Coating failures can originate from deficiencies in a coating’s formulation or its manufacturer, they can originate from improper specification, inappropriate or inadequate surface preparation, and application deficiencies.Finite Element Analysis (FEA) or simulation, is highly beneficial to understand complex interactions of multiple loads that the coating is seeing from the manufacturing stage to the end of life.

Analytical analysis is sometimes too simplistic, leading to wrong conclusions, wrong designs and in turn leading to coating failure at various stages of process control, fabrication, installation or operation. At Endeavour Corrosion, we can provide an in-depth understanding of coatings materials, with a proven approach to material testing and simulation, that provides key information for our clients to make informed technical choices.Each test programme/analysis is customised to take into account the various projects specific features and contains. Our holistic approach to the issues, ensures that critical parameters are accounted for and defined by our experts.  We can also translate those parameters into information in support of client FEA engineering teams to develop/run their own in-house modelling.

We also provide recommendations for functional testing of the coating material, which must accommodate the relevant conditions (uni-axial or multi-axial loads, temperature range, strain rate, etc.) so the results can be meaningfully used for the simulation. The output of a robust test and FEA programmes, provides a much better assessment of the life expectancy, damage/failure mechanisms, with the associated risk of occurrence, of a potential costly and time-consuming coating failure.    

Our track record includes :

• The delivery of an un-matched model of crack initiation and propagation in thick Field Joint Coatings, accurately predicting the actual failure (see video),
• Upfront recommandations leading to design modification and resulting in zero coating failures (backed-up later-on by comparative tests of the initial and final design).
• Failure investigation and mitigation solutions that provided cost effective and fit for purpose technical options, eliminating extensive hours of offshore repair.
• Designing and operating the tests for the Qualification campaign of a LNG transfer hose