Polyurethane topcoat for Atlanta Braves Stadium

Polyurethane topcoat for Atlanta Braves Stadium

Keywords Coatings,Corrosion, Polyurethane, Steel

The Atlanta Braves Stadium, originally constructed for 1996 Summer Olympics events, recently underwent a $30 million, eight-month renovation to convert it to Turner Field,home of the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball team.

To combat corrosion and retain colour and gloss, a two-part coating system was specified for all the exposed structural steel.

The coatings, manufactured by Carboline Co., included a zinc-loaded epoxy primer and a dark green-pigmented two-component aliphatic polyurethane topcoat.

The system is expected to provide long-term resistance to corrosion and fading despite heavy exposure to the Atlanta sun, humidity, and other damaging weather conditions.

Nearly 10,000 gallons of the polyurethane topcoat were applied to all exposed structural steel. The steel includes structural framing as well as various staircases and light standards. The steel surface was prepared with SSPC-SP6.

Employing mostly spray application methods, the fabricator shop-applied the primer to a dry film thickness (DFT) of about 3 mil. With the help of cranes, the steel was erected using a combination of bolted and welded connections. A paint crew touched up the primer, particularly around the bolted and welded connections. The painters then applied the topcoat to a DFT of 5-7 mil. The topcoat was brush, roller, and spray applied.

Further information is available from Roger Tegtmeyer, Carboline Co., 350 Hanley Industrial Court, St. Louis, 63144, USA; or phone: +1314 644 1000.

For more details about polyurethane coating raw materials, contact Bayer Corp., Marketing Services,Coatings, Performance Products Division, 100 Bayer Road, Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania 15205-9741, USA.