CoatingsPro Magazine

NOV 2014

CoatingsPro offers an in-depth look at coatings based on case studies, successful business operation, new products, industry news, and the safe and profitable use of coatings and equipment.

Issue link: http://coatingspromag.epubxp.com/i/409477

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 71 of 92

COATINGSPRO NOVEMBER 2014 71 that aford the direction the contrac- tor can employ to avoid a replay of the same failure event in the future. Of course, this is contingent on our willingness to pay attention and learn. Tis enquiry focuses on the human-de- cision element of the root cause of the failure. In other words: W hy do we expect a successful result from bad decisions that we make? Root of the Problem With a typical coatings project, the contactor is usually provided very clear directions regarding the requirements of the coating installation in order for it to be successful. Tese directions come both from the project specifcation (plenty has been said about the speci- fcation, and I think we all understand its importance) and the manufacturer's literature, including the specifc coating product data sheets. We understand that in order to be successful, we have to follow these directions. Tere is ample material on the technical aspects of faulty coatings installation and why those actions cause coatings to fail prematurely. Most failures fall into identifable and repeated categories. A lthough occasion- ally we do run across the "I've never seen that before" failure, most failures have their roots within the same basic technical issues. Some of the typical ones include: • Environmental conditions (through- out the process) • Surface preparation • Material selection • Material mixing and application • Material curing As you can see, all of those typical activities also include elements of human decision-making through- out the various steps of the appli- cation process. Tose coordinating decisions include, but aren't limited to, the following: • Are the environmental conditions suitable for surface preparation? • Did the surface preparation effort meet the specifications as well as the manufacturers' requirements? • Are the environmental conditions suitable for coatings application? • Are the environmental conditions suitable to effect the curing of the installed coatings? • Have the coatings cured sufficiently for either additional applications or return to service? It's reasonable that making a decision about the questions should be a pretty straightforward process. Te information needed to make good decisions is typically available and substantial. So why don't we make good decisions? Intuitive Vs. Reasoning Psychologists generally believe the human mind has two basic systems for decision-making: intuitive and reason- ing. Te intuitive system is emotional, fast, and automatic. It's the "I'm going with my gut" mentality. Te reason- ing system is emotionally neutral, slow, controlled, and rule-governed. Tis is the mentality where we think " let's stop and think about this for a minute and evaluate the facts before we move forward." I think sometimes the intuitive process may also be gilded in optimism. We seem to be conditioned to " hope for the best" and not neces- sarily "plan for the worst." Tat doesn't help in the coatings world. T he best way to examine the issue may be through a theoretical situation. (OK, it's not really theoret- ical — it really happened — but we're only going to look at a single aspect of the failure for clarity of this discus- sion.) T he exhibited failure mode is extremely straightfor ward and ver y predictable. It is interesting that it continues to rear its ugly head w ithin the industr y, considering that this With a typical coatings project, the contactor is usually provided ver y clear directions regarding the requirements of the coating installation in order for it to be successful. Delamination of a coating on a steel surface could have been avoided if the applicator properly observed the coatings application thickness requirements Continuing Coating Failures

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of CoatingsPro Magazine - NOV 2014