Category: Preservation

Wire Rope

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Wire Rope Coatings:
It’s complicated… – until it isn’t.

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The Wire Rope Corrosion Mitigation Challenges.

A close up look at a wire rope configuration can reveal coating challenges.

  1. Wire rope’s are made woven strands of galvanized (in most cases) steel wire .
  2. A bundle of wire rope strands have voids between them which film form coatings cannot fill.
  3. When the wire ropes twists, the coating must follow.
  • Hard film formers leave micro-voids between paint and substrate.
  • Hard film formers crack when the cable twists, etc.
  • All fill formers are moisture vapor permeable. Moisture is a bad thing with benign film formers because the coating can trap it within the strand.
  • Suspender cables are arched, suspension cables and hanger cables are vertical, therefore, any humidity inside the bundle will migrate downward to gather at the lowest point (socket, anchor, lowest point).
  • Pin connectors, spacers, shackles and anchors are all vulnerable to the development of crevice corrosion.

Characteristics of a Sound Wire Rope Corrosion Mitigation Solution.

  1. Ability to fill microvoids with a chemically active corrosion inhibitor.
  2. Ability to stay active and move within the strand.
  3. Ability to displace moisture away from the steel AND neutralize any corrosive acids present.
  4. Ability to protect the wire rope from the elements.

HRCSA – Chemically Active Coatings.

  1. Bonds through polar
  2. Fills the voids between strands.
  3. Internal HRCSA treatment: Stays chemically active and if applied using pressure (conformant to specifications), will fill all voids, remain active, and thoroughly wet out all strands during loading and unloading
  4. Internal HRCSA treatments are field proven to provide a 25-30 year service life.
  5. Exterior HRCSA treatment: Is elastomeric and stays flexible, is purposely designed to chemically meld with internal HRCSA treatment, adding yet another layer of chemically active acid neutralizing chemistry.
  6. Mid-level HRCSA treatment: (formed when the internal and external chemistry combine), provide an additional layer of protection and enhanced chemically active (slow curing) protection.

HRCSA internal Treatment Methods

HRCSA Internal Treatment Pressure Applicator

HRCSA External Treatment Application

Single Component HRCSA topcoat for wire rope being applied by paint mitt.

Wire Rope Surface Preparation

SAMSUNG DIGITAL CAMERA

Wire Rope High Pressure Water Cleaner.

Or mechanically using 3M Buff Pad, Right Angle Sander

Mitigating Salts

If high pressure water cleaning, include a salt remover additive in your mix and be sure to use a cleaner that includes pressurized air to clear water from between the strands.

If sanding out corrosion hotspots, always wipe your wire rope with solvent soaked rag before overcoating with HRCSA topcoat.

Do you have a project? Schedule a meeting.

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Mitigating Crevice Corrosion and Pack Rust

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There are no words to describe how seeing this a year after abrasive blasting and applying 3 coats makes the owner feel… <disappointed>, <resigned>, <frustrated>, <deceived>

HRCSA: Preserving Steel

When dealing with aged, in-place, corroded structures, traditional film-form coatings do not have the right chemistry needed to stop pack-rust growth.

When bearings freeze due to corrosion, pressure is introduced to the bridge superstructure.

When corrosion build between plates expands and out of plane bending occurs, the integrity of the structure is put at risk, the rating is affected, and fasteners are weakened.

Structure Critical Corrosion Can Shave Years of Service Life off Your Structure.

For years it was believed that “There is nothing you could do about rust bleed leaking from connections.” until as recently as 30 years ago when HRCSA formulations were created specifically to chemically step active corrosion inside connections. Although the HRCSA Self-priming topcoat is applied stand-alone on exposed steel substrate, there is one specific area where it it is provided a boost: inside pack-rusted joints and connections and other steel openings.

Four Simple Steps for Extending the Service Life of Your Steel Assets.

Step 1: High pressure water clean with salt remover to produce a clean, tightly adhered substrate and flushed joints and connections.

Step 2: Apply high pressure air to remove water and humidity from surfaces and inside connections

Step 3: Apply HRCSA Penetrant under pressure to fill capillary channels inside connections.

Step 4: Apply HRCSA Self-Priming Topcoat to Penetrant treated connections, rivet heads and sharp angles using a brush. Overcoat the entire structure.

The photo at the bottom is that of an HRCSA treated pack-rusted connection after 17 years in service.

The HRCSA melding process is achieved by first saturating, flushing, and blowing out connections and then flooding the inside of the connections with low viscosity HRCSA Penetrant/Sealer under pressure. This material chemically treats corrosion causing acids inside the crevice corroded or pack rusted joints or connections. Once applied, this material will remain chemically active inside the connection for as long as it is sealed in by the HRCSA Self-Priming Topcoat. Together, they form a mid-layer of chemistry we call the “meld zone”. This meld-zone serves as a chemical reserve that is a continuous source of corrosion-fighting chemistry as HRCSA continually wicks it way deeper and deeper into the crevice during structural movement (expansion and contraction). When this process is applied to bearing plates, the HRCSA chemistry applies lubricity as it frees up corrosion frozen bearings.

Why not stop all corrosion – including crevice corrosion?

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Overcoating Steel Structures

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Different Technologies, Different Outcomes.

Traditional cross-linking overcoating systems adhere by chemical-mechanical reaction which means that THEY shrink more and more over time stressing the existing overcoated substrate paint systems whereas HRCSA does not shrink meaning that HRCSA overcoated substrate paints will not lift away from the steel as time passes on.

HRCSA overcoat systems adhere through polar bonding and are not reliant on chemical nor mechanical reactions for adhesion producing a low surface energy bond without risk of existing coating delamination.

HRCSA Self-priming topcoat.

Because HRCSA is a chemically active, surface tolerant system, it can be applied to any existing tightly adhered cleaned, salt and black oxide free substrate (avoid applying over rubber or uncured tar). In addition, HRCSA can overcoat tightly adhered, contaminant-free existing coating systems.

Due to HRCSA’s low surface energy, the risk of delamination caused by shrinkage from traditional overcoat systems is very low.

During open forum discussions about structure critical corrosion with chief structural engineers at the Federal Highway and with state bridge authorities, the engineers were disapproving of how ineffective painting structures with traditional barrier coating systems is. Especially with regard to particularly stopping rust bleeding at the crevice corroded connections and corrosion-frozen moving parts and long term reliability.

The low surface energy HRCSA self-priming topcoat does not ‘tug and pull’ (long term) existing substrate coatings – a characteristic that is especially important in cold weather conditions.

The chemically active aspect for the HRCSA self-priming topcoat’s cousin (HRCSA active Penetrant) is field proven to stop structure critical corrosion inside complex joints and connections, moving parts and wire rope.

Overcoating Steel StructuresDownload

To discuss a specific project you are considering, please register and the manufacturing licensee in your territory will be notified. Thank you.

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