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FailureAnalysisofCoatingDefects

WSRCMS200200419

FailureAnalysisofCoatingDefects
P.S.Lam
WestinghouseSavannahRiverCompany
Aiken,SC29808
ThisdocumentwaspreparedinconjunctionwithworkaccomplishedunderContractNo.DEAC0996SR18500withtheU.S.DepartmentofEnergy.
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Summary
Aseriesofthermomechanicalfiniteelementanalysisisusedtoassessthestabilityofa12mmreferenceinterfacialdefectinanepoxyphenolic
(topcoat)/inorganiczinc(IOZ,primer)coatingsystemonsteelplatesduringexposuretopostulatednuclearpowerplantlossofcoolantaccident
(LOCA)steamenvironments.Failureofthecoatingdueto"peelback"ordelaminationandcrackingcangeneratedebris.Thefailurecriteriainclude
theadhesionenergyofthecoatingtothesubstrate,theultimatestressandthefailurestrainofthetopcoatmaterial.Theresultsshowthatthedefectof
thiscoatingsystemremainsintactandnodebriscanbegeneratedduringatemperatureexcursion.

Introduction

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Numericalmodelingofcoatingdeformationisusedtopredictcoatingperformanceundertheenvironmentalconditionsofanuclearpowerplantina
LOCA[1].Theseconditionsincludeelevatedtemperaturesandpressuresfromsteam,includingexpectedtransientandsteadystateconditions,
definedbytheAmericanSocietyforTestingandMaterials(ASTM)D391195,"StandardTestMethodforEvaluatingCoatingsUsedinLightWater
NuclearPowerPlantsatSimulatedDesignBasisAccident(DBA)Conditions".Thehighstressinthecoatingduetotheenvironmentalconditionscan
causecracking,ordelamination,orboth.Thefollowingconditionisthecrackingcriterionforcoatingmaterials:
sultsappliedorefeapplied
wherethesultandefaretheultimatestressandfailurestrain,respectively,determinedfrommaterialtensiletestingandsappliedandeappliedarethe
calculatedstressandstrain,respectively.
Thecriterionforadelaminatingdefectis
GmaterialGapplied
whereGmaterialistheadhesionenergytoseparateacoatinglayerfromanunderlayerorsubstrateatadefect,Gappliedisthecalculatedadhesion
energydevelopedbyexternalforcesactingonacoatinglayeratthedefect.Thesapplied,eappliedandGapplieddistributionsarecalculatedatatime
periodofinterestintheDBAscenario.Thesult,ef,andGmaterialforthiscoatingsystemweredeterminedinamaterialpropertytestingprogram[1].

EvaluationofanInterfacialDefectinaCoatingSystem
Inthiscoatingsystem,thethicknessoftheepoxyphenolictopcoatistakentobeuniformly10mils,andthatoftheIOZprimerisuniformly12mils.
Thesethicknesseswereobtainedbymeasuringlaboratorytestspecimens[1].
ThefrontsurfaceofthespecimenissubjecttotheASTMD391195DBAtemperaturepressureprofile:Thetemperaturerisesfrom122Fto307Fin
10secondsremainsat307Ffor10,000seconds,andthendropsfrom307Fto250Finfivesecondsbysprayingwater(TheASTMstandardallows
forcoolingfrom307Fto250Fwithin5minutes(0.1psig/secdropmin.).Thevalueof5secondswasthatachievedintheDBAtestprogram[1]and
usedintheanalysisinthispaper.)r.Thecalculationcontinuedforanadditional10secondswhiletheenvironmentmaintainedat250F.
Athermalanalysiswasfirstperformed.Fortheepoxyphenolictopcoat,thethermalconductivityis1.6W/mK(37.7to148.9C)thespecificheats
arefrom9501650J/kgK(20to170C)therangeofcoefficientofthermalexpansionisbetween6x105m/mK(20to140C,withthereference
temperatureat30C)andthedensityis1432kg/m3.TheestimatedthermalpropertiesofIOZprimerwerebasedonthoseofmetalliczinc.The
thermalconductivity,specificheat,coefficientthermalexpansion,andthedensityoftheIOZusedinthecalculationsare,respectively,110W/mK,
400J/kgK,4x105m/mKand7140kg/m3.Typicalphysicalpropertiesforsteelwereusedforthesubstratematerial:thethermalconductivityis43
W/mKthespecificheatis473J/kgKthecoefficientthermalexpansionis1.3x105m/mKandthedensityis7801kg/m3.
Thecalculatedtemperaturedistributionwastheninputtothestressanalyses.Twocaseswereconsidered:1)Thedefectistractionfree(nomoisture),
and2)Thedefectisloadedbythenetpressuredefinedasthedifferencebetweenthevaporpressureinsidethedefectandtheambientpressureofthe
testchamber.
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TheYoungsmodulus(E)ofthetopcoatisshowninTable1.However,theYoungsmodulusoftheIOZprimerhasnotbeendeterminedbythe
uniaxialtensiletestbecausethefreefilmspecimenscouldnotbeformed.Therefore,theYoungsmodulusofIOZwasempiricallydeterminedby
matchingtheloadlinedisplacementoftheadhesionGmaterial(fracturetoughness)testatthemaximumload.TheGmaterialandtheYoungsmodulus
ofIOZdeterminedinsuchamannerarelistedinTable2.ThePoissonsratioassumedforthecoatingmaterialsis0.4.TheYoungsmodulusofsteel
is207,000MPaandthePoissonsratiois0.3.Thetensilepropertiesweredeterminedunderwettestconditions.
Table1.FreeFilmTensilePropertiesforTopcoatunderWetCondition
Temperature
(C)

UltimateStress(MPa)

YoungsModulus
(MPa)

%Strainat
Failure

37.7

8.3

180

16

93.3

5.1

22

26

Table2.YoungsModulusEstimationandAdhesionGValuefortheCoatingSystem
Temperature
(C)

CorrespondingEof
InorganicZinc(MPa)

Gmaterial

37.7

2700

268

93.3

3600

98

(J/m2)

TheG
materialtestingat93.3C(200F)underwetconditionhasnotbeenconfirmed.

TheYoungsmodulusestimatedindryconditionisassumedforthatinwetcondition.

Adefectwithdiameter12mmwasassumedtoexistbetweentheprimerandthesteelsubstrate.Thiswasachievedbycreationofanonbondareain
thetestspecimen[1].TheJintegraloptionintheABAQUSfiniteelementcode[2]wasusedtoevaluateGappliedforthisdefectwithandwithout
vaporpressure,whichisduetothetrappedwaterinsidethedefect.Whenthereisnovaporpressurepresentinsidethedefect,theGappliedismainly
duetothethermalexpansionmismatch.ThemaximumGapplied(0.6J/m2)occursabout0.1secondsaftertheinitialheatingiscomplete(10seconds
andat307F).ItcanbeshownthatthepeakvalueofGappliedisinsignificantcomparedtotheGmaterialinTable2(98J/m2).Therefore,thisdefectis
stable.Thatis,itwillnotgrowordelaminate.
Duringtheapplicationofcoolingwaterspray,theDBAtemperatureandtheassociatedpressurewilldecrease.However,thetemperatureatthedefect,
dominatedbythesteelunderneath,remainshighduetotheinsulationofthetopcoatandtheprimer.Ifmoistureispresentinsidethedefect,thevapor
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pressureinsidethedefectwouldsurpasstheambientpressureintheDBA.Thenetpressurewillcausethedefecttoformablister.TheGappliedisthus
increaseddramaticallyduringthecooldownphase.ThehighestGappliedeverachievedis59J/m2(Figs.1and2),whichisbelowtheGmaterial(98
J/m2),asestimatedat93.3Cor200FinTable2.Therefore,thisdefectundervaporpressureloadingispredictedtoremainstable.Whenthecooling
sprayiscompleted,thedefecttemperaturegraduallyequilibrateswiththeambient,andthenetpressureeventuallyreturnstozero.

Figure1.GappliedattheEdgeofaVaporPressurizedDefect(Diameter12mm)
duringDBATest(LogarithmicTimeScale)

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Figure2.GappliedattheEdgeofaVaporPressurizedDefect(Diameter12mm)
duringCoolingPhaseinDBATest(LinearTimeScale)

Asthedefectformsablisterunderthepressureloading,thematerialwouldbestretchedundertensilestressandstrain(paralleltothelayers).Because
theIOZprimerlayerisnotexpectedtosustaintensileload,onlythestressandstrainstatesattheapexoftheblisterinthetopcoatwereexamined.
Figures3and4showsthemaximumtensilestressinthetopcoatlayerattheapexoftheblisterduringthefirst10025secondsoftheDBAtesting
time.Itcanbeseenthatthetensilestressinthecooldownphaseinthetopcoatisbelowtheultimatestress(Table1).Thefailureofthecoatingisnot
predictedunderthepeakstresscriterion.

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Figure3.DefectFailurePredictionbasedonPeakTensileStressCriterion
(EntireTimeHistorywithLogarithmicTimeScale)

Figure4.DefectFailurePredictionbasedonPeakTensileStressCriterion
(CooldownPhasewithLinearTimeScale)

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Similarly,thetimehistoryofthemaximumtensilestraininthehighlystressedarea(attheapexoftheblisterinthetopcoat)isplottedinFigures5and
6,alongwiththeevolutionofthefailurestrainasafunctionoftemperature(Table1).Basedonthefailurestraincriterion,thetopcoatmaterialwould
notfail.

Figure5.DefectFailurePredictionbasedonFailureStrainCriterion
(EntireTimeHistorywithLogarithmicTimeScale)

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Figure6.DefectFailurePredictionbasedonFailureStrainCriterion
(CooldownPhasewithLinearTimeScale)

Conclusion
Itisconcludedthatadefectof12mmindiameterontheinterfacebetweentheprimerandthesubstratewillnotpropagatetoformalargerblisteror
crackduringDBAexposure,evenwhenwateristrappedwithinthedefect.Inaddition,thecoatingdebriswillnotformbecausethetopcoatstressand
strainarebelowthecriticalvalues(ultimatestressandfailurestrain,respectively).ThispredictionisconsistentwiththeDBAtests[1],whereno
coatingfailureswereobservedforthiscoatingsystem(epoxyphenolicoverinorganiczinconsteelplates).

Acknowledgment
TheworkwassupportedbytheUnitedStatesNuclearRegulatoryCommissionOfficeofRegulatoryResearchandwasdoneunderContractNumber
DEAC0996SR18500withtheUnitedStatesDepartmentofEnergy.TheauthorgratefullyacknowledgesthesupportofMr.AleckW.SerkizandMr.
MichaelL.Marshall,Jr.oftheU.S.NRCfortheirdirectionandencouragementinthisproject.Theauthoralsothankshiscoatingresearchcolleagues
intheSavannahRiverTechnologyCenter:Drs.N.C.Iyer,R.L.Sindelar,P.E.Zapp,T.E.Skidmore,andM.E.Dupont.

References
1.Dupont,M.E.,Iyer,N.C.,Lam,P.S.,Sindelar,R.L.,Skidmore,T.E.,Utsch,F.R.,andZapp,P.E.,"DegradationandFailureCharacteristics
ofNPPContainmentProtectiveCoatingSystem,InterimReportNo.3",WSRCTR200100067,WestinghouseSavannahRiverCompany,
Aiken,SouthCarolina.
2.ABAQUS/STANDARD,Version5.8,Hibbitt,Karlsson&Sorensen,Inc.,Pawtucket,RhodeIsland,1999.
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