Reclamation Information Sharing Environment (RISE)

For use of cathodic protection with the zinc-rich vinyl coating, observations have shown blistering of the vinyl coating where the cathodic protection current density is the highest. The hypothesis is that the blistering occurs due to excessive reaction products at the steel surface where it is being over-polarized. There is limited quantitative data to verify these claims, and the underlying mechanism that causes the blistering is complex. The primary objectives of this research were to: 1) Better understand the susceptibility of the vinyl zinc-rich coating system to CP and interacting factors and 2) Improve TSC design best practices and maintenance and repair recommendations with regard to use of CP with vinyl coatings. This work included a combined approach with preliminary laboratory investigation, field inspection, and a preliminary desktop review of existing datasets.