Track: Coating Materials
Failure of a coating before expected: Is it due to specification, application, environmental conditions, or material deficiency? It is not supposed to happen, but sometimes coatings fail long before expected. Coating materials are designed to work in many environments and to provide protection for several years. When the expected service life falls short of expectations there is plenty of discussion, blame and finger-pointing. Opinions as to the cause often rely on broad categories, even if the facts do not support that conclusion. The collection of project facts, data collected during a field investigation, and various laboratory tests can assist in identifying the main factors that contributed to the coating failure. This presentation will review and possibly dispute the common reasons that get blamed for coating failures and examine the failures more closely. Finding the underlying cause can lead to a successful remediation instead of chancing a duplication of the failure. Several coating failures will be referenced as case studies to follow the investigative process to discover what caused the coating failure. In addition, possible ways to remedy the situation and avoid a coating failure in the future will be discussed.
