What are some of the drawbacks of Glassflake Systems, and what are the benefits of utilizing Belzona Coatings over Glassflake systems?

Belzona vs Glassflake (Vinyl Ester) :-
1. General level of adhesion of Glassflake systems is low (Belzona 1321 40% higher).
2. Polymerisation process involved in curing process of Glassflake system leads to shrinkage causing bond line to be permanently stressed.
3. Glassflake systems have extremely poor erosion resistance (90° impact abrasion tests in-house showed BelzonaÒ 1321 20 times better).
4. Independent tests at Herriot Watt University for Conoco further confirmation of this.
5. An additional "glaze coat" is often recommended in Glassflake systems for operation in turbulent areas i.e. Suppliers are aware that Glassflake system has poor erosion resistance.
6. Glassflake systems have very poor resistance to Cavitation. (In-house tests showed Belzona 1321 15 times better)
7. Glassflake systems are notoriously brittle and easily damaged during routine maintenance of equipment.
8. Glassflake systems are based on styrene monomer which is Flammable and has a MEL of 100ppm.
9. Volatile monomer content of Glassflake systems (up to 15%) can create Health and Safety risks when application carried out in-situ. Removal of equipment for application in controlled workshop preferred by applicators. Belzona coatings are VOC free and can be safely applied on site and in confined spaces.
10. In pressurized systems rapid or explosive decompression will damage Glassflake systems due to residual volatile monomer content (up to 5%) and brittle nature of the coating. Tests sponsored by Shell have confirmed this.

Quote: "The results of the decompression/immersion show failure of all glass flake systems.....". In these tests Belzona was the only non-post cured system to survive the decompression cycle.

11. Cure mechanism, inhibited by atmospheric oxygen, can lead to significant coating voids which will lead to failure particularly in decompression situations.12. Glassflake systems call for individual layers to be rollered to align the individual glass flakes. This process is often ignored leading to potential wicking of liquids through mis-aligned flakes.13. Glassflake systems are high build, typically 1.5 – 2mm thick. This can cause flow restriction in critical areas affecting performance characteristics.

14. In pumps the thick glassflake coating will shift the efficiency curve to the LEFT. This will improve the efficiency of a pump which is operating left of B.E.P. (Best Efficiency Point) but will reduce efficiency of pump operating at or to right of B.E.P. Thin BelzonaÒ 1341 coating improves efficiency over full duty range.