STR654 STR 654

Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance of Steel Structures

Lecture 7a, a November 6, 2012

Sherif Sh if A A. M Mourad d
Professor of Steel Structures and Bridges Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University

Coating Structural Steel for Corrosion Protection

CORROSION PROCESS
Iron + Oxygen yg + Water = Rust

Iron will not rust unless both oxygen (from air) i ) and d water are present . The rate of rusting g will vary y with the humidity in the atmosphere. If the th relative l ti humidity h idit is i below b l 60 %, % iron i will not rust at all . Where liquid water is present the attack will be comparatively rapid. rapid

RUSTING OF IRON IS A TWOTWO -FOLD PROCESS

A chemical change of iron to iron oxide and 2. An A electrical l l process involving l current fl flow. This p process is called an electrochemical p process and in fundamental principals is identical to that occurring in car batteries and dry cell batteries batteries. For electrochemical corrosion to occur we must have anode and cathode in electrical l t i l contact t t in i the th presence of f an electrolyte. l t l t The Th essential point to remember is that it involves the movement of electrons through the metal and this is y of saying y g that during g corrosion there is a another way passage of electrical current.
1.

ANTICORROSION

Exclude oxygen. Exclude water (moisture). Stop the corrosion current. current Protective coatings g (placing (p g a barrier between the material and its environment.

HOW DO PAINT STOP CORROSION?

Paint-films act as an electrical resistant Paintto the flow of the corrosion current . AntiAnti -corrosive paint contains chemically reactive rust inhibitors which tend to retard corrosion. Paint films act as an active barrier against i environmental i l attacks. k

SURFACE PREPARATION

Oil and grease removal.

Using solvent problem of removing solvent. Proprietary P p i t waterwater t -soluble l bl removing i fl fluid. id

Treatment of surface defects.

Manual treatments, hand scraping and wire b hi brushing. Rotary wire brushing. Mechanical dede-scaling. Disking. Di ki Abrasive blasting. g

FACTORS AFFECTING PAINT APPLICATION

Surface preparation Film build and total thickness of system Method of application Atmospheric p conditions during g application pp

METHODS OF PAINT APPLICATION

Brush: simple, reaches difficult locations slow, fil thi film thickness k control, t l overbrushing. b hi Roller: faster, especially in open areas cannot reach difficult places, overover-rolling. Conventional Spray: rapid, simple equipment sensitive to air pressure and nozzle distance. distance Airless brush: Heavy duty, very fast, does not require mixing paint with water, reduce overspraying require QC and trained operators operators.

CRITERIA FOR COATING STRUCTURAL STEEL

Initial cost. Coating system and color selection. Life cycle cost. cost Shop p v. field application. pp Maintenance. Exposure levels.

INDOOR OR OUTDOOR

Public facilities:
High degree of corrosion protection. Attractive A i appearance.

Exterior steel is subject to long term aggressive exposure. Interior steel may also be subject to extended periods of exterior exposure during construction construction. This may affect color and gloss of paint, but is usually not long enough to affect corrosion.

COATING SYSTEMS
Exterior exposure:

Three-coat system with 1 coat organic zinc rich primer Threeprimer. acrylic topcoats. 2 coats high performance industrial acrylic emulsion. TwoTwo -coat system with 1 coat organic zinc rich primer primer. Polyurethane topcoat 1 coat high build aliphatic acrylic polyurethane. l h ThreeThree -coat system with 1 coat organic zinc rich primer primer. Polyurethane topcoat 1 coat high build polyamid epoxy 1 coat high build aliphatic acrylic polyurethane. p y

COATING SYSTEMS
Exterior exposure (cont (cont.) )

Two-coat system with T Twoih Polysiloxane topcoat.

1 coat inorganic i i zinc i primer. i proprietary p y polysiloxane. p y 1 coat p

Interior exposure

Two-coat system with TwoPolyamide Epoxy topcoat.

1 coat organic zinc rich primer. g build polyamid p y 1 coat high epoxy.

COATING SYSTEMS

American Code: Surface Preparation (SSPC) SPSP-6. Manual surface p preparation p is not recommended. recommended. Increasing the quality of surface preparation to SPSP10 will ill substantially b i ll i increase cost without ih much h p in life expectancy. p y improvement Most paints are based on organic zinc primer with epoxy or polyurethane binder.

COATING SYSTEMS

Organic zinc primer is advantageous over inorganic zinc as they have a well defined cure period based on temperature and humidity. humidity Inorganic zinc is sensitive to excessive film build. Only subjective tests (such as nickelnickelrub) may be used to determine approximately the degree of cure. cure.

EPOXY SYSTEMS

Only for interior surfaces not exposed to UV. UV Epoxy p y lasts a long g time on interior surfaces. Recoating will be required for aesthetic or repair of physical damage damage. . Unless there is p physical y damage g to the surface in a potentially wet area, corrosion is rarely an issue. issue.

POLYURETHANE SYSTEMS

Three coat system, where the intermediate coat provides additional corrosion and erosion protection. Intermediate coat also provides better aesthetic hiding. hiding. Ensure p primer is dry before application. pp Primed surfaces must be masked for application li i of f intermediate i di coats in i case of f slipp-critical connections. slip

THREE COAT ACRYLIC SYSTEM

One-component topcoat. OneProvides good color and gloss retension retension. . Relatively y easy y to touchtouch-up p as it is available as a singlesingle-component product. Appearance of the touchedtouched d-up area may be b of concern. c c . Suitable for application where the Client shall use his own maintenance personnel.

TWOTWO -COAT POLYURETHANE

Provides excellent color and gloss retension. retension. It has good chemical as well as abrasion resistance. Spot touchtouch-up is not easy due to its hardness. May require repainting the entire surface to achieve c v a uniform appearance. pp c . Used in many outdoor applications.

POLYSILOXANE SYSTEM

Proprietary topcoat. topcoat. Shows excellent performance characteristics in accelerated weathering tests. Advertised to have the advantages of the 3coat t Polyurethane P l r th topcoat t p t with ith only l 2-coats, t i,.e., less expensive. p Resists stains, graffiti and dirt accumulation d to its due i hard h d smooth h surface. f

APPLICATION

There are three basic methods of application of coating systems:

Shop applied primer & shop applied topcoat, with fi ld touchup. field h Shop p applied pp p primer/intermediate / coat & field applied topcoat. Combination C bi ti of f both b th based b d on accessibility ibilit and d subsequent construction activities.

METHOD I

Field application limited to touchup of damaged areas and application of topcoat on bolts and surfaces of connections. Special primer is applied to slipslip-critical surfaces then masked prior to application of topcoat. Touchup in field ranges from 20 to 40% 40% of the coated surface. surface

METHOD I

Disadvantages:
May M

require i a complete l t recoat t to t provide id y uniformity. Multiple coats in the shop present timing constraints i with i h the h risk i k that h the h f fabricator bi may y not allow the primer p full cure before topcoating is applied.

METHOD II

Best coating g from an aesthetic point p of view. Touchup of the primer/intermediate coat is provided id d after ft bolting b lti is i complete. l t Field applied pp finish coat will p provide a complete and uniform finish coat over all the surface. surface Spray application is preferred. However, overspraying may damage adjacent surfaces. Brush or roller applied applied, but is more difficult to achieve the required film thickness.

METHOD III

A combination of the two methods. Areas that are considered to be inaccessible after erection are coated based on Method I. For areas that are accessible and/or require req ire a higher degree of aesthetics, Method II is used. Requires high level of coordination between f b i t and fabricator d field fi ld team. t

AESTHETICS

Is aesthetics more important or corrosion protection? Many owners repaint large areas of their facilities to keep the fresh clean look. look Color usually fades, especially due to prolonged exposure to UV. P t h will Patches ill appear if th the structure t t was p using g a different topcoat p than the touchedtouched -up original.

LIFE EXPECTANCY

Life expectancy is very subjective. It depends on:

Quality of surface preparation. Quality of coating material. Application techniques. Environmental conditions. Regular periodic inspection inspection. Regular repair and touchup.

LIFE EXPECTANCY

Inspection p requires q specific p focus on critical areas, such as bolt heads, edges of members, and surfaces of backback-to to-back members members. Service life is measured to the time of 100% 100% repainting, when there is rust that covers as much as 10 10% % of the surface area. Before rust occurs, the surfaces of coated steel lb begin i to b break kd down. Aesthetics is not taken into consideration in evaluating service life.

MAINTENANCE

Periodic inspection should identify physical d damage before b f situation i i b becomes serious. i Regular g repair p of damaged g areas will prolong p g life expectancy, while waiting till active rusting starts will result in costly repair. repair Quality touchup includes surface preparation and accurate application of matching topcoat. Maintenance for Acrylic or Polysiloxane is relatively easy as maintenance personnel may prepare the th damaged d d surface f any apply l the th single component product by brush or roller.

REPAINTING

At the end of the effective service life of the coating, i a complete l repainting i i i is required. i d A complete p survey y of the facility y is necessary y to determine the actual conditions of each element. S Sound, d tightly ti htl adhered dh d existing i ti paint i t should h ld not t be removed unless the coating is found brittle. The new paint system should be fully compatible with the existing surface. surface A spot touchup of the existing surface shall take care of the effects of physical damage and corrosion.

REPAINTING

A full topcoat will restore the aesthetics and corrosion protection of the entire system. Cleaning of the surface can be accomplished with an alkaline cleanser and highhigh-pressure potable water washing. Potable water wash also helps to remove peeling or otherwise damaged coatings. Waste from potable water washing should not be h hazardous d and d may b be allowed ll dt to fl flow into i t the th wastewater system. y

RECOMMENDATIONS

In a new project, there are three main zones:

Roof and lighting structure. Primary building frame frame. Building frame in public areas.

For roof and lighting structures (least accessible), provide the longest life. life Corrosion must be monitored whereas aesthetics is not critical. A paint that repels dirt and allows high high-pressure water washing is recommended. recommended

RECOMMENDATIONS

For more easily accessed structures, aesthetics and corrosion are important, and frequent inspection is possible using movable platforms or staging slung from the roof. For areas easily accessed by the public, a system that is easy to apply is recommended, recommended as the owner may opt to repaint on a more regular basis.

FINAL COMMENT

In dealing with paint manufacturers, in many cases you are dealing d li with i h a salesman. l A As f for the h technical expert or request the technical catalog. Ask for compliance with reference codes, such as:
ASTM D638 D638 Tensile Properties of plastics. ASTM D790 D790 Flexural Properties of unreinforced and reinforced plastics. ASTM D543 D543 Resistance of plastics to chemical reagents. g s. ASTM D638 D638 Durometer hardness, type D.