H-Hiding power charts and micrometer adjustable film applicator

Various designs of black and white A4 signed cards are used for this method.
Chequered, striped, zigzag, half and half and cards of ones own design can be used.
The surface is coated with a solvent resistant lacquer to prevent immediate absorption.
The applicator is a frame with an adjustable gate, which can be controlled by two micrometers for vertical
movement.
After zeroing on a flat surface the reading on the micrometers represents the gap under the gate.
Paint is applied onto one chart and the bar applicator immediately drawn over it.
If opacity is not achieved (as previous) the gate is adjusted 5 um higher and the operation repeated on another
card until the film thickness required for opacity has been attained.

I-Degree of Gloss

Gloss is a measure of reflectivity. Light follows general rules and travels in a straight line.
When light hits a surface it reflects off at the same angle as it strikes the surface.
A modern gloss meter works on exactly this principle, a light source directs a beam of light onto the surface
under test, and a photo electric cell, set at the same angle, collects the reflected light and quantifies it and
converts it digitally into a percentage of the incident light.
On a perfectly smooth surface it would give almost 100%. On an uneven surface some of the light is deflected
and so the percentage reading would be lower.
A high percentage of reflection will be gloss and a low percentage will be matt.
Gloss meters for general use have two common angles, typically 60% and 20% both taken from the
perpendicular, the 60% angle being the most common usage.
Figure 10.17 Degree of gloss

Photo
electric cell

Light
scattered

Incident
light

Incident
light

Reflected
light
Smooth surface

Uneven surface

J-Adhesion

One of the properties required of a paint film is to provide adhesion to the substrate,
Therefore an inspector is expected to test to ensure the paint is performing this function.
There are three main areas for adhesive failure within a paint system.
a)

Primer to substrate failure

b)

Inter-coat adhesion (between films)

c)

Cohesive failure (within a paint film)

a)

Primer to substrate failure

SPECIAL CUTTER

Primer to substrate failure is the most serious.

Failure here means no protection at all.
This is a surface contamination problem mainly.
Lack of adequate surface preparation, grease, oil, dirt, and dust are the usual causes.

b)

Inter-coat adhesion
Caused by the problems above and others.
Lack of observance of recommended over-coating limits and expansion/contraction differences between
materials.

c)

Cohesive failure
Over thickness of a layer can entrap solvent during the drying process and thus stop polymerisation and the
correct formation of the film, reducing cohesive strength.
The main reason for cohesive failure is solvent entrapment but incorrect ratio mix of a two pack can have exactly
the same effect.

These failure points can be detected in several ways, some costly, requiring equipment costing several hundred
pounds and some requiring an outlay of a few pounds only.

K-V cut test

A craft knife is all that is required to perform this test.
Cut through the paint, to the steel substrate, with two cuts forming an inclusive angle of approximately 30 o,
with leg length of approximately 13 mm.
Insert the tip of the blade into the tip of the V and try to lever off.
The paint should chip across the tip of the V clearly and cohesive without following the line of any of the
faults described.
It should not expose any of the substrate.

L-Cross cut (cross hatch test)

Cut through the paint using six horizontal and six vertical cuts approximately 2 mm spaces giving a 25-squared
grid.
Special profile cutters can be purchased for this, or a craft knife can be used.
Apply an agreed tape to the area (different tapes have different degrees of stickiness and would give different
results); rub smoothly onto the hatched area and then snatch off.
The resulting areas of disbondment are then compared to diagrams shown in BS 3900 Pt E6 and classified
according to percentage area of disbondment.

M-Dolly test
The dolly test is more expensive to use, but unlike the above gives answer in units of psi or newtons/um
square, etc and so is classed as a quantitative test.

A typical procedure for the test would be: Ensure the test area is clean and oil/grease free, lightly abrade the area and apply mixed two pack heavy duty
adhesive.
Firmly place the aluminium alloy dolly in position onto the adhesive ensuring that the skirted flange is to the
adhesive.
Leave for manufacturers recommended cure time.
Place the core drill supplied around the dolly and cut through the coating to the substrate (this ensures that only
the area of the dolly flange receives the pull off forces).
Apply the pull off gauge and apply pull off force, (some models use a ratcheted lever, others a knurled wheel)
until failure occurs.
This will usually involve a loud bang and the instrument will jump from the substrate.
Examine the face of the dolly and apportion adhesive failure according to areas exposed, at the pull off force
indicated on the scale.
For example with an aluminium metal spray, single coat, there could be: 1.

Adhesive to dolly failure.

2.

Adhesive to aluminium failure.

3.

Cohesive failure within the aluminium.

4.

Aluminium to substrate failure.

N-Hydraulic adhesion test equipment

This is a much quicker test with a higher degree of accuracy.

The HATE use cyano-acrylic impact adhesives and can
usually be done approximately two hours after dolly/adhesive
application, the dollys are mild steel and reusable because
they are heated up to destroy the adhesive after use.
Big downside for this test is initial cost and usually high
maintenance.

O-HOLIDAY/PINHOLE DETECTION
Holidays and pinholes in a paint film are defects which allow ingress of an electrolyte
Not all defects of this nature are visible to the naked eye and we therefore need equipment to facilitate the
detection.
For coatings of thicknesses above 500 um it would be necessary to use a high voltage holiday detector,
But for coatings of less than 500 um it is normal to use a wet sponge pinhole detector.
The wet sponge pinhole detector is a very simple piece of equipment and consists of a small control box,
usually pocket size, with two terminals, positive and negative.

The negative terminal is connected to bare steel on the structure to be tested.

The positive terminal is connected to a hand stick with a sponge on the end.
Two, 1v batteries in the control box provide the operating power.
To use the detector the sponge electrode is wetted in water with a tiny amount of detergent/washing up liquid
added, and squeezed out to remove excess water.
After switching on and selection of operating voltage, the sponge is traversed methodically over the area.
On a vertical surface it is better to work upwards.
On contact with a pinhole, the wetting agent (detergent) allows immediate penetration of the water, so
providing a very low resistance circuit back to the control box.
A high-pitched bleep indicates the presence of a pinhole, the exact position of which is located by using a
corner of the sponge. The position is then marked ready for repair.

Voltage setting
Basic models have two options for setting,
9v and 90v.
More sophisticated models have an intermediate
setting.
For DFTs of less than or equal to 300 um the 9v
setting is normal.
For DFTs of 300 500 um 90v or 67v
intermediate sensitivity would be preferred.

SPECIFIED COATING CONDITIONS

A manufacturers product data sheet will indicate under which ambient conditions a paint/coating can or cannot
be applied.
The clients specification may sometimes be a little stricter.
A typical specification used to be: It is not permissible to apply paints
1.
2.
3.
4.

During rain, snow, or high winds. This clause would be sensible even in modern specifications.
When the air or metal temperature is down to within 3oc above the dew point temperature. It can be
overridden by giving alternate systems.
When the air or metal temperature is below 5oc. Solvent evaporates very slowly at low temperatures and
chemical cure rates used to be static.
When the relative humidity is more than 90%. Still a very common restraint, and sometimes the
benchmark for using moisture curing polyurethanes.

Relative Humidity
The amount of water vapour in the air expressed as a
Percentage of the amount of water vapour, which could
Be in the air at that same temperature.
100% humidity, saturation, is measured as being taken
Within 1" of the surface of a fast flowing river.

Dew Point
This is the temperature at which water vapour in the air will condense.
Condensation cannot occur unless the relative humidity is 100%.
Recalling that every 11oc drop in temperature results in the airs capacity to hold water halving, even the smallest
drop in temperature results in water being released from the air, in the form of condensation.

So at 100% humidity the air temperature and dew

Point temperature, and wet bulb temperature on the
Whirling hygrometer is all the same value.

Q-The Whirling Hygrometer, Aspirated Hygrometer or Psychrometer

Used by coating inspectors to determine wet and dry bulb temperature readings.
Using calculators or hygrometric tables, relative humidities and dew points can be calculated.

Two thermometers are mounted in a plastic frame, fitted

With A handle so that the frame can be rotated through the
Air.
One of the thermometers is fitted with a wick around the bulb.
The wick passes through a hole in the end of the frame and into
A small container with a Screw lid, into which is put distilled
Water or clean rainwater i.e. de-ionised water. The water is
Drawn by capillary Action all along the wick out the area
Enveloping the Thermometer bulb. This is referred to as the wet bulb and
The second thermometer is the dry bulb.

The frame with the thermometers mounted should be rotated quickly about a horizontal axis. (The BS 2482
states in front of and to windward of the operator) so that the bulbs pass through the air at 4m/sec. If there is a
wind the operator should face into the wind, if no wind then walk slowly into a clean air current.
The frame should be rotated for 30 40 seconds, or as otherwise specified, as fast as possible (to meet
requirement as above) and then read the values on the thermometer, always the wet bulb first, immediately on
ceasing rotation.
The water on the wet bulb uses heat energy from the air to change into water vapour, so the wet bulb will give a
lower temperature reading than the dry bulb.
When rotation stops, the aspiration rate slows and so the wet bulb temperature will slowly start to rise towards
that of the dry bulb.
This operation should be repeated as many times as is necessary until the following criteria is met. On two
consecutive spins the readings should be within 0.2oc, wet bulb to wet bulb and dry bulb to dry bulb.
The wet bulb and dry bulb temperatures recorded can then be used to determine the RH and DP from scales or
tables.
This operation should be carried out as near as possible to where the work is being done. Big difference in
temperature can occur from N side to S side of a tank or down a trench and topside.

Steel temperature measurement

The air temperature (ambient) is the temperature recorded from the dry bulb thermometer.
To measure the steel substrate temperature a magnetic gauge, known commonly as a limpet gauge is used, or a
digital thermometer, thermocouple, sometimes called a touch pyrometer.

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