The first stage in coatings maintenance is to consider the type of failure which has arisen. Correctly identifying the problem to find the cause of the breakdown is an essential step in a maintenance program. Some common causes for breakdown are given in the adjacent table. Failure analysis requires knowledge and skill and should be carried out by an experienced corrosion engineer. Some types of failure are as follows: Chalking commonly arises in epoxies and is the formation of a powder on the surface due to breakdown of the binder by UV light. It is a surface phenomenon and not considered harmful, except to appearance.
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