Reclamation Information Sharing Environment (RISE)

Bureau of Reclamation and Army Corp of Engineers are investigating materials to provide a replacement for vinyl coatings. Previous research showed epoxy-polysiloxanes as a potential replacement. This research provided three phases of polysiloxane evaluation: (1) lab testing of five manufacturers’ products with candidate primers for corrosion performance, (2) lab testing of return-to-service time, i.e., a cure study to determine when water immersion service could begin, and (3) condition assessment of a field application at Tennessee Valley Authority’s Fontana Dam, NC. Laboratory results showed that two of the commercial polysiloxane systems are a suitable equivalent to vinyl for immersion service, atmospheric, and cyclic environments that do not see high energy impact, erosion, or abrasion forces. Vinyl is still the preferred the coating in impacted immersion environments.