Objective
The research project will develop a new generation of polymer resins and dispersions to produce non-solvent paints for protective coatings used to maintain electricity utility steel tower transmission and distribution systems, and other outdoor steel structures. They will be water based systems and will need to provide a significant improvement in performance standards compared with first generation emulsions which are unsuitable for electricity utility maintenance programmes. Solvent based systems are presently used which are a major source of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions to the environment and will have to be phased out under impending EC environmental legislation.
The work will require performance specifications to be developed by two of the partners for meeting the maintenance standards of electricity utilities with two member Countries, typical
of the whole of the Community. Simultaneously, the resins
and paint manufacturing partners will develop improved chemistry of water based resins that do not suffer from the disadvantages of the first generation emulsifiers and polymer dispersions. Three different systems will be addressed, (i) alkyd resin emulsion, (ii) acrylic polymer dispersion, (iii) two-pack systems based on epoxy resins. Paint formulations will be produced from the new resins, sample tested and modified as necessary to meet the
performance criteria of the electricity utilities. Prototype paints will be made available for controlled field testing by the utilities to represent the extremes of European climatic conditions.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
CHESTER
United Kingdom