Problem Solving Forum
September 27 - October 3, 2010
I am the facility manager for a new amusement park that will operate year-round in a hot, humid environment. Some critical structural steel in the heart of the park needs to be protected from corrosion and at the same time to retain very good appearance properties for as long as possible, since maintenance painting is disruptive. What coating system should I select to achieve the longest useful life, given that cost is a secondary consideration, and how long will this system look good while providing corrosion protection?
Selected Answers
From
Ron Cros of A Classic Painting on
October 8, 2010:
Molded slides, protective coating of seats fo ...read more
Molded slides, protective coating of seats for wet/dry amusement rides, tank linings, water containment, aquariums, and concrete stadium seats are just a few of the many applications polyureas are commonly used for in the amusement and theme-park industry. Polyurea usage is rapidly growing in applications to replace paint and fiberglass due its fast cure and ability to reduce maintenance cycles.
From
TOLGA DIRAZ of Freelance on
October 8, 2010:
To choose a coating for specifying the longest use ...read more
To choose a coating for specifying the longest useful life,first of all you should know what the amusement park will be exposed to, i.e., climate changes and proximity to industrial zones. Then you can use ISO 12944-5 standard as well as SSPC Environmental Zones. It is up to you.
(http://www.sspc.org/standards/table3.html)
Apart from these standards, there is a nice paper published in CORROSION 06 conference proceedings, "UPDATED PROTECTIVE COATING COSTS, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICE LIFE," by Gordon H. Brevoort & Micheal F. MeLampy. This may also be a good source of information for your case. I believe it is a very informative article and may give you ideas about your alternative choices.
From
Lubomir Jancovic of MSPLUB Inc. on
October 7, 2010:
200 microns of pure zinc, 300 microns of pure alum ...read more
200 microns of pure zinc, 300 microns of pure aluminum, 80 microns of paint protecting surface of steel up to 70 years with no other maintenance.
From
Joseph Schinner of Akzo Nobel Coatings Inc. on
October 1, 2010:
SSPC (Steel Structures Painting Council) is one of ...read more
SSPC (Steel Structures Painting Council) is one of the best sources of information and direction for your situation.
They have recommendations for best surface preparation and painting systems for just about every type of field condition and yours is well known.
Some things to consider (greatly abridged for brevity): inorganic zinc primer for blast-prepared steel or epoxy-polyamide primer for brush-off blast or lesser preparation; acrylic or weatherable polyester urethane topcoat (silicone modified better but more expensive)for good durability that will lose gloss and color over time. A fluoropolymer topcoat has the longest color and gloss retention time, but is the most expensive.
Remember, labor is a big part of the cost so single-coat touching up for color and gloss later over existing system with integrity can be cheaper in the long run than a mediocre system that has to be completely replaced later for double the big labor cost.
