Effects of the surface preparation on the life of epoxy coating in steel ship plates: an experimental study

The durability of coating is considerably affected by the quality of surface preparation. The aim of the present paper is to experimentally examine the effects of the surface preparation on the life of epoxy coating in steel ship plates associated with the surface roughness. A total of three test specimens are considered with varying roughness of the surface on mild steel plates. The test plates have been under submerged seawater condition for eight months in the laboratory. The surface profile of the test plates was examined by the technique of optical microscopy. It is found that the performance of epoxy coating is significantly influenced by the surface roughness of steel plates under submerged seawater conditions. Details of test database are documented.