McNeil Coatings Consultants,

Inc.
1132 Kay Drive
Greenwood, IN 46142

Corrosion is defined as the

deterioration of a material,
usually a metal, because of a
reaction with its environment.

Corrosion is:
A natural phenomenon that
occurs over time.
An electrochemical reaction
(on metals)
Happens at different rates
with different metals and in
different environments

If we expose iron or steel to air

and water we can expect to see
rust form in a short time,
showing the familiar color of
red-brown iron oxide.
Depending on the environment
the rust may develop in
minutes.

With other metals such as

copper, brass, zinc, aluminum,
and stainless steel we can
expect corrosion to take place,
but it might take longer to
develop.

One reason for the reduction of

the corrosion rate with these
metals is the potential formation
of metallic oxides of copper,
zinc, aluminum, and chromium.

Unfortunately ordinary iron or

steel does not form this
protective layer, so must be
separated from the
environment by some other
means. Generally protective
coatings are utilized for this
purpose.

It is generally accepted that the

usual cause of corrosion of
metals involves
electrochemistry. A flow of
electricity occurs from one area
of the metal to another area
through an electrolyte, i.e. any
solution capable of conducting
electricity such as seawater,
hard water, or other moisture

We refer to the corrosion

process as an electrochemical
reaction, sometimes referred to
as a galvanic action.

For galvanic corrosion to occur

we must have four things:
Anode
Cathode
Metallic Pathway
Electrolyte

The steel itself contains anodes

and cathodes (areas on the
surface that have different
electrical potentials) and it is its
own metallic pathway.

Therefore, all we need for

corrosion cells to form is the
electrolyte.
The electrolyte is provided in
the form of rain, dew, humidity,
or chemicals.

Factors that affect the rate of

corrosion are:
Temperature

Oxygen

Humidity
Salts

Chemical

Chemicals and airborne gases

There are several ways that we

use to try to control corrosion:
:

Design
Inhibitors
Material Selection
Protective Coatings
Cathodic Protection
Control of the Environment
Dehumidification

Design
Generally speaking we want a
design that:
Avoids entrapment of water.
Allows access for surface
preparation and coating
operations.

Inhibitors are materials that

may be injected into the
system . They plate out on the
surface and inhibit the
formation of corrosion cells.
They are commonly used in
pipelines and other vessels that
will contain materials that are
corrosive.

They are sometimes injected

into the water stream that
may be used for the surface
preparation of steel, as in the
case of water jetting.

In the formulation of some

primers inhibitive pigments are
used . These inhibitive
pigments inhibit, or interfere,
with the corrosion process.
Examples of inhibitive pigments
are red lead and barium meta
borate.

Some metals, such as gold and

platinum, corrode very slowly
or not at all. Choosing a
corrosion resistant material can
reduce the rate of corrosion.

Material Selection Galvanic Series [Seawater

at 77 F.]
Magnesium
Zinc
Aluminum
Mild Steel
Cast Iron
Copper
Stainless Steel
Gold
Platinum

Combining dissimilar metals

can result in corrosion. It may
be very rapid or it may be
relatively slow, depending on
the metals combined, the
environment, and the ratio of
one to the other.

We can also use this concept to

protect a surface, such as when
we hot dip galvanize steel. The
zinc we apply to the steel is the
more active metal and will
sacrifice itself to protect the
steel. When we combine zinc
and steel the zinc becomes the
anode and the steel becomes
the cathode.

One of the most common ways

of preventing corrosion to steel
surfaces is to apply protective
coatings.
The coatings we apply may be
inhibitive , barrier, or sacrificial.

The key to a successful coating

project is surface preparation.
We want a surface that is
clean and suitably roughened.
Adhesion is the most
important attribute of a
coating. A clean surface with
the proper profile provides a
surface to which a coating can

A clean steel surface should be

free of all:
Oil
Oxides
Grease
Corrosion
Products
Dust
Other foreign
matter
Dirt
Mill scale
Rust

Mill scale is the blue/black oxide

layer that forms on hot rolled
steel during the cooling process.
Mill scale is cathodic to the
steel. If mill scale is left on the
surface, and painted over, the
steel will rust and sacrifice itself
trying to protect the mill scale.

So lets look at the common

coating systems that are used
to protect and beautify steel
and concrete structures.

First of all lets look at whats in

the can.
Coatings consist of pigment,
vehicle, solvent, and additives.
Pigment is a discrete particulate
solid.
Vehicle is the binder (resin) and
other liquid components.

Most coatings are named after

the binder (resin).
Examples:
Alkyds
Epoxies
Urethanes
Acrylics
Other coatings may be named
after the pigment such as zinc
rich primer or red lead primer.

There are hundreds of

pigments available to the
formulators. They are selected
based on what we want the
coating to do for us.
Pigments come in three basic
shapes. These are:
Nodular
Acicular

Nodular pigments are lump

shaped. Examples are titanium
and zinc phosphate.
Acicular pigments are needle
shaped. Examples are
asbestine and magnesium
silicate.
Lamellar pigments are plate
like. Examples are glass flake

Nodular pigments generally add

color. Most pigments are
nodular.
Acicular pigments give the
coating mechanical or cohesive
strength.
Lamellar pigments improve the
films impermeability to

Some general classifications of

coatings are:
Organic
Inorganic
Non-Convertible
Convertible

Organic resins are made of

something that was once alive
such as vegetable oil or fish oil.
A lot of our coatings are made
from petroleum products.
Most resins in use in todays
industrial coatings are synthetic
or man made.

Non-convertible coatings are

those coatings that dry and cure
by solvent evaporation. When
they are dry they are cured.
Examples are:
Vinyl
Chlorinated Rubber
Asphalt
Bitumen

Convertible coatings are those

that cure principally by some
type of polymerization. The
solvent must evaporate before
the polymerization takes place.
After polymerization it is a
different chemical compound.
Examples are:
Epoxies
2-Pack Urethanes
Polyesters

Coatings are generally applied

as systems. These systems
consist of one or more coating
layers.
Coating systems may be:
Single layer
Multiple layers of the same
generic
type.
Multiple layers of different

A typical coating system

consists of a primer, an
intermediate coat, and one, or
more, topcoats.
An example of a coating system
for a bridge might be:
Zinc Rich Primer
Epoxy Intermediate Coat
Urethane Topcoat

There are three basic types of

primers. They are:
Sacrificial
Inhibitive
Barrier

Sacrificial primers protect the

steel substrate by containing
metallic pigments that are
anodic to the steel. The most
common sacrificial primer is a
zinc rich primer. Zinc is a more
active metal than steel and will
become an anode when in
direct contact with the less
active steel substrate.

Inhibitive primers contain

pigments that passivate the
steel and therefore mitigate
corrosion. Red lead primer is
one of the best of the inhibitive
primers. Unfortunately we do
not see much red lead used any
more because of health
concerns.

There are many bridges out

there that have red lead primer
on them and they have been
protected from corrosion for
years.
Pigments that have replaced red
lead for inhibitive qualities are
barium meta borate, iron oxide,
and zinc oxide to name a few.

Barrier type primers create a

barrier to the passage of
moisture through the film to the
substrate, thus preventing the
electrolyte from getting to the
steel. Without electrolyte we
cannot have corrosion. Barrier
type primers often contain
lamellar type pigments.

Intermediate coats also serve

as barriers in the coating
system, as well as adding film
thickness.
Intermediate coats must be
compatible with the primer as
well as the topcoat.

Topcoats in the system must

protect the substrate, and
previous coats, from the
environment in which the
coating will be exposed. This
may be simply atmospheric
exposure, or a more severe
environment such as
immersion or chemical.

Protective coatings have been

used to mitigate corrosion for
years and new technology is
making coatings better and
better every year.
This has been a very basic and
simple explanation of how
coatings help to protect steel
and concrete from corrosion.
The subject is much more

QUESTIONS?