PAINT EVIDENCE

INTRODUCTION

• Painted surfaces are everywhere, so it is not

surprising that paint is an important source
of trace evidence. Typically, paint chips are
transferred in car accidents, either from one car
to another or, in the case of a hit-and-run, from
the car to the victim. If there is wet paint at the
scene of a crime, the perpetrator may also get it
on their clothing. When tools like a crowbar are
used in a breaking and entry crime, they may
end up with microscopic flakes of paint on them.
Analysis of paint evidence can therefore make
an important contribution to an investigation.
 WHAT IS PAINT?

• Paints are applied for protective value

and/or aesthetic purposes. It is a liquid
suspension in a solvent carrier into
which white or colored pigments and a
polymeric resin binder have been
combined. This liquid dries to leave a
hard solid coating on the surface to
which it is applied.
•
COMPOSITION

• Composition of Paints:
• Pigments
o all white pigments in use today
are titanium dioxide.
o Give the paint its color
• Binders
o serve as vehicle or carrier that
carries the pigments.
o Natural or synthetic resin that
helps stabilize the mixture and
form a film when it is spread.
 PAINT FILM

• Paint film is characterized by a number

of physical and chemical features
• Physical characteristics may include:
• Color
• Layer sequence and thickness
• Surface and layer features
• Contaminants
• And weathering
•
 CHEMICAL COMPONENTS

• Chemical components may

include:
• Pigments (colored portion)
• Binders (support medium, film
former which impart toughness
• Polymers –coating, excellent
adhesion
• Additives (enhance the property
of paint)
 PAINT EVIDENCE

• Investigators encounter paint in many

types of crimes, including:
• Hit-and-run cases
• Burglaries and forced entries
•
• Paint may be transferred and/or removed
to/from an object during these incidents. It is
usually in the form of chips or smears
 PAINT CHIPS

• Paint chips and paint residue is one of

the most common types of trace evidence
which can be found at a crime scene. The
most common use of paint transfer is in the
case of an automobile accident. This is in
the case of dried paint.
•
 PAINT SMEARS

• Paint smears from wet paint are

another source of evidence.
Smears from wet paint may
transfer onto anything that touches
it. Wet paint which has been
disturbed is a good source of hair
and fiber evidence. Wet paint may
also have finger or palm prints
impressed into it.
 COMMON PAINT EVIDENCE

• COMMON PAINT EVIDENCE

• Automobile, from hit-and-run and collisions, automobile paint can be distinctive
because it has multiple layers/coats. (acrylic lacquers and enamels and alkyd enamels).
Modern automobile finishing consists of at least four coatings:
• Electrocoat primer
▪ first layer, it provides corrosion resistance to the car- color from black to gray
• Primer surface second layer
▪ smooth out and hides away seams on the car- color pigments are used to
minimize contrast between primer and top coat

• Basecoat
▪ third layer- provides basic color, aesthetic and appearance of the car

• Clearcoat
▪ final coat- provides great appearance (glossiness) and protection for the car
•
 TYPES OF PAINTS

• Types of Paint
1. Water-based- water soluble paint
2. Emulsion – Oil soluble and usually
diluted with thinner
•
 LAB EXAMINATION OF PAINT

1. Microscopy-
- A microscope is used to compare the
texture, color and layer sequence.
2. Chemical Properties using
spectroscopy or chromatography
- Binder and enhancements are the
target aside from the characteristics
of the pigments.
 LAB EXAMINATION FOR PAINT

• Laboratory examination of this type of

evidence can determine:
• The nature of the binder or the film forming
polymer
• The pigment and other additive
 MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION

• MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION
• Questioned and Known (Standards)
specimens are compared side by side under a
stereomicroscope for:
• Color
• Surface texture
• Color layer sequence
• Layer sequence is very important evidence:
forensic scientist will try to match layers with
respect to number and sequence of color
 TYPES OF PAINT EVIDENCE

• Among the most common types of paint evidence

exhibit is the automotive paint in traffic incidents.
Cars are painted in complex layering pattern which
could itself differentiate one vehicle from the other
using a simple microscopic examination.
•
• These features can be determined and evaluated
by a variety of microscopic, microscopic chemical and
instrumental methods. (Limited sample size and
sample preservation requirements mandate that
these methods be selected and applied in a
reasonable sequence to maximize the discriminating
power of the analytical scheme)
 SIGNIFICANCE OF PAINT ANALYSIS

• An important aspect of forensic paint analysis is the:

• Identification of the possible makes
• Models
• And years of manufacture of motor vehicles

The color comparison and chemical analysis of the

undercoat and topcoat system requires the following:

• Knowledge of paint formulations

• And processes
• Collection of paint standards
• Databases of color
• Composition information
•
 HOW TO EXAMINE PAINT

• How to examine paint:

• 1. microscope is the most common tool
• 2. Chemical properties- look at binder
chemically using:
• Gas chromatography
• Infrared radiation spectrum
•
• NOTE: After microscopic examination, paint
samples will undergo the following tests:
• Solubility test
• Spot test or
• Screening test
 CONFIRMATORY TESTS

• Then confirmatory test could be done

using:
• X-ray microscopy, pyrolysis, gas
chromatography, SEM or scanning
electron microscope and/or fluorescence
microscopy
•
• These confirmatory tests were done in
order to determine its common source
•
 REMEMBER

• Microscopic Comparison of the layer structure between a questioned and

known sample may be sufficient to show possible common origin
without using chemical testing. However, in situations where only one or
two layers of paints are present, additional testing is necessary. (Henry
C. Lee and Howard A. Harris, 2006, Page 220 Physical Evidence in
Forensic Science
 COLLECTION OF PAINT EVIDENCE

• COLLECTION OF PAINT EVIDENCE

• 1. use tweezers, scalpel or paper to
obtain paint evidence
• 2. Store it paper, glass, or plastic vials
• 3. if the paint is in/on a garment,
submit the whole garment. DO NOT TRY
TO REMOVE
• 4. In a tool, package the whole tool with
control samples.
REMEMBER

• Do not collect paint from an impression, only adjacent areas. For comparison- need
control sample for area near damaged area. Approximately ½” square area
•THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING!!!