Polyurea Coatings
Polyurea
Polyurea protective coatings are commonly used for the following reasons:
Abrasion Resistance
Corrosion Protection
Waterproofing
Chemical, Environment or Atmospheric Resistance
Decoration
Structural Enhancement
For decades, traditional materials such as paint, epoxy, fiberglass and vinyl esters have all been used to perform these various types of protective coating applications.
Polyurea coating technology is not new. In fact, it has been around and in use for almost three decades now. Polyurea is newer and more advanced than these traditional coating systems, and offers many advantages to the owner, specifier and contractor.
These advantages come mainly in the form of impressive achievable physical properties, and its fast set, return-to-service characteristics. It can also be applied over a variety of different substrates (concrete, metals, wood and more) in a wide range of temperature and humidity environments. However, like all protective coatings, using polyurea is no excuse to neglect proper surface preparation and quality control testing during application.
Polyurea’s major benefit is its fast set nature. It can typically return an area to service many times faster than traditional coatings, allowing the owner to put the facility back in use without days or weeks of revenue losing down-time. Down time for maintenance and coatings on water tanks, waste-water clarifiers, parking garages and chemical storage tanks costs the facility owner a great deal of money since these areas must be taken out of service while other coatings are applied and drying.
Most industrial use polyureas are spray applied, so it is fast to apply and accurately proportioned and mixed. This application style allows for virtually any mil thickness to be applied in one or multiple passes. Additional characteristics such as slip resistant additives and surface textures can also be incorporated, UV stable colors can be achieved, and even NSF potable water approved systems are also possible with polyurea.
Almost no coating can compare to polyurea when it comes to attainable physical properties!
Polyureas can be formulated to achieve a tremendous range of properties — from high elongation to superior tensile strength to hard or soft, all based on how the material is formulated and correctly applied.
Polyurea Benefits
Fast Reaction Time
Moisture Insensitivity
Excellent Adhesion
Superior Tensile Strength
Low to No Volatile Content
High Abrasion Resistance
Heat and Fire Resistance
Long-Term Stability
Environmental Protection
Polyurea Linings
Tank Liners, Bed Liners, Pond Liners, and more. Polyurea lining technology boasts excellent chemical resistance to many liquids with high build thickness characteristics, rapidly drying finishes and very low perm ratings. Polyurea is ideal for use in a variety of waterproofing, corrosion control, immersion and lining applications.
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Polyurea can also be applied over a variety of different substrates (concrete, metals, wood and more) in a wide range of temperature and humidity environments. However, like all protective lining and coating systems, polyurea’s remarkable advantages and fast set characteristics make no excuse not to perform proper surface preparation and quality control testing during application.
Polyurea offers excellent adhesion to properly prepared surfaces and is used as an alternative to epoxy, polyurethane, fiberglass and other mat reinforced lining systems. Polyurea coatings combine high tensile strength and elongation properties with low permeability and high impact resistance, making them ideal where a tough, flexible (or hard) liner is needed.
Polyurea is commonly used as a material for lining primary containment tanks as well as a lining system for secondary containment structures. Many of the world’s sea aquariums have turned to polyurea lining technology due to its fast set return to service characteristics, ability to achieve UV stable colors, and its superior physical properties over conventional linings.
Polyurea is also used extensively in the water and wastewater industries and are ideal liners for most water tanks, including salt water. Polyurea can even withstand most chemical gasses produced at waste treatment plants. Several polyurea systems are available for Potable Water applications and are USDA-acceptable and NSF-approved to ANSI-NSF 61 Standard for potable water storage.
Polyureas are also recommended for lining large diameter pipes, manholes, clear wells and process tanks for potable water and non-potable water, basins and reservoirs, lift stations and reserve fire water tanks.
Polyureas contain no VOCs, and are also available in brush grade for touch-up and repairs and caulk grade for horizontal joints.
Joint Fillers & Sealants
Polyurea is being successfully used as a multi-purpose joint fill, caulking and sealant material. It can provide a flexible, durable, weather-tight and traffic resistant seal for all types of building joints, such as expansion joints and control joints in masonry floors, perimeter joints, panels and doors, water reservoirs, etc. It has excellent crack-bridging properties with high elongation and tensile strength.
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The fast cure time and insensitivity to moisture allows for a quicker installation with a wider application window. Proper surface preparation and substrate condition is always necessary
innovative polymer resins that have a range of modulus (from high to low), better fire retardancy, low VOCs and faster reaction times. Today’s modern coatings, including polyurethane and polyurea, are among the most advanced resins developed. These polyureas, more than any other polymer coating, stand out in their versatility, strength and longevity. They are the next step in the coatings evolution.
At the same time, advances in coatings technology have also led to the development of spray, injection and roto-cast application equipment that also improves the performance of polyureas. In particular, plural component equipment technology has been improved to make spray application easier, more uniform in coverage, applicable at lower pressures (as low as 1,000 psi) and generating less overspray or fogging.
Polyurea materials have two components: the isocyanates quasi-prepolymer and a resin blend. The resin blend is a combination of amine-terminated chain extenders. Unlike polyurethanes, no polyols are used in the manufacture of polyurea resins. When the materials are mixed together in the application equipment, the isocyanates and the amine resins react to form a urea linkage (see Figure).
Introduced in 1989 by the Texaco Chemical Co., polyurea was regarded by many in the coatings industry as an “over-hyped” product with exaggerated features and benefits. True, polyurea systems and technology have many outstanding properties. However, many manufacturers of traditional coating material discounted the claims of polyurea being the “wonder” product; as a result, many manufacturers and end users lost sight of the true advantages of the product.
Many old-guard coatings manufacturers did not differentiate between polyurethane and polyurea. All coatings, whether polyether amines (polyurea component) or polyester/polyether hydroxyl (polyurethane urethane component) resins, were identified as polyurethanes. Only in the past seven years have many companies differentiated these coatings.
OEM manufacturers, contractors, engineers and fabricators needed a fast-cure, moisture-insensitive coating system. They required a variety of physical properties, excellent adhesion, smooth surface flow out, superior tensile strength and high abrasion resistance (see Table). A polyurea system fit that description. The main physical properties of polyurea explain their success.
Applications for Spray Polyurea
Polyurea is a remarkable technology with a range of uses limited only by your imagination. As with any coating system, proper surface preparation, correct application equipment and the use of compatible primers is required. Read on to see where and how polyureas are being used successfully around the globe.
Pipe / Pipeline Coatings & Linings
Polyurea Coatings and linings are increasingly being used to protect steel pipes from corrosion.
Tank Linings
Polyurea linings are resistant to many chemicals and industrial liquids.
Manhole and Sewer Linings
Polyurea manhole lining is a rapidly growing market due to polyurea’s ability to solve many current issues with groundwater infiltration and installation speed.
Aquarium Lining
The ability to form to properly prepared custom shaped walls and themed ornaments make this system desirable.
Railcar Lining and Track Containment
Polyureas are commonly used to line liquid containment railcars for their waterproofing and chemical resistance benefits.
Bridge, Rail, & Tunnel Coatings
Polyurea’s ability to outlast paint and fight off corrosion is a major reason these systems are being specified for bridge deck and structure coating by State DOT’s.
Marine
Above the water line and below, polyurea can be very effective in protecting steel, aluminum, and fiberglass in a variety of water sport and commercial marine applications.
Truck Bed Linings
Polyurea truck bed liners form a durable, water and air-tight, permanent liner for the exterior of pick up trucks, dump trucks and steel containers.
Landscape and Water Containment
Polyurea is often used to contain water for ponds and pool decorations to form a primary containment liner.
Line Striping
Polyurea is a very fast set material, which makes it ideal for use in line striping and pavement marking.
Joint Fill / Caulk
Polyurea is being successfully used as a multi-purpose joint fill, caulking and sealant material.
Roof Coating
Polyurea coatings make an excellent protective covering for polyurethane foam roofs.
Theme Park
Theme Parks often use polyurea as a protective coating over foam, EPS and other structures to create ornamental building fascia, themed characters, artificial rocks, pools and environments.
Architectural Design
Polyurea has much the same uses in architectural design as it does in theme park applications.
Spray Molding
The use of Polyureas for spray in mold processes are gaining momentum with the advent of low output spray guns.
Tank Coatings
Polyurea coatings protect steel tanks from corrosion, chemicals, and other natural weather and jobsite elements.
Wastewater Treatment Linings
Fast cure, chemical and abrasion resistant, concrete primary and secondary containment linings.
Flooring and Parking Decks
Polyurea flooring systems are most popular for their rapid turnaround installation capabilities.
Automotive Fascia OEM Molded Parts
Many automotive fascia parts have been molded from polyurea RIM systems.
Fuel Storage and Containment
Polyurea is resistant to many fuels and chemicals. It is commonly used in fuel pits and pipeline secondary containment.