RELATION BETWEEN CHANGES IN ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES AND 

 PERFORMANCE OF COATINGS 



Experiments With Thirteen Immersed Coating Systems 



Technical Report R-683 



YF 51.543.006.01.006 



by 



Peter J. Hearst 



ABSTRACT 



In an attempt to find a relatively rapid method of predicting the 

 performance of coatings, changes in electrical properties were compared with 

 the results of long-term field performance of the coatings. Thirteen coating 

 systems on steel panels were immersed in seawater in the laboratory for 400 

 days, and the AC and DC electrical properties of the coatings were determined. 

 Earlier experiments had indicated a relationship between changes in electrical 

 properties and performance. New results with coatings of comparatively good 

 performance indicate some correlation between changes in electrical properties 

 and coating performance. However, the correlation is not sufficiently high to 

 allow reliable prediction of the comparative performance of good coatings. 



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