Accelerated ageing of organic coating systems by thermal treatment

Abstract The accelerated laboratory ageing of coated steel by multiple thermal shock has been proposed. Three polyvinyl coated steel panels exposed to natural weathering for different periods (0, 3 and 6 years) were thermally treated from temperatures of 20–65°C. A new epoxy coating for tank protection was treated by multiple thermal shock. Observed changes were interpreted as a protective system degradation and explained on the basis of analysis of stresses within the coating system. It was concluded that the proposed procedure allows to distinguish the performance of different coatings in a shorter time compared to traditional laboratory exposition.