September 17, 2019

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – SSPC: The Society for Protective Coatings announced today the release of updates to five (5) technical documents relating to standards. At its February 2019 meeting, the SSPC Standards Review Committee suggested releasing new and revised standards on a quarterly basis. The grouping addressed here are part of the September 2019 release. Any standards approved by the SSPC Board of Governors following this release will be released in December 2019.

Details of each documents listed below can be found further down the page. SSPC members can download these standards for free using the Standards Download Tool by visiting sspc.org/standards/ and logging into their SSPC account.  Non-members can purchase the standards via the SSPC Marketplace.

• SSPC-TU 8, Safe Use and Handling of Isocyanate-Containing Polyurethane and Polyurea Coatings for Industrial Maintenance Applications
• SSPC-SP 17, Thorough Abrasive Blast Cleaning of Non-Ferrous Metals
• SSPC-Guide 25, Guide for Use and Selection of Powder Coating Systems for Protective Purposes
• SSPC-Guide 26, Concrete Floor Coating Selection Guide
• SSPC-Guide 27, Recommended Performance Properties for Liquid-Applied Organic Polymeric Coatings and Linings for Concrete Structures in Municipal Wastewater Facilities (formerly SSPC-Paint 44 of the same title)

Description of contents and/or technical revisions:

SSPC-TU 8: Prepared by the C.5.1 Worker Safety committee chaired by Ahren Olson (Covestro LLC), this technology update was originally developed in 2001. Its intent was, and still is, to educate specifiers and workers about how to identify isocyanate content from safety data sheets, how to monitor worker exposure, safe handling practices and proper use of personal protective equipment when applying coatings containing isocyanates, evaluation of public health risks, and waste management. This revision contains updated references and a considerable rework and updating of the information in the Worker Exposure discussion section.

The standard provides minimum requirements for 1) surface preparation prior to application of the thermal spray coating, 2) application of the thermal spray coating, and 3) when specified, application of a sealer or of a sealer and topcoat.   It also includes non-mandatory appendices describing several procedures that can be used in the field to verify proper coating thickness and adhesion.

SSPC-SP 17: Prepared by the C.2.20 Thorough Abrasive Blast Cleaning of Non-Ferrous Metals committee chaired by Pete Ault (Elzly Technologies), SP 17 contains requirements for a defined degree of cleaning of non-ferrous metals  prepared using abrasive blast cleaning which must be verified prior to the application of a protective coating or lining system. All visible coatings, oxides, corrosion products, and foreign matter must be removed. As with the blast cleaning standards for steel, the standard includes some process and material requirements for dry blast cleaning, including abrasive selection, and procedures required prior to and after the dry blast cleaning process itself. Due to the natural appearance variations of different types of metals after cleaning, SP 17 also requires preparation and acceptance of a Job Reference Standard (JRS) prior to the startup of full scale production work as a way to ensure the contracting parties are in agreement about the appearance of the substrate following cleaning.

Requirements for preparation of steel substrates with non-ferrous metallic coatings such as galvanizing or metallized coatings are not addressed in this standard.

This standard is intended for use by coating or lining specifiers, applicators, inspectors, or others who may be responsible for defining or achieving a standard degree of surface cleanliness on non-ferrous metals.

SSPC-SP 17 is needed to fill an information, process, and/or requirements gap with respect to the thorough cleaning of non-ferrous metals. By filling this gap, an improved non-ferrous finishing process and ultimately improved materials performance in the field is expected.

SSPC-Guide 25: Prepared by the C.1.7 Powder Coatings committee chaired by Keivan Hassan (Kleinfelder Engineering), this guide provides general information to assist facility owners and specifiers who select or specify powder coating systems to protect steel substrates from corrosion. It includes information about generic types of coating powders (pre application) and powder coatings (applied coatings), surface preparation and application techniques, and coating system durability and performance.

SSPC-Guide 26: Prepared by the C.7.9 Selection of Concrete Floor Coatings committee chaired by Thomas J. Murphy (VP Marketing, LLC), this guide provides specifiers, owners, and installers with descriptions of generic floor coating systems for specific service environments, including the basic benefits and limitations of the most widely used polymer chemistries incorporated into these systems. Flooring system selection is dictated by several factors, including existing substrate conditions, performance requirements, installation restrictions, and aesthetics, as well as budget. Criteria to assist in evaluating the various systems are included.

The guide consolidates selection criteria from several existing guides into one document, and is intended as a reference for specifiers of concrete floor coating systems.

SSPC-Guide 27: Prepared by the C.1.13 Coatings for Concrete in Wastewater Facilities chaired by Bob Murphy (Sherwin-Williams), this revision converted the former prescriptive standard Paint 44 into a guidance document, changing requirements into recommendations.

• New definitions have been added. The definition of “Light Service” has been removed, as light service is no longer addressed in the Guide. The definition of “Severe Service” has not been changed.
• Secondary Containment has been removed from the scope of the Guide
• New Section 4 Locations of Damage Mechanisms has been added. This section describes mechanisms of attack, including the effects of rebar corrosion on surrounding concrete.
• Clarification has been added to Table 1 that it contains recommendations for laboratory performance testing
  • Two new columns have been added, the first describing the applicable damage mechanism/s for areas within a treatment plant, the second listing recommended performance requirements for ASTM G210-13 testing.
  • Columns containing requirements for Linear Shrinkage per ASTM C531 and Absorption per ASTM C413 have been removed.
• A new Table 2 has been added, including recommendations for field performance properties, as evaluated by resistance to specific damage mechanisms. Benchmarks for evaluation include adhesion per ASTM D7234, film discontinuity testing per ASTM D4787, and solvent rub testing for coating cure per ASTM D5402, unless the coating is not affected by solvent due to its chemical composition. Notes to the table include recommendations on frequency of adhesion testing and a recommendation for only performing ASTM D4787 on thick-film coatings applied over fillers or surfacing material applied to the prepared concrete substrate.

This guide provides recommendations for performance testing and evaluation criteria for concrete coatings intended for defined service environments within municipal wastewater treatment facilities. It can be used by coating specifiers evaluating coating performance properties prior to developing a project specification, as well as by coating manufacturers performing in-house laboratory testing of their products.