr easeless mar ker t hat can be
ea sily clea ned off.
10. If wet t i ng sol u t i ons are u sed , t he sol u t i ons mu st be comp l et ely ri nsed off before ap p l ying t he
r epair coat ing.
III. Usi n g Hi g h Vol t age Instrument f or Coati ng Thi ckness of Greater Than 20 Mi l s
A. Descr ip t ion
A high-volt age d ev ice, n or mally in exces s of 800 volt s DC, with wet sp on ge elect r ic p r ob e is
p assed ov er th e coated su r face to loca te d iscontin u ities (p inhole s) in th e coatin g film. Sho u ld
d i scon t i nu i t ies be en count er ed , t he el ect ric dev i ce wi ll sp ark t hr ou gh t he a i r gap at t he
d iscontin u ity an d p r od u ce a n au d ible or visu al ala r m. A gen er al ru le-of-th u mb for d et er mining
t he r equ i red vol t age i s 100 t o 125 vol t s p er mi l; ho wever , i t i s best t o consu l t the man u fact u rer t o
pr event d amaging t he coat ing.
B. Equipme nt
1. The following a re tw o ge nera l typ es of high voltage h olid ay testers:
a. Pu lse typ ed ischarg es a cycling, high -voltage p u lse
b. Di rect cur r ent d ischar ges cont inu ous volt age
2. The following a re genera l typ es of electrod es an d p rob es:
a. Hal f- or ful l-ci rcl e sp ri ng el ect rod es used for p i pes
b. Ph osp hor bron ze bru sh p robes
c. Con d u ct ive ru bber st ri p p robes
Q-3
C. Pr ocedu r e
1. En su r e t he coatin g is su fficien tly d r y befor e t es tin g. (See ch ap ter VIII, su bsection 36, Dr ying,
Recoatin g, an d Cu r ing.)
2. If moi st ure i s p resen t on t he coat ed su rface, d ry t h e su rface before t est i ng b ecause moi st ure
will ind icate inv alid d iscon tinu ities.
3. Test the instr u ment for op er ational u se and calibr ate it in accor d ance with the manu factu r er s
i nst ruct i ons or NACE RP 0188, sect ions 4.5 and 4.6, before it s ini t ial use.
4. Ad ju st the instru ment to th e p rop er v oltage sett ing for the coating thickn ess.
5. At t ach t h e electri cal grou nd (neg at i ve) wi re from i nst rum ent t o t he st eel su bst rat e.
6. Tur n t he i nst r ument swit ch t o t he on p osit ion.
7. Tou ch th e p r obe to a bar e cond u ct ive (st eel) su bst r ate to ver ify th at it is p r op er ly gr ou nd ed .
Electri c spa rks shou l d be seen , or an al arm sign al shou l d be act i vat ed .
8. Usi ng a sing l e p ass, move t h e p robe ov er t he coat ed sur face at a rat e of abou t 1 foot p er
se cond.
9. Whe n a d i scon t i nu i t y is d et ect ed, mark t he sp ot for rep ai r. Use a grea sel ess marker t h at be
ea sily clea ned off.
R-1
Appendix R
Procedure for Mechanical (Pulloff) Adhesion Testing
(ASTM D 4541; Annex A2)
A. Purpose
To d et ermi ne t he ad hesi ve st rengt h bet ween a fu l ly cur ed coat ing and t he su bst rat e.
B. Descri pti on
Th e a d hes ion test er mech anically mea su r es th e r ela tiv e s tr en gth of a d hes ion bet ween a co atin g
and th e s u bst r ate or bet ween coa tin g lay er s. An alu minu m p u ll off stu b (d olly ) is ad hes ively
bon d ed to th e coatin g an d allowed to cu r e. A p u lling for ce on th e b on d ed d olly is contin u ou sly
incr ease d u nti l th e d olly d eta ch es or a sp ecific for ce is a ch ieved .
C. Equi pment
There ar e sev era l differen t typ es of p u lloff ad hesion tester s. The ty p e II tester , cited in ASTM D
4541, ann ex A. 2, i s t he El comet er Mod el 106. Thi s mod el i s t he most commonl y u sed . Elcomet er
Mod el 106 is avai labl e in si x scale ran ges. The scale most commonl y u sed i s 0 to 1,000 pou nd s per
squ ar e in ch (p si), and it is d iscu ssed below. A st and ar d 3/ 4-inch-d iam et er alu minu m d olly is
u sed with th e Elcom et er Mod el 106.
D. Procedure
1. Select t he sp ot wher e t he d olly will be bond ed t o the coating. The select ed ar ea mu st be lar ge
enou gh t o accommod at e t he feet of the i nst ru ment . Dol li es shou l d be l ocat ed at l east 2 i nches
from an y su rface obst ru ct ion s and ha ve at l east 1 foot of vert i cal clearan ce t o accommod at e
inser ting t he inst r ument in t he d olly.
2. Use a s u ita ble solv en t w ip e t o r em ov e s u r face con ta minants su ch as d ir t, d u st , gr ea se, an d oil
from t he t est spot . Wi pe al l moi st u re from sur face and t hen solven t wi pe.
3. Th e m anu fact u r er r ecommen d s t es tin g on ly on flat su r face s; how ev er , cur ved su r face s of 24-
inch r ad iu s and gr eat er can be t est ed. For cu r ved sur f aces wi t h a r adi us of less t han
24 inch es, the d olly need s to be gr ou nd d ow n to match the existing metalw or k r ad ius. The
foll owi ng mat ches t he d ol ly t yp e wi th t h e sur face:
Flat sur faces - Use st and ard d ol li es
Cu r ved su r faces - Use d ollies w it h a r ad iu s t hat m atches t he su r face r ad iu s t o be te st ed .
Th e m anu fact u r er will fabr icat e d ollies for a s p ecified r ad iu s and th e follow ing
curv atu res:
R-2
" Concave - out er r adi us (exampl e: pi pe ext erior )
" Convex - inner r ad ius (exampl e: pi pe int er ior )
4. To p r om ot e a d hes ion of t he d olly to th e follow ing su r face s, r ou ghen th e t es t sp ot ar ea u sin g:
Ligh t sand p ap er on gl ossy su rfaces
Coarse r san d p ap er on u neven su rfaces
5. Wi pe cl ean an y gr i t and rep eat ed l y solven t wi pe on t he t est sp ot .
6. Solvent clean and r oug hen t he d olly sur f ace usi ng 40-60 gr it sand p ap er on t he d ollys flat
su r face (tap er ed en d ).
7. Mix th e a d hes ive a ccor d ing to th e in st r u ctions. Th e a d hes ive is nor mally an ep oxy. Ap p ly a
t hi n, smo ot h l ayer of ad hesi ve t o t he p rep ared t est dol ly su rface.
8. Place th e d olly on th e p r ep ar ed te st sp ot a nd p r ess fir mly to sq u eeze ou t e xcess ep oxy . Do
not t wi st the d olly.
9. Remove any excess epoxy ar ound t he per iph er y of t he dol ly wit hout d istur bi ng t he dol ly.
10. Allow th e ep oxy to fu lly cu r e. Dep en d ing on th e t em p er atu r e, cu r ing time m ay ta ke u p to 24
hou rs. Follow the ad hesive man u factur ers instru ction s.
11. For ver tica l, ov er hea d , or ot her su r face s, secu r e t he d olly by ta p ing or u sin g th e m agnet ic
clam p th at is su p p lied with th e t es ter kit. En su r e t hat t he m agnet ic clam p d isc keep er is
removed before use.
Not e: Dol lies app lied wit h i nsuf ficient ad hesi ve or not per p end icul ar ly p osit ioned ar e not
acceptable and will pr ovide err on eou s resu lts.
Aft er t he ep oxy h as cur ed , make a circul ar cut t h rou gh t he coat i ng t o t he su bst rat e a rou nd t he
d ol ly w i t h t he cu t t i ng t ool t ha t i s p rov i ded wi t h t he t est er ki t . The cu t t i ng t ool fit s over t he
d olly. Kit s ar e pr ovi d ed wit h a smal l d iamet er bar t o assist in t h is oper at i on.
12. If t est ing a flexi ble coat ing or su bst rat e, p l ace t he su p p ort ri ng over t he t est d ol ly. Set t he
d r ag i nd icator (st eel p in p r oject ing t h r ou gh a sl it on t he shaf t at t he scal e r ang e) t o zer o.
13. Slip th e te st er su p p or t r ing (claw at t he bott om cente r of th e te st er ) in th e gr oove of th e d olly.
Ensu re t h at t he t est er i s perp end i cu l ar and t ha t t he 3 feet of t he t est er b ear eq u al ly on t he
coat ed su rface.
Not e: Sho u l d t h e t est er be t i lt ed , on e of t he feet not be secu re, or t he b eari ng of t he
inst r um ent be un equal , a shear ing f or ce may be imp ar t ed t o t he coat ing, r esul ting i n an
er r oneous r eadi ng.
14. Slow ly an d con tin u ou sly r ot ate th e t es ter hand wheel in a clockwise d ir ect ion u ntil t he d olly is
p u l led free or a sp ecified maximu m t ensi on i s achi eved .
R-3
15. Read t h e hi ghest valu e at t ained at t he bot t om of t he d r ag i nd icator i n psi . If t he d olly d id not
p u ll free, r ep or t t he r es u lt as gr ea ter th an th e maximu m cap acity of t he in st r u men t (i.e., 1,000
p si for th e Elcom et er Mod el 106).
16. Al ways reset t he d rag i nd i cat or t o zero aft er t esti ng. Fai lu re t o reset wi ll resu l t i n a d i st ort ed
or per manent ly d amaged hel ical spr ing.
17. Repor t one or a combi nat i on of t he fol lowi ng t yp es of fai lu re:
Ad hesive
" Failu r e between t he subst r ate and t he fir st (p r ime) coat
" Fail ur e bet w een an y t w o coat s
Cohes ive
" Fail ure or a b reak w i thi n an y on e coat ing l ayer
Glu e
" Ad hes ive fa ilu r e of th e a d hes ive g lu e b et ween th e d olly an d th e coatin g (coa tin g
r emai ns int act and gl ue r emai ns on eit her the coat ing or d olly)
" Cohesive failur e of t he adhesive glue ( glue r emains on t he coat ing and d olly)
S-1
Appendix S
Procedure for Hydraulic Adhesion Testing (ASTM D 4541; Annex A3)
A. Purpose
To d et ermi ne t he ad hesi ve st rengt h bet ween a fu l ly cur ed coat ing and t he su bst rat e.
B. Descri pti on
The ad hesi on t est er u ses a hyd rau l ic syst em t o measu re t he rel at ive st reng t h of ad hesi on bet w een
a coat ing and t he subst r ate or bet ween coat ing l ayer s. A u ni for m t ensile load i s app lied t hr ou gh a
ho l e in t h e cent er of a p u l l st ub u si ng a h yd rau l ic pi st on a nd p i n. An al um i nu m p u l l off st ub
(dol ly) is ad hesi vel y bond ed t o t he coat ing and al lowed t o cure. A p u l li ng force on t h e bon d ed
d olly is conti nu ou sly incr ease d u nti l th e d olly d eta ch es or a sp ecific for ce is a ch ieved .
Reprod u cibl e resu l t s are ach i eved becau se t he ap p l ied t ensi l e load i s consi st ent .
C. Equi pment
The self-align ing ty p e III tester cited in ASTM D 4541, ann ex A3, is the H ate Mark VII. Testers ar e
available in th e following th r ee r anges: (1) 0 t o 1,500 p si, (2) 0 t o 2,250 p si, a nd (3) 0 t o 3,000 p si.
D. Procedure
1. Select t he sp ot wher e t he d olly will be bond ed t o the coating. The select ed ar ea mu st be lar ge
enou gh t o accommod at e t he feet of the i nst ru ment . Dol li es shou l d be l ocat ed at l east 2 i nches
from an y su rface obst ru ct ion s and p rov i ded at l east 1 foot of ver t i cal cl earan ce t o
accommodat e inser ting t he inst r ument in t he d olly.
2. Usin g a s u ita ble solv en t w ip e, r em ov e s u r face con ta minants su ch as d ir t, d u st , gr ea se, an d oil
from t he t est spot . Wi pe al l mo i st u re from sur face and t hen solven t wi pe.
3. The manu factu r er r ecomm end s t est ing on ly on f lat sur f aces; how ever , cur ved sur f aces of
24-inch r ad iu s and gr eat er can be t est ed. For cu r ved sur f aces wi t h a r adi us of less t han
24 inch es, the d olly need s to be gr ou nd d ow n to match the existing metalw or k r ad ius. The
foll owi ng mat ches t he d ol ly t yp e wi th t h e sur face:
Flat sur faces - Use st and ard d ol li es
Cu r ved su r faces - Use d ollies w it h a r ad iu s t hat m atches t he su r face r ad iu s t o be te st ed .
Th e m anu fact u r er will fabr icat e d ollies for a s p ecified r ad iu s and th e follow ing
curv atu res:
" Concave - out er r adi us (exampl e: pi pe ext erior )
" Convex - inner r ad ius (exampl e: pi pe int er ior )
S-2
4. Cl ean t he bond ing su r f ace of t he l oad f ixt ur e, the Teflon p lu g, and t he coating ar ea t o be
t est ed wi t h sol vent .
5. Ligh t l y sand t he t est ar ea t o achi eve a n ev en, smoot h su rface and wi pe cl ean. Rep eat t he
solven t wi pe.
6. Insert t he t efl on p l ug i nt o t h e load i ng fixt ur e u nt i l t he p l ug t i p p rot ru d es from t he su rface.
7. Ap p l y a t hi n coat of ad he si ve ep oxy t o t h e bon d i ng su rface of t he fi xt u re, t aki ng care n ot t o
get epoxy on t he plug.
8. Pr ess the l oadi ng f ixt ur e ont o t he coat ing an d wip e t he excess ad hesi ve epoxy fr om ar ou nd
t he p eri ph ery of t he fixt ur e.
9. Remove t he t efl on p l ug an d al low t he a d he si ve ep oxy t o cu re i n accord an ce wi t h t he
man u factur ers instru ction s.
10. Con nect t he t est er t o t he l oad fixt ur e.
11. Ensur e t he gau ge is set at zer o.
12. Incr ease the p r essur e slowly by t u r ni ng t h e han d le clockwise un t il t he f ixt ur e p u lls fr ee or
u nt i l a sp ecified p ressur e is achieved .
13. Di r ect ly r ead t he gauge val ue at t ained in p si. If t he d olly d id not pu ll fr ee, r epor t t he r esult as
grea t er t h an t he m axi mu m capa cit y of t he i nst ru ment .
14. Repor t one or a combi nat i on of t he fol lowi ng t yp es of fai lu re:
Ad hesive
" Failu r e between t he subst r ate and t he fir st (p r ime) coat
" Fail ur e bet w een an y t w o coat s
Cohes ive
" Fail ure or a b reak w i thi n an y on e coat ing l ayer
Glu e
" Ad hes ive fa ilu r e of th e a d hes ive g lu e b et ween th e d olly an d th e coatin g (coa tin g
r emai ns int act and gl ue r emai ns on eit her the coat ing or d olly)
" Cohesive failur e of t he adhesive glue ( glue r emains on t he coat ing and d olly)
T-1
Appendix T
Procedure for Measuring Dry Film Thickness by Destructive Means
With Tooke Gauge (ASTM D 4138)
A. Purpose
To d et ermi ne t he d ry fil m t h i ckn ess and t he n u mber of ind i vid u al coat s of a coat ing syst em
B. Descri pti on
Th e Took e gau ge is u sed to cu t th ro u gh th e h ar d en ed coa tin g to th e su bstr at e. One sid e of th e cu t
i s mad e at a speci fi c ang l e t hrou gh t he coat ing . A m i croscope w i th a g rad u at ed (ret i cl e) scal e,
at tached to th e gau ge, is u sed to mea su re th e exp os ed coa tin g p er p en d icu lar to th e sp ecific cu t
angl e to d et er mine t he d r y film t hickness. The nu mber of app lied coat s and t he ind ivi du al
t hi cknesses can al so be det er mined , p r ovi d ed t hat coating l ayer s can be i d ent i fied by color
d iffer en ce or by a d ist inctiv e lin e. Th is met hod is consid er ed d es tr u ctiv e b eca u se th e cu t mad e in
th e coatin g is an intentional d efect, u nless r ep air ed . The Too ke g au ge is mos t often u sed in
evalu ation of coating failu res.
C. Equi pment
A Took e g au ge, eith er alu minu m or p las tic bod y, with an illuminated 50X micr os cop e a nd r et icle
(cal ibrat ed ) scal e. It incl ud es t hree cut t i ng t i ps an d a marker p en.
D. Procedure
1. Sel ect an ar ea of th e coati ng to te st and d r aw abou t a 1-in ch st r aight li ne wit h th e mar ker p en.
Th e mar k ser ves a s a r efer ence lin e.
2. Select t he p r op er cu tt ing tip for th e exist ing coa tin g th icknes s t o b e m ea su r ed . The follow ing
are the three ty p es of cutting tip s an d their associated thickn ess ran ges:
10X tip: 0 to 3 mils coating thickn ess
3. Aft er select ing t he p rop er cut t i ng t i p, p l ace t he cu t t i ng t i p a nd t wo gu i de st u d s agai nst t h e
coa tin g su rfa ce, with th e cu tt ing tip ju st a bov e t he mar ked line. Align th e fore ar m to cu t
across (p erp end i cu l ar t o) t he marked l ine. Draw t he forearm st raigh t back wi th su ffi ci ent
p r es su r e t o cu t contin u ou sly th r ou gh th e coatin g into th e s u bst r ate. Mainta in th e t hr ee p oin t
sur f ace cont act (cut t er and 2 gu id e st ud s) t o ensur e a st r aight an d ver t ical cut . The lengt h of
cut i nt o t he su bst rat e need s t o extend sli ght l y beyon d t he marked l ine.
T-2
4. View t he cut t hr ou gh t h e light ed 50X micr oscope and focus on t he coat ing on eit her sid e of
th e exp os ed su bst r ate. Focu s and alig n th e r et icle scale p er p en d icu lar to th e cu t. Th e coatin g
on on e s id e of th e cu t w ill be smoo th er th an on th e op p os ite sid e of th e cu t. If th e cu tt ing tip
was correct ly p osi t ion ed , t he smoot h er si de wi ll be on t h e l eft . Al ways measu re on t he
smoot her sid e.
5. Line u p t he r et icle scal e acr oss t he cu t on t he smoot her sid e and count t he n u mber of
d ivisions for each coat ing l ayer in t he t otal syst em. Begin at t he exposed subst rat e and wor k
t oward s t he marker l i ne.
6. Th e coati ng th ickness is d ete r mined by th e nu mber of cou nte d d ivisi ons on th e r eti cle scale.
Th e follow ing p r ov id es th e t hicknes s for ea ch d ivision for ea ch cu tt ing tip :
Cutting tip 1 - Division represented on reticle scale
10X 0.1 mil
2X 0.5 mil
1X 1.0 mil
7. Helpful hints:
Whe re t h e p ri mer i s an i nor gan i c zi nc or gal va ni zed zi nc, i t i s d i fficul t t o d i sti ngu i sh t he
zi nc from t he su bst rat e. To d i fferent iat e bet ween st eel su bst rat e and zi nc, u se a 5 p ercent
solu t ion of copp er su l fat e and d i st il led wat er. The st eel sub st rat e wi ll tu rn a copp er
color , and t he zinc wi ll t ur n bl ack.
For dar k- color ed coat ings, use a liqui d er aser whi te-out inst ead of t he felt tip m ar ker .
The t h i ckn ess of coat i ng chi ps can be measu red by v i ewi ng t h e cross sect i on of t he
coati ng ch ip th r ou gh th e Tooke gau ge. (Ea ch d ivisi on is e qu al to 1 mil.)
U-1
Appendix U
Procedures for SSPC-VIS 2 (2000 Revision)
A. Purpose
To evalu ate th e amou nt an d d istribu tion of ru st on coated su rfaces.
B. Descri pti on
Thi s ap p end ix pr ov id e a st and ar d met hod of eval uat i ng and qu al ifyi ng t he d egr ee of r u st on
p ai nt ed ferrou s (st eel or i ron ) su rfaces u si ng p i ct ori al images (color an d bl ack and whi t e
p hotog rap hs) with a g iven ru st p ercen tage an d d istribu tion. The r esu lts are rep orte d in a r u st
gr ad e s cale fr om 10 (least r u st ed ) to 0 (mos t r u st ed ), an d r u st d ist r ibu tion is n ot ed by S (sp ot r u st ),
G (gen er al ru st ), an d P (p inp oin t r u st ).
C. Procedure
1. Sel ect an ar ea or ar eas for ev alu ati on. Ar ea siz e may r ange fr om ver y sm all t o ver y lar ge, bu t
sh ou ld be r ep re sentative of th e str u ctu re typ e bein g ev alu at ed . For comp lex s tr u ctu re s, su ch
as I-beams or channel s, t he en t ire st ru ct ure can be ev al uat ed , or t he ev al uat i on can b e li mi t ed
to certain p ortion s of the str u cture su ch as flang e top s, I-bea m web, or ed ges.
2. Det er mine t he r ust d istr ibut i on and t he per cent age of r ust by the following.
a. Ch oose th e ru st d istribu tion (sp ot, gen era l, or p inp oint) for the selected are a th at most
closely mat ches t he cor r espond ing color or black and whi te ph ot ogr aph .
b. Sel ect t he p ercent ag e of rust for t h e eva l uat ed area t h at most closel y mat ches t h e
cor r espon d ing p hot ogr aph. Rust staini ng or di r t wit h t he app ear ance of r ust is not t o be
includ ed. Rust un d er the coat ing and br oken blister s wit h app ar ent r ust ar e to be
i nclu d ed . Non broken bl ist ers are t o b e d efine d by t h e foll owi ng an d i nclu d ed i n t he
p ercent ag e of rust :
(1) Rust fi ll ed b l ist er (de t ermi ned by op eni ng bl ist er) is t o be i ncorp orat ed i n t he
p ercent ag e of rust .
(2) Flu i d fi ll ed b l ist er (de t ermi ned by op eni ng bl ist er) is not t o b e i ncorp orat ed i n t he
per cent age of r ust , but it is to be r ecor ded separ at ely.
c. Select one cor r esp ond ing color p hot ogr ap h t h at best r ep r esent s bot h t he r u st di str i but i on
and t he per cent age of r u st for t he evalu at ed ar ea.
3. De term ine th e ru st gr ad e accord ing to table 1 of the stan d ard . For exam p le, the ru st
d ist r ibu t ion ar ea was det er mined t o be spot , and t he per cent age of r u st was gr eater t han
0.3 p er cent t o 1 p er cent; th er efor e, th e r u st gr ad e is 6-S.
V-1
Appendix V
Procedure to Determine the Presence of Soluble Lead and Insoluble
Lead Chromate in Coatings
A. Purpose
To det er mi ne whet her t he coat ing cont ains lead.
B. Descri pti on
The p r esence of lead and lead chr omat e pi gment ed coatings can be d et er mined by a color
i nd i cat or u si ng rea gen t s t o swab ov er exp osed coat ing l ayers. The swab t est w i ll veri fy on l y t he
p resen ce of lead an d chro mate an d will not p rov ide qu an titative resu lts. The sw ab test may also
d et ect t he p resence of l ead chromat e.
C. Equi pment
Lead Check Swabs manu fact u r ed by Hybr ivet Sys tems, Inc., PO Box 1210 Fr amingham,
Massachu sett s 01701; tele p hon e: 800-262-5323.
D. Procedure fo r Detecti ng Water Solu ble Lead Pi gments (Lead Oxid e or Lead Carbo nate)
1. Cl ean and r emove all d u st and d ir t fr om t he t est ar ea.
2. Cu t abou t a 1/ 4 inch n ot ch t hrou gh al l coat ing l ayers and expose t h e sub st rat e.
3. Act i vat e t he swab by crush i ng t he g l ass amp u l es marked A an d B on t he swab t u be.
4. Wit h t he p or ou s fiber f acing d own, shak e and gent l y squeeze t he swab t u be u nt i l a yellow
liqu id is visible on th e s wab tip .
5. Ru b th e yellowish swab tip in the exp osed coating notch for 30 second s.
6. Resul t s
a. If t he sw ab t i p or t h e t est sur face t u rn s p i nk or red , l ead i s p resen t .
b. If t he swab t ip or t he t est sur f ace d oes not t ur n p ink or r ed , lead is not p r esent or is below
t he d et ect ion ran ge of t he i nd i cat or r eagen t .
c. Lea d chro mat e is n ea rly insolu ble in wat er an d will not immed iat ely tu rn color. Place
th e s wab in a p las tic bag an d r e-examine t he s wab an d th e t es t a r ea in ab ou t 18 h ou r s. If
t he sw ab t i p or t h e t est area t u rn ed p i nk or red , chrom at e i s pre sent .
V-2
7. Neg ativ e t es t r es u lts sh ou ld be confirm ed by u sin g th e Test Con firm ation Car d th at is
includ ed with th e kit. The card has ind ivid u al circles on one face, an d each circle con tains a
small amoun t of lead.
a. Wi th t h e u sed swab, squeeze a d rop ont o r eagen t wi thi n t h e t est ci rcl e.
b. If p ink or r ed ap p ea r s on th e cir cle, t he n eg ativ e t es t r es u lt is v alid .
c. If p ink o r re d d oes n ot ap p ear on the circle, the nega tive test re su lt is invalid, an d a rete st
is r equi r ed u sing a n ew swab and t est ar ea.
8. Th e s wabs r ea gen ts have a 2-minu te life fr om th e t ime t he g las s amp u les ar e b r ok en , an d all
t est ing shou l d be comp l eted wi thi n t h e t ime li mi t . The swab i s to be u sed for on e t est area
only.
9. Red bleedi ng ver sus p ink- or r ed -color ed swab
A re d b leed ing m ay occu r for coat ings w ith re d p igm en ts (t he color re d ), which
includ es red lead p rimers, when testing. This red bleed ing can mask th e p ink o r re d test
resu l t s an d can be m i sint er p ret ed . The man u fact u rer r ecommend s t hat one of t he
foll owi ng met ho d s be u sed t o d et ermi ne i f red p i gment s, no t l ead, are bl eedi ng from t he
coat ing:
" Cru sh t h e colorl ess solu t i on i n gl ass amp u l e B on l y and squ eeze a d rop on t o t he
swab t ip . Swab t he t est ar ea. If r ed ap p ear s, it ind icat es bleedi ng i s occu r r ing an d
t he p resence of l ead canno t be confirmed .
" Take a cot ton tip d ip p ed in vineg ar an d sw ab th e t es t a r ea . If red ap p ea r s, it
ind icat es bleedi ng is occur r i ng.
If t he coat i ng i s bl eed i ng red an d l ead i s su sp ect ed bu t cann ot be confirmed , t he
manu fact ur er r ecommend s one of t he following met hod s to conf ir m t he pr esence of lead:
" Use t he solu t ions f r om amp u les A and B and squeeze a coup le of d r op s ont o a
ne w t est area. Do n ot swab. The frict ion of swabb i ng may i nd u ce bleed i ng. If t he
sol ut i on t u rn s p i nk or red , l ead i s p resen t .
" Use a sod ium su lfide solu tion su p p lied sep ara tely by the man u factur er a t a n ew test
area. If t he t est ar ea t u rn s bl ack, l ead i s p resen t .
W-1
Appendix W
Procedure to Determine the Presence of Chromate in Coatings
A. Purpose
To d et ermi ne whet h er t he coat ing cont ai ns chr omat e.
B. Descri pti on
Th e p r es en ce of chr om ate p igmen ted coa tin gs can be d et er mined by a co lor ind icat or u sin g
r eagent s t o swab over exposed coating l ayer s. The swab t est will ver i fy onl y t he p r esence of
ch r omate and will n ot p r ovid e qu anti ta ti ve r esu lt s.
C. Equi pment
Chr om ate Check Swabs manu fact u r ed by Hybr ivet Sys tems, Inc., PO Box 1210 Fr amingham,
Massachu sett s 01701; telep hon e: 800-262-5323.
D. Procedure fo r Detecti ng Water Solu ble Lead Priments (l ead or le ad carbonate)
1. Cl ean and r emove all d u st and d ir t fr om t est ar ea.
2. Cu t abou t a 1/ 4 inch n ot ch t hrou gh al l coat ing l ayers and expose t h e sub st rat e.
3. Act i vat e t he swab by crush i ng t he g l ass amp u l es marked A an d B on t he swab t u be.
4. Wit h t he por ou s fiber facing d own, shake and gent ly squeeze t he swab t ube u nt il a clear
liqu id is visible on th e s wab tip .
5. Ru b th e clear solution on the tip in th e exp osed coating notch for 30 second s.
6. Resul t s
a. If t he sw ab t i p or t h e t est sur face t u rn s p i nk or p u rp l e, chrom at e i s pre sent .
b. If t he swab t ip or t he d et ect ion t est su r f ace d oes not t ur n p ink or p u r p le, chr omat e is not
p resen t or i s bel ow t he r an ge of t he i nd i cat or r eagen t .
7. Neg ativ e t es t r es u lts sh ou ld be confirm ed by u sin g th e Test Con firm ation Car d th at is
includ ed with th e kit. The card has ind ivid u al circles on one face, an d each circle con tains a
smal l amou nt of chr omat e.
a. Wi th t h e u sed swab, rub reagen t wi thi n t h e t est ci rcl e.
b. If p ink or p u r p le a p p ea r s on th e cir cle, t he n eg ativ e t es t r es u lt is v alid .
W-2
c. If p ink or p u r p le does not app ear on t he cir cle, t he negat ive t est r esu lt is inval id and a
r et est is r equi r ed u sing a n ew swab and t est ar ea.
8. Th e s wabs r ea gen ts have a 1-minu te life fr om th e t ime t he g las s amp u les ar e b r ok en , an d all
t est ing shou l d be comp l eted wi thi n t h e t ime li mi t . The swab i s to be u sed for on e t est area
only.
X-1
Appendix X
Determination of Toxic Metals in Hardened Paint
A. Obj ecti ves
1. Identify typ e of toxic metals tha t may be in the p aint on existing infra stru ctures.
2. Det er mi ne concent rat i on of t oxic met al in t h e p ai nt .
3. The resu l ts of t he an al ysis of t he exi st ing p ai nt are requ i red b efore t he p ai nt can be removed
for :
Pr ed es ign sp ecifica tion d ata gath er ing
Pr emai nt enance wor k
Wor ker p r ot ect ion
Prot ect ion of t he en vi ronm ent
Proper disposa l of the old p a int
B. Sampl i ng
1. Take pai nt sampl e in about a 2- t o 3-inch squar e
2. Make su re th e samp le inclu d es the p rimer (p rimer con tains m ost toxic metals)
3. Samp l e in a t l east thr ee l ocat i ons t o v eri fy resu l t s
4. Pl ace t he samp les in sep ar at e bags and label each bag for i dent i fication
5. A su i tabl e t ool for samp l ing i s a shar p ened - t o 1-inch w ood chi sel
C. Labo ratory Testing
1. The pr imar y met als to t est for :
Cobalt , associat ed wit h bluei sh and gr eeni sh color s
Cad mium , associat ed wit h safet y color s
Chr om iu m, associat ed w it h lead chr omat e, zinc chr omat e, and safet y color s lead
Lead
Zi nc (d efined as a toxic met al onl y in t he St at e of Califor ni a)
2. The second ar y met als to t est for :
Ar senic
Bar iu m
Ber ylliu m
Seleniu m
Si lver
Va nad iu m
X-2
3. Requ est resu lts in p ercen t, by weight of metal, an d to at least th ree sign ifican t d igits.
4. Typi cal t est met hod s ar e EPA 6010B, EPA 7420 (lead specific), OSHA 125G met al scan, ICP, or
p or ta ble XRF in st r u men t for lea d on ly (re qu ir es cer tified op er ator ).
D. Costs
Abou t $20 to $25 for ea ch metal tested re d u ced cost for sev era l metals.
E. Test Laboratori es
Bur ea u of Recla mation, Ecolog ical Res ea r ch an d Inves tigation (D-8220); con ta ct: Chr is
Hold r en ; telep hon e: (303) 445-2178
Accred i ted Laborat ori es
1. Associat ion : Am er ican Ind u st r ial H ygien e Associat ion (AIHA)
2. Accred itation Prog ram s:
Envir onment al Lead Labor ator y Accr edi tat ion Pr ogr am ( ELLAP)
Nat ional Lead Labor ator y Accr edi tat ion Pr ogr am ( NLLAP)
3. Website Ad d ress: www.ai ha.or g (accr ed ited lab or ator ies ar e listed by city an d State in
t abl e format )
Mission Statements
The mission of the Department of the Interior is to protect and provide
access to our Nations natural and cultural heritage and honor our
trust responsibilities to tribes.
The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and
protect water and related resources in an environmentally sound
manner in the interest of the American Public.

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Guide to Protective Coatings:

Inspection and Maintenance

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