Coating Defects and Failures

Presented by: Sarah Olthof

 Topics
• Consequences of coating failure
• Role of coatings inspector in failure avoidance
• Common coating failures and defects
 Scope
• This webinar describes the consequences of
coating failures, field and laboratory
investigative processes undertaken to diagnose
coating failures, and reviews common coating
defects and failures.
 Learning Outcomes
• At the end of this unit, the student will be able
to:
– Recognize the consequences of coating failures
– Describe the coating inspector’s role in preventing
failures
– Identify common coating failures and defects seen
in the field
 Protective Coatings
• Principal material used for corrosion
protection
• All coatings will breakdown over time
• Service life can be extended by performing
maintenance painting once deterioration is
identified
 Premature Coating Failure
• Failures that occur before the anticipated
service life ends can be caused by:
– Improper surface preparation
– Improper coating application procedures
– Improper coating system selection
– Improper formulation
– Poor quality raw materials
 Once Premature Failure Occurs…
• The investigation begins…….
– What was the cause of the premature coating
failure?
– What party was responsible for the failure?
– What level of repair is required to ensure corrosion
protection and integrity of the structure is
acceptable?
Consequences of Coating Failures
• Financial impacts
• Litigation
• Substrate repair or replacement
• Costly rework and downtime
Substrate Repair or Replacement
• When a failure occurs, the substrate is exposed
to the environment until the defect is detected
• Unprotected substrate is susceptible to
corrosion and possible section loss
• Integrity of structure could be compromised if
coating failure is not detected for an extended
period of time
• Cost to repair substrate adds to the cost of the
coating failure
 Rework and Downtime
• Remobilization, surface preparation, coating
application, and inspection of the repair or
rework can be time consuming and costly.
• Hard to determine extent of rework needed.
– Does the failure indicate total removal?
– Can we get away with a spot repair?
 Role of a Coating Inspector
• The inspector can play a key role in helping to
prevent premature coating failure.
• Qualified inspection personnel can
significantly reduce the opportunity for failure
 Identification of a
Non-Conformance
• The inspector:
– Identifies deficiencies as they arise
– Will work with contractor for reaction plan once
non-conformance is identified
Common Coating Defects and
Failures
 Delamination
• Results from loss of
adhesion between the
substrate and coating
OR between coats.
 Delamination
• Common Causes • Remediation
• Poor surface • Area with poor adhesion
preparation must be completely
• Intercoat cleanliness removed and the cause
• Exceeding overcoating should be evaluated
times before recoating.
• Incompatibility of
topcoat and primer
 Blistering
• Coating lifting from the
underlying substrate
 Blistering
• Common Causes • Remediation
• Contamination on the • Ensure correct surface
substrate preparation and
• Oils and greases application
• Soluble Salts (osmotic • Soluble salt testing
blistering)
• Solvent entrapment
 Blush

• Haze or oily residue on

the surface of a coating
 Blush
• Common Causes • Remediation
• High humidity or cold • Blush will effect
temperatures during adhesion of topcoat
application • If blush is detected (not
• Curing stages of an easy to detect) it is best
epoxy practice to consult with
• Intensified by cool product manufacturer on
temperatures and removal tactics
increased coating
thickness
 Sags/Runs

• Downward movement
of paint soon after
application on vertical
surfaces
 Sags/Runs
• Common Causes • Remediation
• Over application • While wet, sags/runs
• Excessive thinning should be smoothed with
• Poor workmanship a paint brush
• If dry, abrade, clean, and
apply spot coat
 Orange Peel
• Pocked appearance;
surface of paint film
resembles the skin of an
orange
 Orange Peel
• Common Causes • Remediation
• Poor application • Abrade
techniques • Clean
• Incorrect solvent blend • Recoat
 Pinholes
• Formation of tiny holes
in wet paint film during
application and drying
due to air/gas bubbles,
which burst. The
bursting bubbles form
small craters or holes,
which fail to coalesce
before the film dries.
 Pinholes
• Common Causes • Remediation
• Solvent or air entrapment • Abrade
• Incorrect spray • Clean
application • Recoat
• Incorrect solvent blend
 Holidays
• Similar to pinholes (used
interchangeably)
• Described as skips or
misses in the coating
system
• Checked with holiday
detector (right)
 Holidays
• Common Causes • Remediation
• Difficult application due • Abrade
to equipment access • Clean
• Poor workmanship • Recoat
 Fisheyes

• Small crater-like
openings that form
during application or
shortly after
 Fisheyes
• Common Causes • Remediation
• Poor surface preparation • Abrade
• Contamination • Clean
• Use of a thinner instead • Solvent cleaning
of solvent cleaner • Recoat
 Wrinkling
• Wavy lines that appear
in the paint film during
different stages of
coating application
 Wrinkling
• Common Causes • Remediation
• Excessive application of • Abrade
paint • Clean
• Actual temperatures • Recoat
exceeding or going
below application range
• Overcoating before
previous coat has
sufficiently hardened
 Dry Spray
• A rough or uneven
finish in the paint film,
were particles are not
fluid and flowing
together
 Dry Spray
• Common Causes • Remediation
• Improper application • Ensure proper distance
technique of the spray gun to the
• Actual temperatures substrate is being
exceeding application achieved
range
 Summary
• There are many reasons why coatings may fail.
The inspector investigates and identifies the
cause of coating failure so that it can be
remediated
QUESTIONS???