The majority of paints currently used for US Navy ship structures and fire control systems exceed California VOC (Volatile Organic Content) ceiling levels. As a result, paints currently specified cannot be applied in most California locations. This trend is becoming more widespread as other states follow California’s lead. In addition, zinc chromate primers are banned by the us Department of Defense (DOD) due to their suspected carcinogenic nature. Clearly, new paint systems need to be specified which comply with DOD/California VOC regulations and yet perform as well or better than current non-compliant paint systems. Substitute paints with VOC levels significantly below current requirements are most desirable since regulations will become increasingly more stringent(1) . The Naval Ship Weapon System Engineering Station (NSWSES), Port Hueneme has implemented an extensive testing/evaluation program for several commercial VOC-compliant paints and zinc chromate substitutes. Failure modes common to several paint systems have emerged. Solid particles in two paint systems may preclude their use in equipment where transparency to Radio Frequency (RF) Energy is required, such as radomes.

Subject
Wash primer, Primers, Materials, Top coats, Aluminum, Adhesive strength, Polyamides, Mechanical failure, Steel, Zinc, Cracking, Epoxies, Paints
© 1991 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1991
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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