EVALUATING PERFORMANCE OF COATINGS EXPOSED TO BIOLOGICALLY-ACTIVE SOILS

Coating components can feed microbial corrosion under disbonded tape c oatings. A quantitative relationship between bacteria and coating dama ge has been difficult to establish. This article presents results of l ong-term exposure studies of various coatings to biologically active s oils. A test protocol was established that allowed coating comparisons based on their resistance to microbial degradation. Coating performan ce was ranked by using a combination of exposure to realistic soil env ironments followed by cathodic disbondment.