1.

General Resume of Paints and Ingredients

Paint is a product in liquid or powder form which contains pigments and which is
applied to a substrate to form an opaque film. The film has protective and/or
decorative properties and can also be given special functions as required. Paint is
described as opaque if it hides the substrate completely. Paints are mixtures of many
raw materials, each of which in turn has been manufactured to give certain specific
properties.
The main constituents of paint are binder, pigment, extender (filler), solvent and
additives (auxiliary substances).

Resin(binder) is the most important component of paint. The resin gives the paint
most of its properties such as adhesion to the substrate, resistance to weathering,
water, chemicals, temperature etc. Paint binders may be referred to as convertible
and nonconvertible types.
Convertible paints are materials that are used in an unpolymerized or partially
polymerized state and undergo reaction (polymerization) to form a solid film after
application to the substrate. Nonconvertible paints are based on polymerized binders
dispersed or dissolved in a medium that evaporates after the coating has been applied
to leave a coherent film on the substrate surface.
Convertible binders include oils, oleoresinous varnishes, alkyds, amino resins,
epoxy resins, phenolic resins, polyurethane resins, and thermosetting acrylics.
Nonconvertible resins such as cellulose, nitrocellulose, chlorinated rubber, and
vinyl resins will not be covered in this text, because they are usually used in lowsolid,
high-solvent content coatings that are not compliant for the majority of modern
industrial applications.
Pigments are particulate solids that are dispersed in paints to provide certain
characteristics to them, including color, opacity, durability, mechanical strength, and
corrosion protection for metallic substrates. In order to achieve the desired results,
pigments have to possess certain properties. Pigments may be inorganic andorganic
materials. Organic pigments are used primarily for decorative purposes,while
inorganic materials have traditionally been added for protective properties.
Titanium dioxide is a strong colouring, white pigment with good opaqueness and
is used in white and pale colours. Rust-inhibiting pigments include zinc (cathodic
protection) and zinc phosphate (inhibiting protection). Such pigments are used only
in primers (first coat).
Extenders or fillers such as dolomite, talcum etc. have little or no opaqueness and
are transparent in the binder. They have different forms e.g. balls, needles, fibres etc.
and are used to give a sealed film, the right gloss etc. In antifouling paints, for
example, copper oxide is used as a pigment to prevent fouling of ships’ hulls.
Solvents are added to the paint to adjust the viscosity so the paint can be applied by
brush, roller or spray gun. Different binders require special solvents or solvent
mixtures to be able to dry or cure in such a way that the paint properties are not
damaged.

Additives are a small, but important, part of the paint. Such substances include
antisettling agents (to prevent fouling), thickeners (to prevent sagging / running),
antifoaming agents (to prevent air entrapment), etc.

2. Paint Application

1. Application conditions
Normal Conditions
When applying marine paints, the most important factors to consider are the state of
the surface, the surface temperature and the atmospheric conditions at the time of
painting. When a vessel enters drydock, the hull temperature up to the floating line
will be that of the sea water. Above the floating line, the steel temperature will be
closer to atmospheric.
During the night steel temperatures fall. They rise again during the day but there is
always a lag in movement of steel temperature compared to the atmospheric
condition, so condensation on the steel surface is possible. Condensation will occur
if the steel temperature is below the dew point of the atmosphere. If this is likely to
be a problem, the ship should be totally emptied of ballast water to reduce its thermal
mass as soon as it enters drydock.
Bad weather is a familiar problem to those using marine paints. Relative humidity
itself rarely creates a problem. Most paints will tolerate high humidities, but
humidity should not be permitted to lead to condensation on the surface being
painted. In order to determine whether or not a surface is wet, the steel temperature
should be measured using a surface temperature thermometer and the dew point
calculated after measurement of humidity with a hygrometer. Paint application
should not take place when steel temperature is less than 3ºC above the dew point.
Paint should not be applied when surfaces are affected by rain or ice. Some two-
pack paints, e.g. epoxies, should not be applied at low temperatures as full cure will
not be achieved.
Borderline Conditions
When a vessel enters drydock, conditions may not be entirely suitable for painting,
but nevertheless painting must proceed if the vessel is to undock on schedule.
If the steel temperature is close to the dew point, i.e. within 3ºC, better adhesion can
be achieved by applying paint by brush or roller. This physically disturbs any
moisture on the surface. Application by spray causes the paint film to lie over the
moisture.
Extreme Conditions
Generally extreme conditions refers to temperatures below 5ºC or above 30ºC.
Below 5ºC, the curing of paints such as epoxies slows down dramatically and for
some paints curing stops altogether. Other marine paints are not so severely aflected.
Chlorinated rubbers and vinyl’s are quite suitable for use at temperatures below 0ºC
provided that the surface is clean and free from ice or frost.
At the other extreme 30ºC and above, the drying and curing of paints is rather rapid
and care should be taken to avoid dry spray. This is caused by the too rapid loss of
solvent from paint droplets between the spray nozzle and the surface. It can be
minimised by holding the spray gun at a minimum suitable distance from the surface
and spraying at right angles to the surface to be painted. If problems are still
encountered then additional thinners will help but not more than 5% by volume
should be added.

2. Application methods
The objects in applying paint coatings are to provide films which will give protection
and, normally to a lesser extent, decoration to the structure being painted. The
variables which govern the success of an application are:
(i) Surface preparation.
(ii) Film build and total thickness of system.
(iii) Method of application.
(iv) Atmospheric conditions during application.

2.1.Surface preparation
Before paint can be effective as an anticorrosive, the steel substrate to which it is to
be applied must be clean. Cleanliness is necessary in order that maximum adhesion
of paint to steel is obtained. This can only be successfully achieved when the coating
comes into contact with the steel surface. Contamination of any kind such as rust,
millscale, grease, oil or dust will obviously not allow direct contact. Overcoating
such contaminated surfaces will inevitably lead to poorer adhesion and premature
breakdown of the coating. For successful paint performance therefore, it is essential
to achieve the recommended surface preparation standards.
The following notes describe briefly the various methods for preparing steel prior to
painting:
1. Hand Scraping and Wire Brushing
This method is virtually ineffective, and more often than not, serves only to remove
loose material and gross contamination. It fails to remove compact rust scale which
is often encountered. The large area presented by the outside hull of a vessel does
not allow any method which depends completely on manual effort.
2. Rotary Wire Brushing
This method does have some value, depending upon the condition of the surface.
Loose 'Powdery rust can be removed but hard scale will resist the abrasion of the
wire bristles. When rust scale is intact and adherent to base metal, rotary wire
brushing tends merely to burnish the surface of the rust scale but does not remove it.
The burnished rust scale may have the appearance of a well-cleaned surface which
is often misleading. This method only has some benefit when cleaning highly rusted
surfaces.

3. Mechanical Descaling: Hammers and Pistols

These are normally pneumatic instruments and are effective to some degree in
removing thick rust scale. The action of these types of instalments is dependent upon
a cutting blade or point pounding the surface and breaking away the scale. Cleaning
is only effective at the actual points of contact. The intermediate areas are only
partially cleaned because the brittle scale disintegrates, but the lowermost layer
remains attached to the surface.
Descaling implements can be divided into two main types; those used for breaking
large flat surfaces and consist of a number of broad chisel-like blades which rotate
and strike the surface, and those which are hand operated used for treating small
irregular areas like welds.

4. Discing
For treatment of localised areas of fairly severe corrosion and more widespread light
corrosion, discing is an effective method of preparation producing a surface suitable
to receive most types of paint systems. Normally silicone carbide type discs are used
and the grade selected to suit the conditions of surface to be abraded. The method
has limited application because it is slow when dealing with rust-scaled surfaces and
the degree of cleanliness can vary quite considerably. However, for local repair,
particularly in tanks, the method is often used instead of grit blasting because the
quantity of dust produced is much less than by the latter method.

5. Flame Cleaning
Millscale can be removed by raising the surface temperature of the plate by using an
oxyacetylene flame. The differential expansion between scale and plate causes the
scale to crack away, leaving bright steel. With heavy scale, it may be necessary to
repeat the process and to rotary wire brush between heat treatments. Loose scale and
dust must finally be removed by thorough brushing.
6. Pickling
Chemical cleaning of steel has been practised for many years but has declined in
recent years due to the advent of abrasive blasting. There are numerous methods
available but a typical method consists of removal of rust and millscale by
immersion in hot sulphuric acid containing inhibiting agents followed by thorough
rinsing with hot water and finally immersion in hot phosphoric acid. It is important
that all traces of acid should be removed from the steel surface otherwise blistering
of the paint system may occur on subsequent exposure or immersion.
7. Abrasive Cleaning
This is the most widely used surface preparation method in present day shipbuilding.
New plates are blasted automatically, usually by wheelabrator where steel shot is
impelled against the plate surface by wheels revolving at high speed. The abrasive
within the enclosed unit can be changed to suit the particular paint system. This is a
recirculating system and the apparatus provides for the removal of worn shot and
other debris from the blasting medium. After blasting, the surfaces are cleaned by
vacuum or compressed air blowers and brushes.
2.2.Application method
The normal methods of application of paint coatings are by:
· Brush
· Roller
· Conventional Spray
· Airless Spray
Other methods may also be encountered, such as dipping and pouring, and
more sophisticated adaptations of spraying such as electrostatic, powder coatings
application, and automatic plants.
2.2.1. Brush Application
The oldest method of paint application is not as fast as spraying or rollering and is
generally used for the coating of small complicated or complex areas or where the
need for ‘clean’' working with no overspray precludes the use of spray application.
When painting it is important to dip the brush in paint frequently and not to 'over-
brush' the surface as this will result in large variations in film thickness, the inherent
problem with brush application. Choice of brush, both size, length and type of
bristle, and shape, are important, and the type of paint being applied will modify the
selection. Thus large flat brushes are normally used for the majority of purposes, but
round brushes are better for painting bolt-heads and 'difficult' areas. Special brushes
are available with offset heads and long handles to facilitate painting the 'backs' of
strictures and inaccessible areas.
Brush application is most suited to the slower drying, normal build type of coatings,
and will not always be suitable for more sophisticated 'fast-drying' or 'high-build'
materials. It is often not possible to achieve the required film thickness in the same
number of coats as with spray application, and multi-coat applications are necessary
to give the specified film build.
2.2.2. Roller Application
Roller application is faster than brush on large, flat surfaces, such as tank sides and
tops and walkways and deck areas, but is not so good for 'difficult' areas. It is hard
to control film thickness, however, and care must always be taken that the coating is
not 'over-rolled' in the same manner that it can be 'over-brushed'. Choice of roller
pile - short or long hair, sponge or lambswool - is dependent on type of coating and
roughness and irregularity of surface being coated.
2.2.3. Conventional spray
This is a widely accepted, rapid method of applying paint to large surfaces. The
equipment is relatively simple and is usually confined to fairly low-viscosity paints,
although newer techniques using 'pressure-pot' or 'hot spray' apparatus allow
application of some of the ‘higher build’type coatings. Whatever type of equipment
is used, the mechanism is the same. Paint and air are fed separately to the spray gun
and mixed at the nozzle, where the paint is atomised and air is mixed with these
droplets forming a fine mist of paint which is carried by-the air pressure to the work
surface. The pattern of the 'fan' so produced is controlled by adjusting the air and
fluid pressures, and major changes in paint type can be accommodated by different
sizes of nozzle.
It is important to have only sufficient air to provide good atomisation, as excess air
gives rise to overspray and 'rebound' from the work surface. The gun should be held
at right-angles to the work surface with the nozzle some 15-18cm away. Normal air
pressure is from 2.8 - 5.6 kg/cm2 (0.28 – 0.56 MPa).
2.2.4. Airless spray
By far the most important and efficient method for the application of heavy duty
marine coatings.
As the name implies, it is a technique of spray application which does not rely on
the mixing of the paint with air to provide atomisation, which is achieved by, forcing
the paint through a specially designed nozzle or 'tip' at very high pressures (176-246
kg/cm2 or ca. 17-24 MPa).
The major advantages of airless spray over conventional spray are the reduction of
overspray and the ability to apply high build coatings at higher film thicknesses. This
leads to savings in number of coats and loss of paint, with the added bonus of
reduction of toxicity, and the lessened explosion risk.