BY TOM GIBBONS

Editor's m>U': A good coatings jub begins

with fJroper surface prep. Bttt it seems that
there are ns maHJ' myths abl)ut acMev-
ing proper profile rts thert are CoMings
It all boils dowu to a simple
fact: too much otto<>litllepainr in l'ttween
thost: pettks and 1allqs will lead to pnmw
ture failure. Catt att equation help liS all
a w id these "'Ntver Again" scenarios?
Does Depth of Profile Increase
the Surface Area of Profile
and Dead Volume of Coating
Due to Abrasive Blasting?
One of the stated reasons for abrasi\'c
blasting of substratts is to p ro\lde
additional acthe sur-face for success-
ful adhesion of coatiJl8S and ljnings. The
larger the surface area. the more area
exists for friction o r active s.itcs for chc:mi-
c:.l .-.nd Jncchanical bonding. On this
basis, some people assume that the deeper
the profile produced by abrasiYc blast
ing, the larger the active surfact aeated
to increase adhesion to the substrate. But
this a.ssumption js erroneous in that each
metal has its own unique fracture angle,
and once the entire surface is abrasively
blasted, no further s urface a rea can be
70 Coori ngsP'r o Jonuorv 2011
provided. regardless of the depth of the
profile. And that is where trouble can
begin. ' f his article a\-l dresses the Olv:til-
able surface area increase due to abrashe
blasting of metals; the \'Oiumc of the peaks
in relation to the volume of the voids; and
total volume of stet! as measured by the
unbl.-.sted sort3ce are<l times the height of
the peaks. Steel is used as an example.
To illustrate the above, let us take
a substtate of ASTM A-36 steel. more
common ly known as Mmild s teel." In
labor<ltory testing for tension, com pres
sion, and shear. mild steel fractures at
the same nngle ever y time. For mild steel,
the a ngle of frncture eq\aals 45 ..
1
with the
longitudina l nxi s of the applied load,
when loaded to faihtre. Other materi-
als have othcr angles - but in multiple
tests on the same material, the fracture
a ngle remailts the same. Some va tiabU
ity occurs on \'try nC:m homogeneous
m.-. terials such as concrete, where there
is a large variation in aggregate sizes,
different cements. or amounts of each;
b\ll lot the same material constr ucted to
I I.Cit\rif,f, (. A , MeChMI<$.ot
<o.. PI\ 2nd
Pnnttng
' he parameters. the .-.ngle remains
t he samc. In the case of the mild steel
substrate, however. t he fract ure a ngle
aN>roxilnates 45 ... The abrasive tlsed docs
not matter in this anal)'sis. prO\ided it is
not a peening .-.ggregate.
To determine the surface area of aJ1
abraded substrate, SC\'ernl mathematical
models were constn lcted and evaluated.
The models indicate the
subst rnte are.-. aft er abrasive blOlst
i11g. regardless of the depth of profil e.
Surface Prep Begins With
Geometry?
'fhe model constr ucted assumed .-.n
unblasted substrate surface area or 10,000
square mi llimeters (mml) for the Unit
Area (UA). For any site area. the result
will be the same. The profiles chC)Sen wcre
from I mm to S mm. 1'he calctllat ions
were made using various regular prisms
Figure A .
Calculation of the Surface Area of the Peaks in Abr asi 11e Blast Substrates
MILOSTUt
Folmvlae:
: h = Profile llei;ltl

, r ,. Interior Peak Jpr.sml
,,. No. of b;ase
! Ao'"-nar/2


, =-360/ n

Sh/(0>
,,
Ao .., 81'2: h t1 x h tan
'
N, "' ll1.'71'1btt of Pub a Lll'l!t Ar.,..(UA}/ A,
N, UA/Sh'r..rr' u n/2
\.

$ $".)111 1-l@lfillt ol Pq.)lc h / M
Jv ... Y. )(81'(2 h 1.)1\ l;lrl /2flt l h/ COS!
1v .. js hl t.JI' liln/2) / cos
A "'"'A., XII ,
A 11>'" (U )I )((3h' Un/2 I 00')
A ., VA/ eo$ Ull ,. VA/$ifl
Rlltlo of$urlikl!.)rqQ of Peale$ IOUA" (U A/ ,!n )11 1/l) A'" 1/ &In
A w/UA .. I / $111 l/ s!n 4S'".. I /0.1071067811.4 14213562
F,, 4 1'1. J. , IJSS. lntf'O'IVIII'onof7<!.o'(bi;oc;ot Co..$tr..,tll>fl; PA,
2M/ rl 19S(i
with coinciMntal base edges, tri.-.ngles,
squares, h<xagons. and octagons.
After choosing a prism base s hape
and a profile ele\ation or height. the
model was constructed s uch that all the
bases of the prisms were (:Ongruent with
the adjacent base. This sele<.tion permits
the optimum number of prisms on the
Unit Area. The slope of the lateral face of
the prism is constn1cttd at 45 to a verti-
cal line from the centrojd of the base of
the rris1n. Following the above selections.
the nren of the base of the prism (AB) was
calculated \ISing s tandard m.-.them.-.tic.-.1
formulae for the individual prism shapes.
Next, the Unit Area dimension was
divided by the base area of the prism
selected. This resulted in producing the
mtmber of prisms possible on the Unit
Area. Arter the number ()(prisms (NP)
was calculated, the surface or Intern) area
of the prism (ALP) wascak:uJated. Taki ng
the surface area of the prism and multi
pl)ing it by the number of prisms on the
Unit Area, the Total Prism Surface Area
(tA LP) was determjoed.

The fi nal step was the calculation
of the ratio, or taking the percent of the
prism lateral area and comrari ng it to the
Unit Area of the steel prior to blasting.
Thls represents the ma"Jmu.m
increase in surface area provided by
abrasive blasting. The modd assumes an
abrasive applic.-. tion.-.t .-.pproxjmately 90 ..
to the surface. A few degrees
docs not change the results. But V:tr)'ing
the application of abrasi\'tS to a lesser
angle will result in a smaller abrasi\'e
p.-. ttem .-.nd the blocking of some of the
Unit Area by the produced pattern and
the remo\'a) of the tops of some of the
patterns that had been ptoductd. This
will result in a lowcr pcrcent of surface
are.-. increase compared to the 90 .. biOlst
application.
The figure to the lett is the derh'll tion
of the mathematical relationship between
the abrasiYely blasted mild sted .substrate
aJld the fUlal surfOlce area after blasUng.
The impor tant item to note is that at
the ver)' end of the derh'ntion, the only
item of import.-. nee is the fracture ang.le
of the substrate. a. All otht'r dimensions
and f.-.ctors .-.re eliminated (See Figure
A: Calculation of the Sutjace Atta of the
Peaks in A brnsi J'e IJ/mt Sttbstrntes).
The chart below (Chart l) is t he
calculation table of the \'arious shapes
with \'nrious heights of the prisms. The
last cohunn in\licates the total relationship
of surface areas as being exactly the same
for all heights of blast profile pl'oduced.
Jonuorv 201 1 www.cootW'lgspromog.com 7t
This is the maximum increast in area in
an ideal sit1.1ation. Pn-actic:al increases will
be sonlewhatless than the idea.l (Ste Chart
I: Numerical Calculations of Penk S Surfnce
Area vs. Area of Substrate).
The conclusion is that regardless of
the height of the profile, the increase in
total S\ltfuce area cannot exceed the inverse
of the sine of the:- fracture angle of the:
beiJlg blasted (l/ sin n} . You can
increase the height of the profile. but that is
concomitant with n decrease in the number
of p-eaks; or )'0\l can the munber
of peaks ami at the same time reduce the
height of the profJie. The fin<"I res tilt is
no change in the actual exposed surface
area (See Figttre 8: Scl1ematic Diagmms of
F_ffec.ts Qf Profile l)eptiJ on Area
ruull/Qfumt of Subs/rate
Fig. 1 Unhb!itlld
Fig. 2 Sla$1<:d Lq.v Profi!g
Fewer Peaks., but M Ote Peaks
Fig, 3 Blasted Substrate- High Profi le
Higher Peaks, but Fewer Peaks.
Figure 8: Schematk Diagrams of Effects of
Profi le Depth on Area l ncreos.e and Volume
of Substrate Removal.
What Does All This Moth
Mean To Me? Or How Does
This Affect The Amount Of
Coating Material Below The
Tops Of The Peaks?
This is aJlOthcr interesting f.-a ctor that
does not get much circulat ion - the!'
volume of the space among the peaks and
below their tops. T his pafl kular Hem
dots \'ar)' with the height of the prol11e.
As a coater, I may want to know how
72 COth'lg1Pro Jonuory 2011
Choft 2
Profile = h
CHART 0.. VALUES
Abraded Surface Area of Coating Below Peak.s I t m
1
m
mils Percent Increase in Area
25 1 41%
so 2 4 1%
75 l 4 1%
100 4 4 1%
ISO 6 41%
200 8 4 1%
much extra coating is requi red to cover
the void among the peaks below
their apexes. To determine t his, we need
to determine the volume of material
rcmO\'Cd by t he operation.
Using the assumptions and equations
in the bcgi11ning of this attk le, let us look
at formula and determine the \' Oiume of
these voids. By knowiJlg the total volume
of the prisms. I VP, a11d dividing it by the
total area of the surface prior to blast
ing. we arrive at a percentage of \'olume
o( prisms, VP. Subtracting the percent
nge of Yolume of prisms from 100%, we
get the puctntage of volume of voids:
%VV ;; 100%.% VP. This is the volume
Volume of Peaks & Voi ds
Multiplier liters U.S. Gallons
I 0.025 0.0067
2 0.050 0.0134
l O.o7S 0.0201
4 0.100 0.0268
6 0.150 0.04<)2
8 0 .200 o.OS36
of coating thnt must be npplied prior to
rcachi11g the tops of the peaks of the blast.
It is sometimes called the ..dead \'Olume."'
Th e following example ser ves to
demonstrate th is calculation and what
it means. let us take a one square meter
( J = 10.76fi l) area of mild steel and
create a profile or 100 pm ( 4 mils}. The
volume of.-. prjsl.ll equals VJ x Are.-. of
Base x Height. In the discussion above.
the nrca of the base AB and the height of
the profile= h. AB = 8h
1
taJl (9/2),so the
volume or one prism.
VI) = YJ x 8h
2
tan (0/2) .x h = Sh-' tan
(9/2)13.
NP UA/AB
This talculatloniS th-e determi natiOn oftne\'Ot.Jme o4peal(sdue to surfa prof\ll ne
o\OdltiOnallythe second set of cabltatlons Is the vol ume of vol6s betWeen the t op of the profle
thll' lo,.,-ett hvthc prQfile-.
Pe:=.b :ue the elewted portiontof the profile ;!.bove the +nlJevs:tprismsJ.
Voids IHc SUI'rwndiug the peakS betow tle tUtl'l of the prUtlile t o of the valleys.

Volume of PeakS Vp ll/3
h &'Altitude of (Profile Hcisht)
" = n>Jr/ 2
a=2rta.n8/2
A= n'X(i nan 8/Zit h'X tan ttl/'i nx(h 1t tantt!Jctan 9/Zxh li tan o
At = n x(h')( t an 9/21/tan'o
r hlitaflQ
8= 3.60/ n

ta.na: : l
9=3.60"/8=4$;
10000 mm'
VI' = nvlb'xtw9/2))(b =
ta.nla: 3
l'l)ibll!til!l fl/2
3
V,. 8xlx!MU ; ,. 1.104569
3
= Nun'lbt:rot PeakS= Unit Atea (UA)/ I.e
Np:UA./81
1
tane}2
Nr.= 10000 /(8Jt11litatl(45/2))= 3017.767
IV, : .. =
%1VI' = r v, x t00/10000 =
" IVy :
lV, = "1V,xAs=
mm'
'""
66. 7"
6666. 667 mm'
Volumot of
Volume Cl Voids
ITEM EFFECT DESCRIPTION
SYMBOL OR surface area prior to blasting limc:-s the
height of the profile li mes *
Profile
Area of Active Bl asted Surface
Number of Peaks
Height of Peaks
Volume of Peaks
Volume of Voids
Volume of Coating
Thcrdo.c, !:VP VP x NP (8/3) (Sh'
taJl ( 012) (UA/Sh' tan (0/ 2))
Therefore, l:VP = Y.l UA x h = x the
un-blustcd steel x h 33.3% UA h.
Next, we find the volume of the \'Oids that
must be- fi lled to reach the apexes or the
peaks. This is done by subtracti ng the
l:VP from the original area of the steel
substrate (UA) times the height of the
profile ( h).
UA x h - VP UA h >; UA h % UA
h 66.7% X UA h
For L m' ( 10.76 ft') and a profile of 100
1-un (4 mils), the volume: of the coating
required to fill the void space=
l 1n
1
x O. L mm = 100,000 mm' = 0.1
l iter
10.76 ft
1
X 0.004 mils X 144 jJ1
1
/ft
1
X J
Gal ( US) /231 i n' 0.0268 Gal. (US)
What this meaus is that for C\'ery sq\lare
meter (J0.76 ft") witJ1 a JOO J.un ( 4 Lnils)
profile, the fi rst 1/10 liter or 0.0268 Gal
( US) appHed will just bring the coating
to the top of the profi le. This measure
is the dry film thickness ( OFT} nee\ied
to reach the top of the peak. Additional
nonnal coating calculations arc needed
for volatile solvents .-.nd thinuers added to
the coaling material They are all additive,
fi rst the volatile solvents and then the
tJ1in1ters. OOth by p.ercent by volume.
Conclusion
Wt have looked at two t heoretical calcu
lations of wh.-.t the abrasive blaste\i
surface of steel wiJJ affect as to the
Increases h
Constant@ 41% 141%x UA
Decreases UA/Aa
Incr eases h
Increases }S UAh
Increases Y. UAh
Incr eases (slightly) Lor Gal.
coatlngs area o( increased surface and
the volumes of dead space. 1'he iJl crease
i.n surface area due to blasting is arproxi
matdy 4 1% n nd t he extrn \'Qlume of
co.-at ings required is equal to the tot.-. I
Greater deJHh of profile will not
change the acti\'t surface area of the
blaste\i substr.-ate berond l l %. rhe deeper
profile will reduce the number or peaks.
and the lower profile will incrense the
number of peaks (See Chart 2: Churl of
RdMive Vtduts).
Greater pro(jle will increase the
volu me of coating below t he tops of
t he peaks in the profile. but will not
affect the .-active surface .-area. While
the volume of the coati ng required
below the peaks is computed by *' UA
x h (height of the profile), once that is
done the \'Oiume of coating, gallons or
liters. is affected direc:tl)' .-. nd varies
directly to t he height of t he pro(i)e. It
sounds complex. but considering the
fact t hat a mathematical for mula may
hel p prevent a "Never Again" scenario,
it becomes won h the effor t. CP
Exlended range measures up to 150 mils
Raac.ty 10 meastr$- no adjustment ractuired
to measure most coatings
Rugged, reli able and affordable
Conforms to ISO 2808 and ASTM 06132
Defefsko
800-448-3835 or www.defelsko.com
Ogdensburg, New York USA Tel: 315-393-4450
Fax: 315-393-8471 Email: techsaletfldefelsko.com
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