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Navy Recruits Tougher Coatings

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

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The Navy is on a new mission to find longer-life maintenance coatings.

The Naval Research Laboratory has issued a Request for Information (RFI), seeking sources for engineered coatings for two specific maintenance applications.

In 2011, the Naval Research Laboratory was testing nonskid siloxane-treated deck coatings. Now, NRL is looking at other topside systems.

No promises—this is not a Request for Proposals, much less an acquisition order—but responses “may be used to determine the appropriate acquisition strategy for a future acquisition,” the Navy says.

The goal is to find “organic coatings or applique systems” that can “increase substantially the life of current maintenance practices.”

2 Applications

Specifically, NRL is seeking high-build products of 20 mils or greater for two applications: topside maintenance painting and touch-up repair for ballast tanks and wet spaces.

Enhanced-performance topside coatings will be applied by ships force over SP-1 or SP-1/SP-2 surfaces with varying degrees of residual rust, salt, and moisture. The intended service life is 24 to36 months, until the corroded surface might be more traditionally repaired in an industrial setting.

Tank coatings will be applied during an industrial availability by professional applicators over SP-3 or SP-11 hand-prepared surfaces. Surface contamination will be controlled by NAVSEA Standard Work Item 009-32.

The exposure may include JP-5 fuels, potable water or seawater. The coatings will be applied as a local area repair to less than 5 percent of the total tank area, to provide for about 10 years continued service life, thereby avoiding the need for 100 percent removal of the coating for blasting or recoating.

For both products, the salient characteristics include:

• Achieving 20 mils or greater coverage in one or two coats;

• Thickness retention over edges and surface imperfections;

• Surface tolerance;

• Low ionic permeability;

• Nominal one-hour workable pot life and 24-hour cure;

• Brush, roll or trowel application;

• Single-component paint preferred, or plural component if provided in whole-mix ratios or packages to support easy mixing;

• Supplied in one gallon or less for small area touch-up;

• Compatible with silicone alkyd or polysiloxane for topside paints, or anti-fouling for tank paints;

• Preference for greater than 95 percent total solids, but must be less than 240 grams per liter VOC; and

• System flash point must exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The coatings shall also be expected to meet MIL-PRF-23236D, Class 7/Class 18, Grade B, Grade C performance test requirements.

Information may include Product Data Sheets, MSDS information, testing data and/or product history. One respondent may provide information on products that meet one or both applications.

Responses are due at noon EST March 12. Contact Grace Pennington, Contract Specialist, at grace.pennington@nrl.navy.mil or 202.767.0682 to learn more.

Comment from Lubomir Jancovic, (2/22/2012, 8:17 AM)

Try zinc and aluminum coats under paint coats. Those coats don't underrusted from 20 to 70 years due to coats thickeness.