
CORROSION CONTROL 137
Figure 6.33 Low - build nonadhesive wrap coming loose from
above - ground pipeline. Photo courtesy of S. Munoz, Corrosion
y Proteccion, Cuernavaca, Mexico .
Greases and Waxes These materials are hydrophobic
and are often used for temporary coatings to limit cor-
rosion. Waxes are often incorporated into wraps to
enhance their ability to limit moisture migration.
Coatings Failures
All coatings will eventually fail. The reason for the fol-
lowing discussions is to provide some insight into why
these failures occur. If they are the inevitable result of
aging, then the coating system selection, surface prepa-
ration, and application were suitable for the intended
service. If premature problems develop, understanding
why these problems occurred will help coatings profes-
sionals decide how to prevent them in the future. This
understanding may also provide useful information jus-
tifying more expensive surface preparation or inspec-
tion procedures. Surface preparation is usually the most
expensive and most important part of any coating appli-
cation, and corrosion professionals must frequently
justify more expensive procedures to management.
Reasons for coating failures, in their approximate
order of importance, are:
12
•
Poor surface preparation and cleanliness
•
Poor coating application
•
Poor or inadequate inspection
•
Poor specifi cations (both construction and coating)
•
Poor component design
•
Murphy ’ s Law
Remember, most coating systems will work for their
intended environment and most coatings failures are
due to inappropriate surface preparation or application
procedures or conditions.
47,48
Normal Aging Failures Normal protective coating
aging failures may show the following phenonmena:
•
Blistering
•
Checking, alligatoring, or cracking
•
Chalking and discoloration
•
Lifting or undercutting of the paint fi lm
Figure 6.34 shows a marine piling with typical aging
of the protective coating. Several degradation processes
are apparent.
Coatings inspectors are trained to evaluate coatings
degradation in accordance with established interna-
tional standards. Figure 6.35 shows one of many fi gures
from ASTM D 610, one of the standards used to rate
corrosion underneath protective coatings.
49
Blisters may be a normal result of aging coating
systems or they may be early indicators of improper
coating application.
All paint fi lms are permeable to moisture to some
extent. Blistering occurs when the moisture at the fi lm -
to - substrate interface builds up to the extent that pres-
sure is exerted and the coating – substrate interface
debonds. Water will always migrate through the paint
fi lm driven by osmosis, and when the osmotic pressure
within the blister balances the coating adhesion around
the blister circumference, the blister will cease to grow.
Some blisters are associated with areas of corrosion,
which may start at coating holidays, whether these are
from the original coating process or due to mechanical
damage after the coating has set and aged. Most blisters
will show minimal corrosion beneath the blister due to
the high pH of the water that collects in the resulting
cavity. They should not be broken unnecessarily, because
this will remove the protective paint fi lm and allow
more aggressive fl uids to attack the underlying sub-
strate. When blisters occur late in the lifetime of a
coating, they are indications of imminent coating failure.
Figure 6.36 shows blisters on the below - ground
section of a pipeline vent riser. One of the blisters has
been broken to show the uncorroded steel underneath.
If the soil had remained undisturbed by a construction
project, the coating would have continued to provide
corrosion protection for many more years.
Figure 6.37 shows blisters forming near a scratch on
the exterior of a buried pipeline coating. Most of the
coating is undamaged, but blisters are forming parallel
to the scratch, and the coating would eventually debond
and fail. The black spots in the blistered area are where
the blisters have been broken to reveal discolored but
otherwise uncorroded steel.
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