Protective Coatings Lessons Learned – Failures Happen How to Prevent Them Through Selection, Specification and Installation

The diverse and aggressive environmental conditions existing within wastewater systems expose many construction and rehabilitation materials to corrosive elements. In a matter of months, corrosion can deteriorate a previously sound concrete structure resulting in infiltration, partial and full structural failure. Although coatings have been used for decades for corrosion protection, every applied coating has experienced failure, regardless of the type of coating, application process, or the surface coated. It is critical, then, to know how to identify failures, how to repair them, and steps that can be taken to identify potential failures and thus prevent their occurrence. The causes of these failures include improper product selection, installation practices, in service conditions, and external influences such as poor connections or damage to the coated structure. The goal of this ten year evaluation was to identify an effective program for the evaluation of potential materials; analyze failures with these materials; and set installation and maintenance guidelines to achieve long-term performance expectations.