COATING SYSTEM NO. 26.00
Aluminum Pigmented Epoxy Coating System Materials Specification, Performance-Based: Type I, for Use over Blast Cleaned Steel / Type II, for Use over Hand Cleaned Steel
1. Scope
1.1 This specification covers the requirements for an ambient temperature cure, two-component aluminum pigmented epoxy coating that is intended for use as a single or multi-coat system on steel.
1.2 Coating systems meeting this specification are suitable for exposures in environmental zones 1A (interior, normally dry), 1B (exterior, normally dry), 2A (frequently wet by fresh water, excluding immersion), 2B (frequently wet by salt water, excluding immersion), and 3B (chemical exposure, neutral). (See Note 13.1.)
1.3 The specified coating system is intended for application by brush, spray, or roller (See Note 13.2). Type I is for use over steel surfaces blast cleaned to SSPC-SP 6 or better (See Note 13.3.) Type II is for use over non-blast cleaned as well as blast cleaned steel surfaces, i.e., surfaces cleaned to SSPC-SP 2 or better. (See Note 13.4.). For either Type I or Type II, the surface should be prepared in accordance with the manufacturer’s written recommendations.
2. Description
2.1 COMPONENTS
2.1.1 This coating system is typically based on a reactive oxirane (epoxy) functional resin with an amine or polyamide functional curing agent. (See Section 4.)
2.1.2 The principal functional pigment is aluminum paste or flake powder. (See Section 4.)
3. Referenced Standards
3.1 The latest issue, revision, or amendment of the referenced standards in effect on the date of invitation to bid shall govern, unless otherwise specified. Standards marked with an asterisk (*) are referenced only in the Notes, which are not requirements of this specification.
3.2 If there is a conflict between the requirements of any of the cited referenced standards and this specification, the requirements of this specification shall prevail.
3.3 SSPC Standards and Joint Standards:
Guide 13 Guide for the Identification and Use of Industrial Coating Systems in Computerized Product Databases
ME 1 Uncontaminated Rusted Steel
PA 1 Shop, Field, and Maintenance
Painting of Steel
PA 2 Measurement of Dry Paint Thickness
with Magnetic Gauges
SP 1 Solvent Cleaning
SP 2 Hand Tool Cleaning
* SP 3 Power Tool Cleaning
SP 5/NACE No. 1 White Metal Blast Cleaning
SP 6/NACE No. 3 Commercial Blast Cleaning
* SP 7/NACE No. 4 Brush-Off Blast Cleaning
* SP 8 Pickling
* SP 10/NACE No. 2 Near-White Blast Cleaning
* SP 11 Power Tool Cleaning to Bare Metal
* SP 12/NACE No. 5 Surface Preparation and Cleaning
of Steel and Other Hard Materials by High- and Ultrahigh-Pressure
Water Jetting Prior to Recoating
* SP 14/NACE No. 8 Industrial Blast Cleaning Vis 2 Standard Method of Evaluating Degree of Rusting
3.4 AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS (ASTM) STANDARDS:
A 36 Specification for Carbon Structural Steel
A 607 Specification for Steel, Sheet and Strip, High-Strength, Low-Alloy, Columbium or Vanadium, or Both, Hot-Rolled and Cold-Rolled (Withdrawn 2000)
B 117 Standard Practice for Operating Salt Spray
3.5 AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARDS INSTITUTE (ANSI) Standard:
Z129.1 Hazardous Industrial Chemicals Precautionary Labeling
3.6 NACE International (NACE) Standard:
RP0287 Field Measurement of Surface Profile of Abrasive Blast Cleaned Steel Surfaces Using a Replica Tape
3.7 FEDERAL SPECIFICATIONS AND STANDARDS:
FED-STD-141 Paint, Varnish, Lacquer and Related Materials: Methods of Inspection, Sampling and Testing
Method 3011 Condition in Container
Method 4321 Brushing Properties Method 4331 Spraying Properties Method 4541 Working Properties and Appearance of Dried Film (Canceled)
4. Composition Requirements
4.1The manufacturer is given wide latitude in the selection of materials and manufacturing processes.
4.2 ALUMINUM REQUIREMENT: The aluminum metal used shall be certified as meeting ASTM D 962 and shall constitute a minimum of 6.0% by weight of the dried film.
4.3 RESIN REQUIREMENT:The epoxy resin together with the curing agent, as described in Section 2.1.1, shall constitute at least 60% by weight of total solids. (See Note 13.5.)
4.4 PIGMENT REQUIREMENT: Lead or chromate based pigments are prohibited.
5. Standard Testing Conditions
5.1 ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS: When testing the paint and its application, the conditions under which it is applied and cured shall conform to ASTM D 3924.
5.2 SUBSTRATE: The hot rolled steel test panels shall conform to ASTM A 36 (See Note 13.6).
5.3 TEST PANELS: There are two kinds of standard test panels: blast cleaned panels (Section 5.3.1) and standard rusted panels (Section 5.3.2). Panel size shall be 100 mm x 150 mm x 3.2 mm (4 inch x 6 inch x 1/8 inch) or greater.
5.3.1 Blast Cleaned Panels: Blast cleaned panels are used for laboratory physical testing (Section 7) and for the accelerated laboratory weathering tests (Section 8 ) of Type I coatings for use over blast cleaned steel. Test panels shall be solvent cleaned in accordance with SSPC-SP 1 prior to blast cleaning. The test panels shall be blast cleaned in accordance with SSPC-SP 5/NACE No. 1 and have a profile of 50 ± 25 micrometers (2.0 ± 1 mil). Measure the blast profile in accordance with ASTM D 4417 or NACE RP0287.
5.3.2 Standard Rusted Panels: For the accelerated laboratory weathering tests (Section 8 ) of Type II coatings for use over hand tool cleaned steel, the unpainted test panels shall be prepared in accordance with SSPC-ME 1.
5.4 APPLICATION: Thoroughly mix together both components of the coating following the manufacturer’s written instructions. Allow the mixture to stand for the manufacturer’s specified induction time, if stated. Apply the coating by spray at the atmospheric conditions described in Section 5.1 in accordance with SSPC-PA 1.
5.5 DRY FILM THICKNESS: The dry film thickness (DFT) shall be within the manufacturer’s written recommended range per coat and shall not exceed the stated minimum by more than 50 micrometers (2 mils). If there is no recommended film thickness, then the thickness shall be 125 ± 25 micrometers (5 ± 1 mils) per coat for a two-coat system and 250 ± 50micrometers (10 ± 2 mils) for a one-coat system. For the two-coat system, the second coat shall be applied within 18 to 30 hours after application of the first coat, unless specified otherwise by the manufacturer. In either case the film thickness shall be measured in accordance with SSPC-PA 2.
5.6 CURE: All coated panels to be tested will be allowed to cure for a minimum of seven days under ambient laboratory conditions after application of the final coat before physical testing is to begin.
5.7 SCRIBING: Scribe two parallel lines on the face of the coated panels so as to expose the underlying metal before testing. The lines shall be at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) from the edge, the top, and the bottom of each panel and at least 5 cm (2 inches) from each other. Each scribe shall be at least 6 cm (2.4 inches) long. The scribes may run vertically or at an angle across the face of the panel. Follow the scribe-making procedure described in ASTM D 1654.
6. Requirements of Liquid Coating
6.1 PACKAGE STABILITY: Perform the following tests: Measure the viscosity of each component of the coating system in accordance with ASTM D 562. Then place each component in an appropriate closed container (i.e., a lined metal or plastic can) in an oven at 52 ± 1°C (125 ± 2°F). After 30 days, remove the coating from the oven and measure the viscosity of each component of the coating in accordance with ASTM D 562.
The change in viscosity shall not exceed 10 Krebs units (KU). After mixing the aforementioned aged components according to manufacturer’s written instructions and brushing out, the film shall be free from grains, lumps, or streaks.
6.2 MECHANICAL STABILITY: Test individual packages of the two pack system separately. Fill a one liter (one quart) friction top can three-fourths full and secure tightly. In an environment at room temperature, rotate on a jar roller for one week at 120 to 170 rpm. At the end of one week, there shall be no separation, coagulation, excessive thickening, loss in mechanical stability, or changes in viscosity greater than 10 KU.
6.3 POT LIFE: Thoroughly mix components to yield one liter (one quart) of prepared coating. Allow the mixed coating to stand at atmospheric conditions described in Section 5.1 for the pot life time specified by the manufacturer. At the end of this time period, the coating shall show no evidence of gelation, and still meet the requirements of Sections 7.1 and 7.3.
7. Laboratory Physical Tests of applied Films
7.1 APPLICATION PROPERTIES: Thoroughly mix together both components of the coating. Allow the mixture to stand for the manufacturer’s specified induction time, if stated.
The paint shall be easily applied by brush, roller, or spray when tested in accordance with FED-STD-141,Methods 4321, 4331, and 4541. The paint shall show no streaking, running, or sagging during application or while drying.
7.2 RECOAT TESTS: Coat a test panel in accordance with Sections 5.3.1, 5.4, 5.5, and 5.6. Apply one additional coat according to Sections 5.4 and 5.5. There shall be no picking up or rolling up of the previous coat during application. After 24 hours, the subsequent film shall be smooth and uniform (See Note 13.7).
7.3 FILM INTEGRITY: Apply one coat of coating by the drawdown method in accordance with Sections 5.1, 5.3, 5.5 and 5.6. Mix coating per Section 5.4. Evaluate for checking and cracking in accordance with ASTM D 660 and D 661, respectively. Any checking or cracking rating of “8” or less is cause for rejection.
7.4 FLEXIBILITY: Prepare three replicate panels according to Sections 5.1, 5.4, 5.5 and 5.6. The substrate shall be cold rolled strip 0.8 mm (1/32 inch) (22 gage) thick. Recommended panel size is 100 mm x 150 mm (4 inch x 6 inch). Surface preparation shall be SSPC-SP 1. Test three replicate panels in accordance with ASTM D522. The elongation of each replicate panel shall be a minimum of 7.0 percent using Test Method A; or, if Test Method B is used, each replicate panel must exhibit no cracking when bent over a 19 mm (3/4 inch) diameter mandrel.
8. Accelerated Laboratory Weathering Tests
8.1 TEST PANEL PREPARATION: Prepare replicate panels in accordance with Section 5. For Type I coatings for use over blast cleaned steel, follow Section 5.3.1; for Type II coatings for use over hand tool cleaned steel, follow Section
5.3.2. Coat and seal all edges and the back side of each panel with a coating that will provide the necessary protection to these surfaces. The edges may become adequately covered during application of the test coating.
8.2 CONDENSING HUMIDITY CABINET TEST: Three replicate panels shall be exposed for 2000 hours in a condensation cabinet in accordance with ASTM D 4585.
8.2.1 Rust Evaluation: After 2000 hours, each replicate panel shall have a minimum rust rating of 9 in accordance with SSPC-VIS 2.
8.2.2 Blister Evaluation: After 2000 hours, the blister rating of each replicate panel shall be no worse than No. 8 Few in accordance with ASTM D 714 (See Note 13.8).
8.2.3 Scribe Undercutting Evaluation:After2000hours, on each replicate panel, the maximum rusting, blistering, or undercutting at the scribe as measured by ASTM D 1654 shall not exceed 3.2 mm (1/8 inch) from the center of the scribe at any point along the scribe.
8.3 CYCLIC SALT FOG/UV EXPOSURE TEST: Six replicate panels shall be exposed for 2688 hours (16 weeks) in accordance with ASTM D 5894.
8.3.1 Rust Evaluation:After2688 hours(16weeks),each replicate panel shall be rated in accordance with SSPC-VIS 2. The average of the six test panels rounded to the nearest whole number shall be 10.
8.3.2 Blister Evaluation:After 2688 hours, each replicate panel shall be rated in accordance with ASTM D 714. Four of the six replicate test panels must have a blister rating of 10 (no blisters) and the other two replicate panels must have a blister rating no worse than No. 8 Few (See Note 13.8).
8.3.3 Scribe Undercutting Evaluation:After 2688 hours, on each replicate panel, measure by ASTM D 1654 the maximum rusting, blistering, or undercutting from the center of the scribe at any point along the scribe. Since there are two scribes on each panel, each panel will furnish two scribe data points. Compute the mean (average),x’,and the standard deviations of these12datapoints.The scribe undercutting test parameter,
U, is the mean plus two standard deviations (U = x’ + 2s). The scribe undercutting test parameter, U, rounded to the nearest millimeter, shall be less than or equal to 2.0 mm.
8.4 SALT FOG/HOT/COLD CYCLIC TEST
8.4.1 Panel Preparation: Prepare six replicate panels according to Section 8.1 except the substrate shall be smooth cold rolled steel as described in ASTM D 609, Type 2 or Type 3, and only one scribe per panel is necessary.
8.4.2 Exposure Cycle: Expose six replicate panels for five complete cycles. One cycle starts with 72 hours in the salt fog (ASTM B 117). Then the panels are transferred, without washing, to a freezer at –18±1°C (0±2°F) for 24 hours. Next, the panels are place in a convection oven at 66±1°C (150±2°F) for 24 hours. Finally, the panels are kept at room temperature for 48 hours.
8.4.3 Panel Evaluation: At the end of each cycle, press adhesive tape across the scribe at right angles to the scribe and quickly remove the tape by pulling perpendicular to the panel face. The adhesive tape shall be as specified in ASTM D 3359. Any removal of coating more than 3.1 mm (1/8 inch) constitutes a failure for this test. Five of the six replicate panels must pass five cycles for the coating system to meet the requirements of this specification (See Note 13.10).
9. Material Quality Assurance
9.1 If the user chooses, tests may be used to determine the acceptability of a lot or batch of a qualified coating (See Note 13.10).
10. Labeling
10.1 Labeling shall conform to ANSI Z129.1.
10.2 Technical data shall be provided for at least all data elements categorized as “essential” in SSPC-Guide 13.
11. Inspection
11.1 All coatings supplied under this specification are subject to timely inspection by the purchaser or his authorized representative. The purchaser shall have the right to reject any materials supplied which are found to be defective under this specification (See Note 13.11). In case of dispute, unless otherwise specified, the arbitration or settlement procedure established in the procurement documents shall be followed. If no arbitration or settlement procedure is established, then a procedure mutually agreeable to purchaser, material supplier, and contractor shall be used.
11.2 Samples of paints under this painting system may be requested by the purchaser and shall be supplied upon request along with the manufacturer’s name and identification for the materials. Samples may be requested at the time the purchase order is placed or may be taken from unopened containers at the job site.
11.3 Unless otherwise specified, the sampling shall be in accordance with ASTM D 3925.
12. Disclaimer
12.1 While every precaution is taken to ensure that all information furnished in SSPC standards and specifications is as accurate, complete, and useful as possible, SSPC cannot assume responsibility nor incur any obligation resulting from the use of any materials, coatings, or methods specified herein, or of the specification or standard itself.
12.2 This specification does not attempt to address problems concerning safety associated with its use. The user of this specification, as well as the user of all products or practices described herein, is responsible for instituting appropriate health and safety practices and for insuring compliance with all governmental regulations.
13. Notes
Notes are not requirements of this specification.
13.1 SSPC Environmental Zones covered in this specification
are as follows:
Zone 1A:
Interior, normally dry (or temporary protection). Very mild (oil base coatings now last six years or more).
Zone 1B:
Exterior, normally dry (includes most areas where oil base coatings now last six years or more).
Zone 2A*
Frequently wet by fresh water. Involves condensation, splash, or spray, (Oil base coatings now last five years or less.)
Zone 2B*
Frequently wet by salt water. Involves condensation, splash, or spray. (Oil base coatings now last three years or less.)
Zone 3B
Chemical exposure, neutral (pH 5.0 to 10.0)
* Zones 2A and 2B have been modified to exclude immersion. 13.2 Normally, spray application is preferred for this type of system. However, brush or roller application has been reported to provide better adhesion to non-blast cleaned surfaces.
13.3 Methods of cleaning considered better than SSPC-SP6 include SSPC-SP 5 and SSPC-SP 10. In some instances, SSPC-SP 12 and SSPC-SP 11 have been shown to perform comparably with SSPC-SP 6. Pickled surfaces (SSPC-SP 8 ) and surfaces cleaned by water jetting (SSPC-SP 12) may not have a sufficiently high profile or surface roughness to meet
the coating manufacturer’s requirement.
13.4 A hand cleaned surface must be clean, dry, and in sound condition with all oil, grease, loose rust, visible contaminants, peeling paint, and other foreign material removed.
Methods of cleaning considered better than SSPC-SP2 include: SSPC-SP 3, SSPC-SP 5/NACE No. 1, SSPC-SP 6/NACE No. 3, SSPC-SP 7/NACE No. 4, SSPC-SP 8, SSPC-SP 10/NACE No. 2, SSPC-SP 11, SSPC-SP 12 and SSPC SP-14/NACE No. 8. Pickled surfaces (SSPC-SP 8 ) and surfaces cleaned by waterjetting (SSPC-SP 12) may not have a sufficiently high profile or surface roughness to meet the coating manufacturer’s
requirement. SSPC-SP 12/NACE No. 4 will restore the original profile if one exists.
13.5 VOC CONTENT: Each coating, after recommended thinning, must conform to published government regulations regarding volatile organic compound (VOC) content. VOC information should be supplied on the label or the technical data sheet. Various governmental agencies may have different VOC limits or use different methods of testing. The owner may modify this specification as necessary to specify a particular VOC content limit consistent with local regulations. Coatings meeting the composition and performance requirements of this specification usually have a VOC level between 230 and 340 g/L (1.9 and 2.8 lb/gal)
13.6STEELTEST PaNELS: ASTMA36 steel is frequently used; however, the specifier should be aware that ASTM A 36 steel may vary in chemical composition and hardness, which can effect blast profile and corrosion resistance. ASTM A 607 Grade 50 is a more consistent steel substrate for test panels.
13.7 Coatings containing leafing grades of aluminum pigment are not designed to be topcoated. Thus, the primer in a two coating system should be formulated with a nonleafing grade of aluminum pigment. If a coating containing leafing grades of aluminum is expected to be topcoated, tests should be run to evaluate the compatibility of the topcoat. Usually, after two or more years of atmospheric weathering, a coating formulated with a leafing grade of aluminum can be topcoated without difficulty.
13.8 Smaller size blisters are not considered to be as detrimental as larger blisters. Hence, a rating of No. 8 Few would be better than a rating of No. 6 Few.
13.9 For use in warm weather environments, the contracting parties may agree to waive the requirements of Section 8.4.
13.10 QUALITY ASSURANCE TESTS: The quality assurance tests are used to determine whether the supplied products are of the same type and quality as those originally tested and certified for acceptance. The selected tests should accurately and rapidly measure the physical and chemical characteristics of the coating necessary to verify that the supplied material is substantially the same as the previously accepted material.
All of the quality assurance tests must be performed on the originally submitted qualification sample. The results of these tests are used to establish pass/fail criteria for quality assurance testing of supplied products.
13.10.1 Establishing Quality Assurance Acceptance Criteria: Many ASTM test methods contain precision and bias statements. Specification developers should be cognizant of the fact that these statements exist. Quality assurance test criteria should not be more stringent than the interlaboratory precision of the test methods used. For example a common quality assurance test is weight per gallon as measured by ASTM D 1475. The interlaboratory reproducibility at the 95% confidence level tells us that any two measurements that differ by more than 1.8% should be considered suspect. This only represents the precision of the measurement technique and does not account for normal variances in the manufactured product. A reasonable estimate for this batch to batch variance might be 2%. The batch to batch variance and the potential variance attributable to the measurement technique are additive. A paint that was originally accepted with a weight per gallon of 10 pounds would therefore be acceptable within the range 9.62 to 10.38 pounds per gallon (10 + 3.8%).
The acceptable range for paint density must be stated. For example, a composition specification may state this requirement as 10.0 ± 0.2 lb/gal, 10.0 lb/gal ± 2%, or as a range from 9.8 to 10.2 lb/gal. The manufacturer of proprietary products should provide this information. Using these values, if the manufacturer’s lab measures the density to be 9.8 lb/gal, the product meets the specification and the paint is shipped to the job. Because of the lab to lab variation of 1.8%, the user’s lab may measure the density of this sample to be as low as 9.8 less 1.8% of 9.8 (equals 9.6) lb/gal. Similarly for the high end, the manufacturer may measure density of 10.2 lb/gal while the user measures 10.2 plus 1.8% of 10.2 (equals 10.4) lb/gal. The pass/fail criteria for the user to accept a batch of paint should
therefore be 9.6 to 10.4 lb/gal.
Where precision and bias data are not available for a given test method, determine the standard deviation of a minimum of five measurements taken on the originally tested and certified material. The pass/fail criterion is that the measurement of the test sample shall fall within two standard deviations of the target value. The contracting parties must agree on a target value.
13.10.2 Recommended Quality Assurance Tests:
Recommended quality assurance tests include but are not limited to, infrared analysis (ASTM D 2621), viscosity (ASTM D 562), weight per gallon (ASTM D 1475), total solids (ASTM D 2369), dry time (ASTM D 1640), percent pigment (ASTM D 2371), gloss (ASTM D 523), color (ASTM D 1535), condition in container (Fed. Std. 141, Method 3011), and odor (ASTM D 1296).
13.11 The procurement documents should establish the responsibility for samples, testing, and any required affidavit certifying full compliance with the specification.
COATING SYSTEM NO. 26.00 – Aluminum Pigmented Epoxy Coating System Materials Specification, Performance-Based: Type I, for Use over Blast Cleaned Steel / Type II, for Use over Hand Cleaned Steel
