Introduction

The fact that the first edition of Fitz’s Atlas achieved such success shows that it satisfied a long standing need in the coatings industry. Since its first publication in 1996 many additional photographs of coating defects have been acquired by the author from his own work in the industry and from paint companies and individuals worldwide. Additional photographs have been added to most of the sections and some photographs have been replaced with others, which in the authors’ opinion, better illustrate the coating defects or surface conditions. As microscopy is used to examine paint flakes to assist in establishing the cause and mechanism of failure, a section with photomicrographs has been added.

The aim of the second edition of the Atlas has not changed from that of the first but has been greatly enhanced to further illustrate the range of coating and surface defects likely to be encountered and to provide advice on probable causes, prevention and repair. It is however not intended to be a “do it yourself manual” for failure analysis. This Atlas will not make the user an “Instant Expert” on coating failures. Many coating failures need further evaluation and analyses to be carried out by a qualified Chemist or Coating Specialist often using specialised laboratory equipment.

With any coating failure, a process of fact finding and elimination should be considered as the first course of action. This should take into account the type of failure, the environmental conditions, any unusual or unexpected variations from normal operating conditions, a review of the records of the surface preparation and application conditions to ensure they were within the accepted range for the coating system applied. The information to be obtained will depend on the type of failure and whether it occurred shortly after application of the coating system or much later in the life of the coating.

The first section of this Atlas is the table of contents and the second section includes a number of welding faults which may be encountered and which need to be addressed or corrected before application of any coating system. This is followed by a section on pre-surface conditions where new and additional photographs have been added.

Section four is the main pictorial reference of coating defects and includes a description of each defect, its probable causes, prevention and repair. It

consists of 93 categories (35 new) and a total of 237 photographs compared with 104 in the first edition.

Section five is new and contains 39 photomicrographs in 20 categories to demonstrate the use of microscopy in assisting the identification of coating failures.

Section six, to which new photographs have been added, illustrates various types of animal and plant marine fouling including classifications and descriptions.

An appendix provides details of breakdown scales which will be useful to users in assessing the degree of breakdown and the potential areas in need of repair. It also includes a quick reference guide to the characteristics of certain types of paint and paint compatibility and a section on calculations and formulae.

Each of these sections have been compiled by coating specialists who understand paint coatings, their application and their modes of failure and as such will provide a useful pictorial reference to all who use and encounter paint coatings, their defects and failures. We would welcome any other suggestions for future modules and any constructive criticisms of the present volume. All photographs and information contained within this document are intended for guidance. Where standards are referred to, these should be taken as the authoritative documents on the relevant subject matter.

No responsibility can be taken for any problems which may arise as a result of the use of any information contained within this document.