Comparing Equality Through Performance Data - Hocus, Pocus or Just Misunderstood

Kevin MorrisMarket Director, Water and Wastewater

Comparing Equality Through Performance Data -

Hocus, Pocus or Just Misunderstood

• Provide insight into the function of ASTM tests for coatings

• Discuss the use of ASTM test results for comparing equality

• Discuss the role of marketing with regards to performance testing

• Introduce options

Overview

• Not intended to provide numerical comparison

• Provide reasonable, reproducible, determinations

• Numerical comparison should only be made when testing identical systems, at the same time, in the same lab, by the same technician.

• No Pass/Fail Criteria Provided

ASTM Tests

• Scope• Summary of Test Method /

Practice• Significance and Use• Apparatus• Test Specimens• Conditioning• Procedure

Section Titles of Interest

• Calculation• Report• Precision and Bias

Section Titles of Interest

• Calculated by the ASTM Interlaboratory Study Group (ILS)

• Repeatability- maximum difference between measurements within lab

• Reproducibility- maximum difference between measurements between labs

• Repeatability or Reproducibility = 2.8 X standard deviation

• Can be in raw units or raw units/average to provide a percentage

• Percentage term referred to as variance • Calculations assumes a 95% confidence

Precision Terms

• “Abrasion Resistance”– Section 14 – Precision and Bias• 1000 cycles

– Within Laboratory – 26% Variance – Between Laboratories – 53% Variance– Dependent on Coating Type

» 5 generic coating types listed

ASTM D 4060-10

• “Adhesion”– Section 1.1 – Scope

• “This test method maximizes tensile stress as compared to the shear stress applied by other methods, such as scratch or knife adhesion, and results may not be comparable.”

– Section 4.2 – Significance and Use• “Variations in results obtained using

different devices or different substrates with the same coating are possible.”

ASTM D 4541

• “Adhesion”– Section 5 – Apparatus

• General Knowledge of how the tester operates

– Section 6.2 & 6.7 – Test Preparation• “Since rigidity of the substrate affects

pull-off strength results…..”• “Scoring around the fixture violates the

fundamental in-situ test criteria that an unaltered coating be tested.”

ASTM D 4541

• “Adhesion”– Section 10 – Precision and Bias• General Knowledge

– Table 6 – Precision and Bias• Maximum acceptable variance

ranges from 18% - 76% depending on variables such as:– Type of tester– Intra-laboratory Vs. Inter-Laboratory

ASTM D 4541

• “Salt Fog”– Section 3 – Significance and Use

• 3.2 “ Prediction of performance in natural environments has seldom been correlated with salt spray results when used as standalone data.”

– Section 7.1.1 – Position of Specimens During Exposure• The test provides a range of angle to

the vertical of 15 to 30 degree.

ASTM B 117

• “Salt Fog”– Section X3.8 – Precision and Bias

– Steel Panel Test• Data exists for bare steel panels only

– Reference Article – “Don’t Pass the Salt”• Proves that as long as 16 years ago

the industry was promoting the issues with salt fog testing for coating durability.

ASTM B 117

• “Corrosion Weathering”– Section 3 – Summary of Practice

• General knowledge of test

– Section 4.1 – Significance and Use• “The outdoor corrosion of painted

metals is influenced by many factors, including: corrosive atmospheres, rain, condensed dew, UV light, wet/dry cycling, and temperature cycling. These factors frequently have a synergistic effect on one another.”

ASTM D5894

• “Corrosion Weathering”– Section 4.1 Con’t – Significance and Use

• “This practice is intended to provide a more realistic simulation of the interaction of these factors than is found in traditional tests with continuous exposure to a static set of corrosive conditions.”

– Section 4.2 – Significance and Use• “Results obtained from this practice can

be used to compare the relative durability of materials….”

ASTM D5894

• “Corrosion Weathering”– Section 4.3 – Significance and Use

• “No single exposure test can be specified as a complete simulation of actual use conditions in outdoor environments.”

– Section 4.5 – Significance and Use• “This practice is used to compare the

relative performance of materials tested at the same time in the same exposure device.”

ASTM D5894

• “Corrosion Weathering”– Section 4.6 – Significance and Use

• “This practice has been found useful for air-dry industrial maintenance paints on steel but its applicability has not yet been assessed for galvanized substrates.”

– Section 7.4 – Significance and Use• “Methods that may be useful for

evaluating the corrosion of the specimen are Test Methods D 610, D 714, and D1654…..”

ASTM D5894

• “Corrosion Weathering”– Section 10 – Precision and Bias• “A cooperative test program is

underway ….”

ASTM D5894

• “Impact Resistance”– Section 1.2 – Scope

• “This test method should be restricted to testing in only one laboratory when numerical values are used because of poor reproducibility of the method.”

– Section 5.1 – Significance• “….this test method for impact

resistance has been found to be useful in predicting the performance of organic coatings for their ability to resist cracking caused by impacts.”

ASTM D2794

• “Impact Resistance”– Section 12 – Precision and Bias• The acceptable variance of this test

method ranges from 28% - 280% depending on the following:– Intrusion or Extrusion (Direction of

impact)– Inter-laboratory or Intra-laboratory

ASTM D2794

• “Flexibility”– Section 1.1 – Scope• General information

– Section 5.1.1 & 5.1.2– Test Specimen• These dictate the specimen type,

thickness and size depending on the purpose for utilizing this test.– Percentage of elongation– Resistance to cracking

ASTM D522

• “Flexibility”– Section 11 – Precision and Bias• Only for elongation • The acceptable variance for this

test method is:– 6% elongation, Intra-Laboratory– 15% elongation, Inter-Laboratory

ASTM D522

• “Pencil Hardness”– Section 1.1 – Scope• General Information

– Section 3.1 – Summary of Test Method• Two results can be obtained from

this test method:– Pencil Hardness– Scratch Hardness

ASTM D3363

• “Pencil Hardness”– Section 4 – Significance and Use• General Information• “It should be recognized that the

results obtained may vary between laboratories when different pencils as well as panels are used.”

– Section 5 – Apparatus• Scale of hardness

– Softest = 6B– Hardest = 6H

ASTM D3363

• “Pencil Hardness”– Section 7 – Procedure• General Information

– Section 9 – Precision and Bias• The acceptable variance of this test

method is:– Intra-Laboratory = 1 Hardness Unit– Inter-Laboratory = 1 Hardness Unit

ASTM D3363

• “Immersion”– Section 1.1 – Scope

• General Information

– Section 3 – Summary of Practice• General Information

– Section 4.2 – Significance and Use• “A coating system is considered to

pass if there is no evidence of water-related failure after a specified period of time.”

ASTM D870

• “Immersion”– Section 7.6 – Procedure

• “Wipe test specimen dry. Rate specimens for change in color, blistering, etc. Evaluate specimens no less than 5 min and no more than 10 min after removal from test, ….”

– Section 7.6.1 – Procedure• “If possible, rate specimens again after

they have been removed from the test for a recovery period …12 to 24 h is generally sufficient.”

ASTM D870

• “Moisture Condensation Resistance”– Section 1.1 – Scope


– Section 3 – Summary of Practice• 3.3 “Testing may be conducted at

temperatures from 100 to 180 F.”

– Section 5.3 – Apparatus• “Specimens shall be inclined from 15

to 75 degrees from the horizontal ….”

ASTM D4585

• “Moisture Condensation Resistance”– Section 7.3 – Procedure

• “Vapor temperatures of 100, 120, or 140 F are suggested. Other temperatures may be used provided that the temperature is reported …. To ensure adequate condensation, maintain at least 20 F temperature differential between the room and the vapor.”

ASTM D4585

• “Thermal Cycling”– Section 1.1 – Scope

• General information

– Section 3.1 – Summary of Methods• General Information

– Section 11 – Precision and Bias• “The numerical precision of this

method is good; however, performance requirements shall be specified in terms of comparison ….”

ASTM D6694

• “UV Resistance”– Section 1.1 – Scope


– Table 1 – Test Cycles Commonly Used• Typical Uses

– Cycle #1 - Automotive Coatings– Cycle #2 - Industrial Maintenance

Coatings– Cycle #3 - Exterior Wood Coatings– Cycle #4 - General Metal Coatings

ASTM D4587

• “UV Resistance”– Section 4 – Significance and Use

• “Variation in results may be expected when different operating conditions are used. Therefore, no reference to the use of this practice shall be made unless accompanied by a report …. That describes the specific operating conditions used.”

– Section 8.3 – Procedure• Describes the requirements for

repositioning

ASTM D4587

• “UV Resistance”– Section 9.4.2 – Periods of Exposure

and Evaluation of Results • “If a standard or specification for use

between two or three parties requires a defined property level after a specific time or radiant exposure in an exposure test conducted according to this practice, base the specified property level on at least two independent experiments run in each laboratory to determine the reproducibility….”

ASTM D4587

• “UV Resistance”– Section 11 – Precision and Bias • “The repeatability and

reproducibility of results obtained in exposures conducted according to this practice will vary with the materials being tested, the material property being measured, and the specific test conditions and cycles that are used.”

ASTM D4587

• “Compressive Strength”– Section 1.1 & 1.2 – Scope• General Information

– Section 4.2 – Significance and Use• General Information

– Section 13 – Precision and Bias• Inter-Laboratory variance = 875 –

3045 psi

ASTM D695

• “EMMAQUA” or “Q-trac”– Section 1 – Scope

• General Information• Procedure C – Fresnel Reflector Rack

Exposure

– Section 4.1.2 & 4.3.2 – Summary of Practice• 4.1.2 – describes the reflector rack • 4.3.2 “Procedure C is designed to

simulate weathering on both automotive and nonautomotive products.”

ASTM D4141

• “EMMAQUA” or “Q-trac”– Section 5 – Significance and Use • 5.1 “As with any accelerated test,

the difference in rate of weathering is material dependent and no single exposure factor can be used to compare two different weathering exposures.• Typically measured in MJ/m2 of

ultraviolet radiant exposure.

ASTM D4141

• There can be a correlation between results obtained on a single product with certain test methods. Most of these connections are fairly common sense, when a minor understanding of the test method is obtained.

• Some are much more difficult to understand the correlation if a correlation exists at all.

Correlation Between Tests

Rank Order Correlation of Accelerate Exposure vs. Exterior

Cleveland Society for Coatings Technology, JCT, 1993





• “For business to business marketing it is creating value, solutions, and relationships either short term or long term with a company or brand. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments.”

*Source - Wikipedia

Marketing

• Perceived competitive advantages may drive the sales techniques of one company over another.

• Communicating value based on incomplete stories may provide one with a false sense of security.

• Business development or product development may no longer provide the best value to the end user but may generate greater margins based on perceived value.

Marketing Performance Results

• There are no hard and fast rules but one should consider the following:– Decisions about product selection

should be grounded in reality and proven with verifiable case histories.

– Look to standards that utilize a variety of industry standards to provide pass/fail criteria.

– Utilize organizations that develop standards through industry roundtables, like SSPC.

Avoiding the Hocus, Pocus

• Paint 20- Zinc Rich Primers OZ (Type II): 1000 hours SF, No Rusting, No Blisters,

No Undercutting at the scribe IOZ (Type I): 3000 hours SF, No Rusting, No Blisters,

No Undercutting at the scribeNote: Coatings that fail salt fog may perform well under actual service

conditions. Coatings that pass salt fog may perform poorly under actual service conditions.

• Paint 22- Epoxy Polyamide Paints Adhesion: 3 Trials = Average of 400 psi minimum Salt Fog: 500 hours, Minimum rust grade rating of “8”,

Blistering shall be no more than blister size No. 4, few.

SPPC Paint Performance Examples

• Paint 36- 2K Weatherable Aliphatic Polyurethane Topcoat

Level 1QUV Accelerated Weathering, 500 hoursSouth Florida Exposure, 12 months



Minimum Performance Criteria Gloss Loss = <30 units; Color Change <2.0 Δ E, C.I.E.

L*A*B*

SPPC Paint Performance Examples

• Utilization of the needs of the project will ensure the best value to the owner and will continue to support a competitive bid environment.

• While ASTM test results state what, when, and how; they do not govern what a manufacturer publishes as a result.

• Marketing practices play very heavily into the positioning of physical performance test results to provide a competitive advantage.

Summary

• JPCL May 2010 – “The Dark Side of Misreading the Relevance of Coating Testing”

• JPCL March 1997 – “Don’t Pass the Salt (FOG)”

Reference Documents

Kevin MorrisMarket Director, Water and Wastewater

103 Nutwood DriveJamestown, NC 27282

Office: +1-336-454-4741Cell: +1-336-307-5048

Email: [email protected]

Questions?