Pre-blasting preparation

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 Most coating failures
result from poor or inadequate:
• Steel preparation
• Cleaning
• Surface preparation
• Application
• Access
• Ventilation
• Coating selection
• Inspection and control
• Premature exposure
(Exposed too soon)

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 Investigation by a Guarantee
Insurance company has shown:

• 95 % of all coating failures result from

– Poor surface preparation
– Poor application
• 85 % of all failures appear within 1-2 years

This fits in well with our own experience

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 Pre-blasting preparation
involves the following activities
Rounding or smoothing of:
 Sharp edges
 Corners
 Welds
Grinding of:
 Laminations
 Flame cut edges
 Weld spatter
Notches minimum diameter: 30 mm
Inspected and approved before cleaning
See ISO 8501 “Visual assessment of surface cleanliness”
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 Steel preparation
Edges and weld spatters

Gas cut edge

Sharp A A. Remove by grinder or disc sander.
edge
B. Rolled steel sections normally have
round edges. Therefore can be
B left untreated.

A A. Remove visible spatter before grit-

Weld blasting with grinder or chipping
spatter hammer.
B B. For spatter not readily removed,
remove using grinder/disc.

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 Pre-blasting preparation
Rounding sharp edges
Coating applied to a square-cut section

Sharp edge
Coating Reduced coating thickness at
sharp edges due to tension
created during drying / curing

Steel Rounded edge

Even coating
thickness

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 Cross section of
painted steel with a sharp edge
• Paint applied with spray
• Forms inferior coating thickness around the edge

Paint

Cd-4932-21

Steel

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 Cross section of painted steel
construction with well rounded edge
• Paint applied by spray
• Forms even thickness around the edge

Paint

Cd-4932-20
Steel

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 Grinding of sharp edges, welds etc.
Disc sander and disc grinder

Sander for removing mill Grinder for heavy grinding,

scale, paint and rust such as edges and weld beads

Cd-4932-03

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 Sharp edges needs to be grinded

• Rounding of a sharp edge

• Paint will not be able to
give adequate film
thickness over a sharp edge
• Rounding the edge
followed by stripe coating
gives an even film
thickness
• This will improve the
lifetime of the paint system
Pre-treatment: Grinding_edges1

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 Steel support prior to
pre-blasting preparation
• Sharp edges
• Rust grade: A to B according to ISO 8501

Cd-4930-46

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 Edge rounded with disc grinder

A well rounded edge will ensure a sufficient paint film over the entire construction

Cd-4932-12

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 Steel support after
blast-cleaning to Sa 2 ½
The sharp edges should have been rounded
prior to blast-cleaning

Cd-4930-47

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 Steel support after
blast-cleaning to Sa 2 ½
The sharp edges have been rounded prior to blast-cleaning:
Good !

Cd-4930-48

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 Manholes in a tank

• Section manholes
• Well grinded edges

Cd-4932-13

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 Steel plate in cut shop
prior to assembly

• At this stage: Think

about grinding of
sharp edges,
manholes, notches etc.
• Easy access
• Good light conditions Cd-4932-08

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 Inside a tank.
Construction prior to pre-treatment
• Sharp edges and rough welds etc.
• Must be grinded before surface preparation

Cd-4932-09

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 Weld with pinhole.
Visible through the paint system
• Will lead to initiation of corrosion
• Remedial actions: Remove the paint, re-weld and grind. Apply
paint

Cd-4930-42
NOTE:
Such defects may
be difficult to find
during inspection
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 Early corrosion on sharp edge
and spot welds
• Paint has newly been applied
• Exposed to wind and weather for approximately 2 weeks

Cd-4930-78

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 Insufficient pre-blasting
preparation
• Notch
• Power tooling has been carried out
• Sharp edge not grinded

Cd-4932-16

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 Severe corrosion due to a
combination of several effects
• Sharp edges
• Rough welds (not grinded)
• Missing stripe coating

Cd-4930-71

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 Severe corrosion due to a
combination of several effects
• Sharp edges
• Rough welds (not grinded)
• Missing stripe coating

Cd-4930-72

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 Grinding of notch with rotating file

Easy access with a rotating file

Cd-4932-18

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 Notch prior to
pre-blasting preparation

• Construction with
notch must be grinded
• Welding flux has to be
removed
• Sharp edges must be
rounded Cd-4932-17

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 Notches after
blast-cleaning to Sa 2 ½
The sharp edges have been rounded prior to blast-cleaning:
Good !

Cd-4930-50

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 Steel preparation
Weld spatter, welding smoke

Weld Weld
spatter Areas at risk

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 Construction with sharp edge,
weld flux and weld beads

Pre-blasting preparation
to be carried out:
• Round sharp edge
• Remove welding flux
with water
• Grinding of weld bead
Cd-4932-14

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 Construction after pre-blasting
preparation. Grinded edge and weld

Well done !
• Sharp edge has
been rounded
• Welding flux and
smoke has been
removed
• Grinded weld bead
Cd-4932-15

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 Small weld spatters
Even only one small weld spatter may be sufficient to initiate
corrosion which with time may lead to severe problems

Cd-4930-45
NOTE:
Small failures
like this are
difficult to find

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 Remaining weld beads after removal of
supports welded on to the structure
Prior to pre-treatment these must be grinded away to
form an acceptable substrate for the paint system

Cd-4932-04

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 Remaining weld beads after removal of
supports welded on to the structure
Prior to pre-treatment these must be grinded away to
form an acceptable substrate for the paint system

Cd-4932-05

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 Disc grinding of weld beads, sharp
edges etc. by means of a disc grinder.
Other types of discs are available.
Some of them will reduce the amount of sparks.

Cd-4932-06

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 Steel substrate after disc grinding
Weld beads etc. has been removed
to form an acceptable substrate for the paint system

Cd-4932-07

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 Pre-blasting preparation
Laminations, undercuts, welding seams

Lamination
Remove using grinder

Undercut
Undercuts exceeding classification ruling
should be repaired by welding and grinding.

Manual weld bead

Sharp profile peaks to be smoothed using
grinder

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 Unacceptable weld.
Too rough and full of pinholes / pores
• Weld spatters close to weld
• Rewelding and grinding must be carried out
prior to reblasting and painting

Cd-4930-39

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 Paint on a very poor weld. Pinholes and
holidays visible after second stripe coating
• Neither rewelding nor grinding have been
carried out prior to application
• Remedial Actions: Reblasting, rewelding,
grinding and blast -cleaning: COSTLY

Cd-4930-41

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 Paint applied on a very poor weld.
Pinholes and holidays visible after application
• Neither rewelding nor grinding have been
carried out prior to application
• Remedial Actions: Reblasting, rewelding,
grinding and blast -cleaning: COSTLY

Cd-4930-40

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 Early corrosion of welds in a
water ballast tank

• Rough weld seams.

Should have been
grinded
• Probably in
combination with
poor stripe coating
• Mud can be seen, Cd-4930-75
particularly on the
bottom

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 Inside a tank after pre-blasting
and paint application
Pre-blasting preparation and application of the paint
have been carried out well

Cd-4930-51

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 Steel support after pre-blasting
and paint application
Pre-blasting preparation and application
of the paint have been carried out well

Cd-4930-52

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 Inside a tank after pre-blasting
and paint application
Pre-blasting preparation and application
of the paint have been carried out well

Cd-4930-53

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 Spot welding leads to crevices
which are susceptible to corrosion
Not recommended solution for exposure to severe /
aggressive environments

Cd-4930-36

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 Spot welds after painting

• Paint is unable to fill

gap between the parts
welded together
• These area may be
susceptible to
corrosion
• Not recommended for
exposure to severe / Cd-4930-37
aggressive
environments

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 Sharp edge an spot welds.
Early corrosion attack
• Construction newly
painted
• Exposed to humid
atmosphere
• Corrosion initiates
after a short period of
time on weak areas:
Sharp edges, crevices Cd-4930-38
and spot welds

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 Pre-blasting preparation
Grinding a small construction

• Mark areas where grinding

are required
• Remove weld spatters
• Grind the welds
• Grind the notches
• Important to carry out the
grinding to improve the life
time of the paint system

Pre-treatment: Grind_spatters1

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