SPECIFIED COATING CONDITIONS

A manufacturers product data sheet will indicate under which ambient conditions a paint/coating
can or cannot be applied. The clients specification may sometimes be a little stricter. However,
in all cases, it is the specification which takes precedence, (it is common practice nowadays to
include a phrase such as "when these conditions do not prevail" or similar, to allow coating to
continue using special products).

A typical specification used to be: -

"It is not permissible to apply paints

1. During rain, snow, or high winds". This clause would be sensible even in modem
specifications.
2. When the air or metal temperature is down to within 3°Cabove the dew point temperature".
Still common in specification now, but can be overridden by giving alternate systems.
3. When the air or metal temperature is below 5°C". Solvent evaporates very slowly at low
temperatures and chemical cure rates used to be static.
4. When the relative humidity is more than 90%". Still a very common restraint, and}
sometimes the benchmark for using moisture curing polyurethane's. \,-./$ ~ 0- C' ,
. ()~~fs iJ oJ
I

From the above, two very important phrases arise, Relative Humidity and Dew Point.
.- ~---
//
''''"

.~elative Humid~
, ,f' "\ (
~. ~
Defined as being ~~e 81!!2.un.tpf~~~~"-yap'Q!!! in-~~~-!~!.-e~P!~sed.-Jl~, f!,P~!c.~,!!tageof the-
\
amount of water vapourwhich could be in the air at that same temperature'~.j 100% humidity,
""
, '-satUration;isineiisured'asbeingtaken\vithili-lif'ofihe surface of a fast flowing river.
\
\
\
.-:- --"--",
. " '",
Dew Point
- 1" " I/'
/' /
,This is the temperature at which ~~L yapourjDthe_a!r_~.i!l~onde~~~/ Condensation cannot
occur unless the relative humidity is 100%. Recalling that every ll~ drop in temperature results
in the airs capacity to hold water halving, even the smallest drop in temperature results in water
being released from the air, in the form of condensation. So at 100% humidity the air
temperature and dew point temperature, and wet bulb temperature on the whirling hygrometer
are all the same value.

Painting Inspection Grade 3/2. Rev 1 April 2004

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 The Whirling Hygrometer, Aspirated Hygrometer or Psychrometer

Commonly called the whirling hygrometer, this piece of equipment is widely used by coating
inspectors to determine wet and dry bulb temperature readings, trom which, using calculators or
hygrometric tables, relative humidities and dew points can be calculated.

Two thermometers are mounted in a plastic trame, fitted with a handle so that the trame can be
rotated through the air. One of the thermometers is fitted with a wick around the bulb. The
wick passes through a hole in the end of the trame and into a small container with a screw lid,
into which is put-distilled water or clean rainwater i.e. de-ionised water. The water is drawn by
capillary action allarong t11ewick out the area enveloping the thermometer bulb. This is
referred to as the wet bulb and the second thermometer is the dry bulb.

The frame with the thermometers mounted should be rotated quickly about a horizontal axis.
(The as 2482 states in &ont of and to windward of the operator) s9/that the bulbs pass through
~;,th..earr-an-n17sec.Iflhere is a winO-me opetaforshoutdface-intot1ie wind, if no wind then walk
slowly into aclean"'-aircurrent.

.J~e frame sh~IQ~ted for 30 - 40 seconds, or as otherwise specified, as fast as possible (to
meet requirement as above) and then read the vafues on the thermometer,,~ay.tJ the we~J?ul~-,
first, immediately on ceasing rotation. The water on the wet bulb uses heat energy from the air
'to-Change into water vapout;-sot~ wd bulb will give a lower temperature reading than the dry
bulb. When rotation stops, the aspiration rate slows and so the wet bulb temperature will slowly
start to rise towards that of the dry bulb.

This operation should be repeated as many times as is necessary until the following criteria is
should be within 0.2°C,wet ~!-:db~()
met. Q~~~ ~Q~.:"~cutiY~.~'p!g,~..th~"r~~~ngs . wet bulb
,..' and dry
," ,.,..,...,,' .."
..~~~b to dry bulb._'~
----

The wet bulb and dry bulb temperatures recorded can then be used to determine the RH and DP
from scales or tables.

. Thi~ oeeration _shs>uldbe carried out as near as possible to where the work is being don~~"..Big
difference' intemperature CaflOCCUf ffom N side'tO'S side' of a tank'or down a trench'and topside.

Steel temperature measurement

The air temperature (ambient) is the temperature recorded from the dry bulb thermometer. To
measure the steel substrate temperature a magnetic gauge, known commonly as a limpet gauge
is used, or a digital thermometer, thermocouple, sometimes called a touch pyrometer.

Painting Inspection Grade 3/2. Rev I April 2004 TWI

rTTJ.
WORLD CENTRE FOR
MATERIALS JO[};ING
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Copyright @ 2003, TWI Ltd
~
1'2.''2-
~.. 7I TECHNOLOGY