ANSI/AWS C2.

18-93R
An American National Standard

Guide for the

Protection of
Steel with Thermal
Sprayed Coatings
of Aluminum and
Zinc and their
Alloys and
Composites
Keywords —Aluminum, Aluminum Metal Matrix ANSI/AWS C2.18-93
composite, Arc Spray, Flame Spray, An American National Standard
Steel Protection, Thermal Spray
Coating, Zinc, Zinc/Aluminum Alloy A ..
American National Standards Institute
April 22,1993

Guide for the Protection

of Steel with Thermal Sprayed
Coatings of Aluminum and Zinc
and Their Alloys and Composites

Prepared by
AWS Committee on Thermal Spraying

Under the Direction of

AWS Technical Activities Committee

Approved by
AWS Board of Directors

Abstract
This guide presents an industrial process for the application of thermal spray coatings (TSC) on steel. It covers safety,
job/contract description, background and requirements, selection of TSCs, TSC operator qualification, materials and
equipment, application-process method with quality-control check points, Job Control Record, maintenance and repair
of TSCs, records, debris containment and control, and warranty.

American Welding Society

550 N.W. LeJeune Road, P.O. Box 351040, Miami, Florida 33135
 Table of Contents
Page No.
Personnel iii
Foreword iv
List of Tables vii
List of QC Check Points vii
List of Figures vii
Acronyms and Conversion Factors Used in this Publication viii
1. General 1
1.1 Scope 1
1.2 Definitions 1
2. Safety 2
2.1 General 2
2.2 Thermal Spray Powder 2
3. Job and Contract Description 2
3.1 General 2
3.2 Thermal Spray Boundary (TSB) 2
3.3 Job Control Record (JCR) 3
3.4 Selection of TSC 3
3.5 TSC Inspector 3
3.6 TSC Operator Qualification 3
4. Background and Requirements 3
4.1 Background 3
4.2 Requirements 3
5. Materials 4
5.1 Thermal Spray Wire and Powder 4
5.2 Abrasive Blasting Media 6
5.3 Sealer and Intermediate Topcoat 7
5.4 Profile Tape for Anchor-Tooth Depth Measurement 8
5.5 Bend and Companion Coupons 8
5.6 Tensile-Bond Test Specimens 8
5.7 Gases 8
6. Equipment for Thermal Spraying 9
6.1 Thermal Spray Guns 9
6.2 Air Compressors 9
6.3 Air Dryers 9
7. Quality Control Equipment 9
7.1 Surface Preparation 9
7.2 TSC Application 9
8. Application-Process Method 9
8.1 Surface Preparation 9
8.2 New Steel Substrate 10
8.3 Contaminated Steel Substrate 10
8.4 Post-Blasting Substrate Condition and Thermal Spraying Period 12
8.5 Thermal Spraying 13
 Page No.

8.6 Sealing 15
8.7 Intermediate and Top Coats 15
9. Maintenance and Repair (M&R) of Thermal Spray Coatings 16
9.1 Solvent Clean 16
9.2 Scrape Off Loosely Adherent Paint/TSCs 17
9.3 Cleaning, Manual and Blast 17
9.4 Feather 17
9.5 Light Abrasion 17
9.6 Apply TSC 17
9.7 Seal and Topcoat 17
10. Records - 17
11. Debris Containment and Control 17
12. Utility Services 17
13. Work Procedures and Safety 18
14. Warranty 18
14.1 Thermal Spray Coating Contractor's Warranty 18
14.2 Thermal Spray Coating Materials 18
Annex A —Sample Job Control Record (JCR) for Thermal Spray Coatings (TSC) 19
Annex B —Recommendations for the Selection of Thermal Spray Coatings of Aluminum and Zinc and
Their Alloys and Composites for the Protection of Steel in Various Environments and Service .... 22
Annex C —Thermal Spray Operator Qualification and Certification 27
Annex D —Sample Thermal Spray Operator Qualification Form 30
Thermal Spray Specifications and Related Documents (Inside Back Cover)

VI
 List of Tables
Table Page No.
1 Inspection and Acceptance Tests — Shop and Field 4
2 TSC Inspection and Acceptance Tests — Laboratory 4
3A/B Nominal Feedstock Required 5
4A/B Nominal Wire Feedstock Spray Rates and Coverage 6
5 Nominal Powder Flame Feedstock Spray Rates and Coverage 6
6 Blasting Media and Mesh Size Recommended for TSCs on Steel Substrates 7
7 Sealer, Intermediate, and/or Topcoat Specification 8
8 Flame- and Arc-Spray Standoff Distances and Spray-Pass Widths (Nominal) 13
9 Maintenance and Repair (M&R) Actions for TSCs 16
Bl Estimated Service Life of Aluminum and 90/10 Aluminum MMC TSCs 23
B2 Estimated Service Life of Zinc and 85/15 Zn TSCs 24
Cl Tensile-Bond Qualification Requirements for Thermal Spray Operators 28
C2 Typical Tensile-Bond Values in Laboratory and Production Spraying 29

List of QC Check Points

1 Oil and Grease Contamination 10
2 Masking 11
3 Clean Dry Air 11
4 Clean Blasting Media 11
5 Near-White Metal Finish and Anchor-Tooth Profile 12
6 Thermal Spray Equipment Set-Up 13
7 TSC Application 15
8 Seal Coat Thickness 15
9 Intermediate and Top-Coat Thickness 16

List of Figures
Figure
1 TSC Thickness for Greater Than The Specified Profile Depth 14
Bl Estimated Service Life of Al and Al MMC TSCs 25
B2 Estimated Service Life of Zn and 85/15 Zn/Al TSCs 25
Cl TSC Bend Test: Pass and Fail Examples 28

VH
 Guide for the Protection
of Steel with Thermal Sprayed
Coatings of Aluminum and Zinc
and Their Alloys and Composites

1. General rust, corrosion products, oxides, paint, and other foreign

matter. (NACE No. 1 is comparable to SSPC-SP 5, White
1.1 Scope. This guide covers the application of thermal
Metal Blast Cleaning.)2
spray coatings (TSC) for the protection of steel with
aluminum, zinc and their alloys, mixtures, and compos- SSPC-SP 5: White-Metal Blast Cleaning. These blast-
ites. This scope of this guide includes the major elements cleaned surfaces must have a uniform, grey-white metal-
of an industrial process instruction covering job descrip- lic color and must be free of all oil, grease, dirt, mill
tion, safety, consumable materials, surface-preparation scale, rust, corrosion products, oxides, old paint, stains,
and thermal spray equipment, quality control (QC) equip- streaks, or any other foreign matter.3
ment, TSC operator training and qualification, a step-by-
NACE No. 2: Near-White Blast Finish. This is de-
step surface preparation and thermal spraying application
fined as a surface from which all oil, grease, dirt, rust
method with quality control checkpoints, maintenance
scale, and foreign matter have been completely removed
and repair of thermal spray coatings, and a job control
except for slight shadows, streaks, or discolorations (of
record. Nominal TSC feedstock spray rates and coverage
oxides bonded with metal). At least 95% of any given
information for a common planning base are presented
surface area has the appearance of NACE No. 1, and the
for purchasers and contractors. A TSC selection guide
remainder of the area is limited to slight discolorations.
for various service environments and the operator quali-
(NACE No. 2 is comparable to SSPC-SP 10 Near-White-
fication requirements are presented in appendices. This
Metal Blast Cleaning.)
guide is modelled on the thermal spray method of MIL-
STD-2138A(SH), Metal Sprayed Coating Systems for SSPC-SP 10: Near-White-Metal Blast Cleaning. A
Corrosion Protection Aboard Naval Ships.1 near-white metal blast-cleaned surface, when viewed
without magnification, shall be free of all visible oil,
1.2 Definitions. The following define abrasive blast
grease, dirt, dust, mill scale, rust, paint, oxides, corrosion
cleaning methods for various surface finishes.
products, and other foreign matter, except for staining as
Abrasive Blast Cleaning: noted. Staining shall be limited to no more than 5% of
each square inch of surface area and may consist of light
NACE No. 1: White-Metal Blast-Cleaned Surface
Finish. Defined as a grey-white (uniform metallic) color,
slightly roughened to form a suitable pattern for coat- 2. Visual Standard for Surfaces of New Steel Centrifugally
ings. This surface is free of all oil, grease, dirt, mill scale, Blast Cleaned with Steel Grit andShot, TM0175-75. Available
from National Association of Corrosion Engineers, 1440 South
Creek Drive, P.O. Box 218340, Houston, TX 77084.
1. Military specifications are available from Standardization 3. Steel Structures Painting Manual, Volume 2. Available
Order Desk, 700 Robbins Avenue, Building #4, Section D, from Steel Structures Painting Council (SSPC), 4400 Fifth
Philadelphia, PA 19111-5094. Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2683.