Denso protection for dock gates

Citation

(2001), "Denso protection for dock gates", Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, Vol. 48 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/acmm.2001.12848cab.010

Denso protection for dock gates

Keywords Winn & Coales (Denso), Coatings, Corrosion prevention, Steel

The Port of Sunderland has completed refurbishment of No. 3 Dock Gates after 16 years of continuous use. Each gate is of welded steel construction and is divided into six chambers. The top three are open on one side to allow the water within them to rise and fall with the tide. The bottom chambers, known as buoyancy chambers, are kept empty apart from a predetermined quantity of ballast water.

The refurbishment work included replacing defective steelwork, the greenheart heel and mitre posts, fitting a rubber sill seal and repainting both internal and external surfaces. Contractors Norclean Ltd were employed to clean the internal surfaces of the buoyancy chambers and apply Winn & Coales Denso Protective Paste.

Denso Protective Paste was reportedly chosen because it is particularly recommended for long term protection of iron and steel surfaces which remain damp or wet and where accessibility limits thorough surface preparation. It is a soft petrolatum compound which contains water displacing, corrosion inhibiting and flow control additives. It is said to contain no volatile organic compounds. It may be applied to surfaces by trowel, brush or roller.

Winn & Coales also reports that Ardex UK Ltd is carrying out a refurbishment exterior coating programme on eight industrial silos at its Haverhill, Suffolk, premises. Looking for a long-life system, they have chosen the company's Denso ST Epoxy followed by a topcoat of Denso Weathershield gloss which they specified to RAL 7000 colour.

The silos (Plate 1), which contain materials used in Ardex's exclusive range of tiling and flooring products, have an average height of 25 metres. This called for application of the Denso coatings by specialist contractors, Altico Services Ltd, using rope access techniques recognised by the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA). After removal of all loose coating and surface preparation, Altico applied two coats of Denso ST Epoxy followed by the Denso Weathershield gloss coat, including on surrounding structures, such as roofing, flooring, pipework etc.

Plate 1 Altico Services operator applies Denso Weathershield over Denso ST Epoxy on an Ardex UK silo at Haverhill

Denso ST Epoxy is described as a mastic coating with exceptional adhesion properties. It can be spray or brush applied to deliver long-term protection in a wide range of corrosive environments.

Weathershield is a urethane based material to give extra protection, particularly to prevent chalking after exposure to sunlight.