Full A-Z Guide For Wear-Resistant Epoxy

What Are Wear-Resistant Coatings?

Manufacturers design wear-resistant coatings to withstand the damaging effects of abrasives and other forms of wear. They engineer these coatings with enhanced hardness, toughness, ductility, and compressive strength to protect against common wear mechanisms such as cutting, fragmentation, ploughing, and surface fatigue. With these features, wear-resistant coatings can extend the lifespan of surfaces and reduce the need for frequent repairs and replacements.

Why is Epoxy Used?

Polyepoxides, commonly known as epoxy resins, are a versatile class of reactive prepolymers and polymers that possess epoxide groups. These groups give epoxies their distinct properties, such as exceptional heat and chemical resistance that surpasses that of most polymers. Epoxies are highly adhesive and can effectively bond to many surfaces, including wood, glass, metal, stone, and most plastics. Their broad range of applications in construction projects includes coatings, flooring, concrete restoration, crack repair, and even for joining tiles.

Various types of wear-resistant epoxies are available, each with unique properties and benefits suitable for different applications. These epoxies can withstand different types of wear, providing a diverse range of options to choose from.

Abrasion Resistance

Abrasion resistance refers to the ability of a material to withstand the effects of friction caused by repeated rubbing, scraping, and sliding against particles or other surfaces. Materials wear due to the movement between irregular or rough surfaces; this may increase further when micro-debris get locked between the surfaces.

The abrasion could be low-stress or high-stress. Low-stress abrasion, or two-body abrasion, occurs when a hard surface particle entrenched in a material scratches against a soft material in contact. It is common in alloys with carbides whereby the higher the percentage of carbide present in the microstructure of a material, the more abrasion occurs. The debris can also penetrate soft materials.

High-stress abrasion, or three-body abrasion, occurs when abrasive particles become trapped between two rolling or sliding surfaces. The particles move and create numerous indents on the two surfaces, initiating and propagating cracks.

Abrasion-resistant epoxy coating can help prevent wear and prolong the lifespan of the parts. For instance, crude oil has abrasive particles or debris, which may cause internal abrasion to pipes, leading to leakages over time. Therefore, pipes transporting crude oil require a good surface finish to withstand damage from abrasion.

Corrosion Resistance

Corrosion resistance refers to the ability of a material to endure corrosion damage resulting from chemical reactions, such as oxidation. At its most basic level, corrosion is the loss of a material due to a reaction with the environment. It can develop in the presence of gases or liquids at any temperature. However, the corrosion rate often increases as the temperature rises. Coating a component with epoxy increases its corrosion resistance significantly.

Chemical Resistance

Chemical resistance is a material’s capacity to withstand the deteriorating effects of chemical exposure over a specified period. Materials with high chemical resistance are less likely to degrade. Several factors affect chemical resistance, including mechanical load, exposure duration, the concentration of the chemical reagent and solvent, the molecular structure of the polymer, temperature, and the type of additives.

Fortunately, wear-resistant epoxy enhances the chemical resistance of materials used in different environmental conditions. Chemical-resistant materials are crucial in industries operating in unfavorable environments as they can improve productivity and efficiency while minimizing the need for maintenance and part replacements.

Wear-resistant epoxy resin applications include:

Paints and Coatings

Epoxies are used as protective coatings and primers for constructing aircraft, ships, satellite systems, and spacecraft. Their strength helps fortify wind turbine blades and various structures in hydroelectric power plants.

Epoxy-enhanced paints offer a durable and protective coating for cast aluminum, cast steel, and cast iron applications. They also support metal casings by helping them withstand damage from impact.

Flooring

Epoxy coatings are commonly utilized in flooring applications, particularly in sterile environments like food processing and medical facilities, owing to their durable and robust nature, which permits the use of stronger cleaning agents to sanitize the floors.

Piping

Epoxies have the potential to coat traditional steel products, as seen in epoxy pipe lining, which provides a durable and microbe- and chlorine-resistant solution for replacing old piping.

Adhesives

Due to their high chemical and heat resistance, epoxies can adhere to a wide range of materials, including glass, wood, stone, metal, and some plastics, making them ideal for use in the production of laminated wood used in walls, roofs, and decks.

Before selecting a wear-resistant coating, it is important to understand the different types available and their unique properties.

• Ceramic: Ceramic wear-resistant coatings are made of inorganic materials, like aluminum oxide or silicon carbide, and are applied to surfaces to provide exceptional resistance against wear, corrosion, and heat.

Wear-resistant epoxy coatings have excellent properties, including chemical resistance, durability, strong adhesion, and more. Therefore, they are ideal for various consumer and industrial applications. Although various coatings can shield your components against abrasion, wear, tear, and chemical attacks, they differ in their material properties and provide varying levels of performance and sustainability. That is why you should partner with experts who can help you choose the right coatings for maximum protection. Contact us today for more information from our expert team.