In 2018, the USA produced 86.7 million metric tons of crude steel, compared to China which made 928.3 million metric tons.
This case study concerns a large steelworks in Arkansas. It wanted to upgrade an area of flooring totalling 240,000 square feet.
Problem
A steelworks is in the heavy industrial category which can be very tough on flooring and requiring any protective coating to be very robust and highly resistant to foot and vehicle traffic as well as to heat and dust. In cleaning cycles, it must also be waterproof.
Solution
Ecodur was chosen largely because of its long history in heavy industrial and commercial use. It, today, protects thousands of oil and production water tanks which often contain a cocktail of chemicals, including acids. VOC-free Ecodur is non-toxic and actually pure enough to be used in contact with human drinking water and food.
It has phenomenal adhesion and has been demonstrated sticking strongly to non-stick surfaces, including Teflon. This was a critical consideration in the choice for Ecodur as was the simplicity of application and the rapid full cure time of only 24 hours.
Conventional epoxies can take several days to achieve full cure and also have a tendency to micro-crack which can be a serious issue for steel ship decks which flex and are subject to wide temperature fluctuations. Ecodur has high flexibility which lasts its lifetime. It also molecularly combines back with original, clean Ecodur surfaces, should repairs be required.
Application Result
An average of 30 mils coatings was manually applied from five-gallon buckets of Ecodur. The Ecodur, once activated, has an average working from the kits of about 40 minutes. If the ambient temperatures are very high, then less activator chemical is used.
In this case, the preparation work had been relatively simple with cleaning, removing all trace of dust. Cracks were readily filled during the application process and the natural, self-leveling process of Ecodur ensured perfectly cured surfaces and rapid return to service. Check out Lifetime Coatings for more.
