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Mechanisms
of Failure
I
norganic zinc (IOZ) primers are one mum of 50 percent is often specified quantity is available to the resin, cure will
of the leading corrosion-inhibitive when IOZ is applied. In colder climates not be complete. (Conversely, excessive-
primers available today. They pre- humidity levels are often below 30 per- ly high humidity will inhibit evaporation of
vent corrosion so readily because cent, especially when the already dry win- solvent, leave unreacted water in the
they are highly filled with zinc powder ter air is heated in the shop. Consider porous matrix and inhibit release of the
(usually 85 percent or more by weight), that the moisture capacity of air at 40 F reaction product, ethanol.)
which serves as a sacrificial anode pre- is only about 5 grams per kilogram Similarly, shops that are located in
venting corrosion when in intimate con- (g/Kg) of air. A relative humidity of 40 the arid west and southwest can also
tact with well-prepared steel. percent contains only about 2 g/Kg. This encounter curing issues as a result of
However, the inorganic zinc primers same quantity of moisture is equivalent dry air. It is not uncommon to see rela-
come with their own set of limitations. to 20 percent relative humidity at about tive humidity conditions in the 10 to 20
Specifically, problems can arise with 60 F. IOZ requires a finite amount of percent range in Nevada, Arizona and
adequate curing prior to overcoating. water to properly cure and until that the surrounding states. While some
IOZs cure uses the following reaction: shops may have
humidity-controlled
Si (OC2H5)4+ 4H2O atmospheres, limit-
SiO compounds + C2H6O ed interior storage
space will often
Essentially, tetraethyl orthosilicate lead to moving par-
[Si(OC2H5)4] and other alkyl silicates tially cured primed
react with airborne moisture/water, components out-
releasing ethanol. A silicate-based doors where
structure is formed. Problems arise humidity may be
when there is insufficient moisture pre- low. These dry con-
sent in the air to ensure a complete ditions will cause
reaction of the silicates. solvents to evapo-
While some manufacturers require a rate rapidly from
Fig. 1: Pictured here is a bridge where only one girder had thick, uncured zinc.
minimum relative humidity of 40 percent Note the significant failures. The other girders were cured and had no failures. the film, resulting
in order to ensure adequate cure, a mini- Photos courtesy of KTA-Tator, Inc. in a dry but
uncured primer. If the applicator knows coated too soon, the product is essen- ture long enough to fully cure. That is,
that IOZ primers react with moisture to tially sealed off from the available mois- IOZ primers are not traditionally consid-
cure and recognizes that arid condi- ture and a complete cure may never be ered a rapid recoat product, especially
tions exist, the primed surfaces can be achieved. In steel fabrication and in under dry conditions. This is counterin-
misted with water an hour or so after blast and paint shops, production rates tuitive for some.
application in order to facilitate the cur- are always a concern and multiple coat The curing of inorganic zinc primers
ing reaction. Multiple applications of systems can present a bottleneck. In may also be inhibited by the application
water may be necessary, because the the past, only the primer coat was of thicker film builds. Traditionally, the
water will also evaporate from the sur- applied and the IOZ had more than standard thickness has been 2 to 3
faces rapidly under arid conditions. ample time to cure during shipping and mils dry film thickness (DFT). In more
Special fans equipped with water atom- storage. Today, two- or three-coat sys- recent years some manufacturers have
izers can also be effective. Misting the tems may all be applied in the shop in increased the recommended thickness
primed surfaces with water or saturat- order to limit the amount of field paint- up to 6 or 7 mils, perhaps to avoid
ing the floor with water to increase the ing required. Limited shop floor area rejection of excess thickness in overlap
relative humidity in the shop must be often dictates that the steel be fabricat- areas such as web or flange interfaces.
done reasonably soon after application ed, abrasive blast cleaned, primed and When overly thick IOZ films are
(i.e., within one to two hours), as the overcoated with one or more finish applied, moisture may have a more diffi-
reaction with moisture must occur early coats in rapid succession to improve cult time penetrating through the cross-
in the curing phase. shop throughput. When this occurs, the section and curing the film. Although
When uncured IOZ primers are over- primer may not be subjected to mois- often thought to be self-policing via
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higher thickness exacerbated the Avoidance Through Quality within the prevailing environment.
problem and resulted in the crack- Control Inspection? The key is to verify that the condi-
ing and detachment. When other Inorganic zinc-rich primers dry tions of temperature and humidity
areas were evaluated, it became very quickly (especially in a heated (listed on the product data sheets)
evident that the entire system was environment); however they may are present in the shop prior to
at risk for failure. not cure for many hours or even application and to verify that the
days if the humidity is too low cure has been achieved, rather
than relying on cure-time tables
provided by the coating manufac-
turer, or assuming that drying and
curing are synonymous. Quality
control inspection by the fabricator
should have included a curing test.
In fact there is one specifically
designed for the type of coating
described by this case study
(ASTM D4752, referenced earlier).
Once a resistance rating of 4 or 5
is achieved (after 50 double rubs)
the zinc-rich primer can be consid-
ered cured and ready for recoat-
ing. Some manufacturers rely on
pencil hardness data instead of
solvent resistance to assess cure.
Either way, a knowledgeable QC
inspector knows how specific coat-
ing types cure, the conditions that
are necessary for the reactions to
occur, and the tests that are avail-
able to verify coating film proper-
ties prior to overcoating.
Conclusions
In summary, the key parameters in
assuring a sound application of inorganic
zinc are to:
1. Apply the primer at the correct thick-
ness;
2. Verify that the primed steel is stored
in an area with relative humidity condi-
tions above the coating manufacturers
minimum and ideally in excess of 50
percent;
3. Verify that the primer is allowed to
cure for the manufacturers recom-
mended cure time under conditions of
temperature and humidity; and
4. Verify the cure using the solvent rub
test or other prescribed procedures.
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