ASTM International Committee D01 on Paint and Related Coatings is seeking participation from interested parties in developing a proposed new standard, WK12492, Practice for Rheological Characterization of Architectural Coatings Using Three Common Bench Viscometers. The proposed standard covers a popular industry protocol and includes general guidelines for predicting some coatings performance properties from the viscosity measurements made.
 
“Many architectural coatings laboratories already have these viscometers and are practicing this protocol at least to some degree, but without a formal guideline to follow,” says Greg Shay, global technology leader, rheology modifiers, The Dow Chemical Company. “Others do not realize the importance of having viscosity determinations in all three shear-rate regimes. They may be doing a single viscosity measurement that is only one piece of the rheology puzzle. This practice will not only help standardize characterization, it will also provide education and understanding of the need for characterization over a range of shear rates.”
 
WK12492 will be useful for the quality control of paints and for the prediction of performance in many coating properties during storage, on application and after a coating has been applied. While Shay says that paint coating formulators in research and development and quality control technicians for paint production will be the most likely users of the proposed standard, he notes that formulators and quality control analysts in industries such as paper, textile and automotive coatings, as well as marine and industrial metal finishes, will also find WK12492 helpful.

For further technical information, contact Greg Shay, The Dow Chemical Company, Cary, N.C. (phone: 919/469-6789; shaygd@dow.com). Committee D01 meets Jan. 21-23, 2007, in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. For membership or meeting information, contact Timothy Brooke, manager, Technical Committee Operations, ASTM International (phone: 610/832-9729; tbrooke@astm.org).

Release #7489