Abstract
No concise direction has been provided relating to the issue of painting over flash rusting. This is mainly due to a shortage of data collected from controlled experiments, either in a laboratory or in the field. The purpose of this paper is to present data collected during a Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) study of flash rusting and its impact on coating system performance. Flash rusting is characterized by chemical make-up, adhesion to the surface, color, and degree of coverage. In this study, flash rusted panels are coated with US Navy approved coating systems and tested in the following situations: marine atmospheric exposure, immersion chamber, condensing humidity chamber, prohesion cabinet, and cathodic disbondment. Coating performance is measured by adhesion to substrate, scribe cutback, and general paint failure. Performance is correlated to the flash rust characteristics of the panels to provide general guidance to the US Navy.