12th January 2020
A recent approval for glassflake in a polyurethane coating has lead to the material now being applied on the deck areas of gas platform. The platform will be located in Malaysia, in a humid South East Asia environment. The main purpose of using glassflake in the coating is to provide abrasion resistance in high footfall traffic areas. The glassflake also provides additional protection against corrosion.
Glassflake provides abrasion resistance in coatings, due to its Mohs hardness of 5.5 – high for a mineral additive. The glassflake used for this project has a low diameter. This allows for more uniform packing of the flake within the film. This uniformity provides consistent surface reinforcement against abrasion and wear. The natural leafing behaviour of glassflake provides a good concentration of flake towards the film surface, promoting reinforcement.
The composition of the glassflake in this project was selected as ECR-glassflake. This chemical resistance glass formulation was chosen, given the damaging chemicals used on gas extraction platforms. This glass formulation is modified C-type glass, with the composition defined during the manufacturing process from the raw metal oxide components. The ECR-glassflake also has a high inherent strength, again contributing to the durability of the coating in high traffic areas.
