Paint is a material or mixture that, when applied to a solid material and allowed to dry, adds a film-like layer. As art, this is used to create an image or images known as a painting. Paint can be made in many colors and types. Most paints are either oil-based or water-based, and each has distinct characteristics.
Magnetic particle inspection (MPI) is a nondestructive testing process where a magnetic field is used for detecting surface, and shallow subsurface, discontinuities in ferromagnetic materials. Examples of ferromagnetic materials include iron, nickel, cobalt, and some of their alloys. The process puts a magnetic field into the part. The piece can be magnetized by direct or indirect magnetization. Direct magnetization occurs when the electric current is passed through the test object and a magnetic field is formed in the material. Indirect magnetization occurs when no electric current is passed through the test object, but a magnetic field is applied from an outside source. The magnetic lines of force are perpendicular to the direction of the electric current, which may be either alternating current (AC) or some form of direct current (DC).
Metallography is the study of the physical structure and components of metals, by using microscopy.
Powder coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. Unlike conventional liquid paint, which is delivered via an evaporating solvent, powder coating is typically applied electrostatically and then cured under heat or with ultraviolet light. The powder may be a thermoplastic or a thermosetting polymer. It is usually used to create a thick, tough finish that is more durable than conventional paint. Powder coating is mainly used for coating of metal objects, particularly those subject to rough use. Advancements in powder coating technology like UV-curable powder coatings allow for other materials such as plastics, composites, carbon fiber, and medium-density fibreboard (MDF) to be powder coated, as little heat or oven dwell time is required to process them.
Gloss is an optical property which indicates how well a surface reflects light in a specular (mirror-like) direction. It is one of the important parameters that are used to describe the visual appearance of an object. Other categories of visual appearance related to the perception of regular or diffuse reflection and transmission of light have been organized under the concept of cesia in an order system with three variables, including gloss among the involved aspects. The factors that affect gloss are the refractive index of the material, the angle of incident light and the surface topography.
Geotechnical investigations are performed by geotechnical engineers or engineering geologists to obtain information on the physical properties of soil earthworks and foundations for proposed structures and for repair of distress to earthworks and structures caused by subsurface conditions; this type of investigation is called a site investigation. Geotechnical investigations are also used to measure the thermal resistance of soils or backfill materials required for underground transmission lines, oil and gas pipelines, radioactive waste disposal, and solar thermal storage facilities. A geotechnical investigation will include surface exploration and subsurface exploration of a site. Sometimes, geophysical methods are used to obtain data about sites. Subsurface exploration usually involves soil sampling and laboratory tests of the soil samples retrieved.
A sieve analysis is a practice or procedure used in geology, civil engineering, and chemical engineering to assess the particle size distribution of a granular material by allowing the material to pass through a series of sieves of progressively smaller mesh size and weighing the amount of material that is stopped by each sieve as a fraction of the whole mass.
Sheen is a measure of the reflected light (glossiness) from a paint finish. Glossy and flat are typical extreme levels of glossiness of a finish. Gloss paint is shiny and reflects most light in the specular (mirror-like) direction, while on flat paints most of the light diffuses in a range of angles. The gloss level of paint can also affect its apparent colour.
A transparency meter, also called a clarity meter, is an instrument used to measure the transparency of an object. Transparency refers to the optical distinctness with which an object can be seen when viewed through plastic film/sheet, glass, etc. In the manufacture of sheeting/film, or glass the quantitative assessment of transparency is just as important as that of haze.
A high-shear mixer disperses, or transports, one phase or ingredient into a main continuous phase (liquid), with which it would normally be immiscible. A rotor or impeller, together with a stationary component known as a stator, or an array of rotors and stators, is used either in a tank containing the solution to be mixed, or in a pipe through which the solution passes, to create shear. A high-shear mixer can be used to create emulsions, suspensions, lyosols, and granular products. It is used in the adhesives, chemical, cosmetic, food, pharmaceutical, and plastics industries for emulsification, homogenization, particle size reduction, and dispersion.
The Gardner Color Scale is a one-dimensional scale used to measure the shade of the color yellow. The Gardner scale and the APHA/Pt-Co/Hazen Color Scale overlap, with the Gardner scale measuring higher concentrations of yellow color and the APHA scale measuring very low levels of yellow color.
In the paint and coating industries, paint adhesion testing is often used to determine if the paint or coating will adhere properly to the substrates to which they are applied. Several tests measure the resistance of paints and coatings from substrates: cross-cut test, scrape adhesion, pull-off test, and others.
Abrasion is the process of scuffing, scratching, wearing down, marring, or rubbing away. It can be intentionally imposed in a controlled process using an abrasive. Abrasion can be an undesirable effect of exposure to normal use or exposure to the elements.
The IsaMill is an energy-efficient mineral industry grinding mill that was jointly developed in the 1990s by Mount Isa Mines Limited and Netzsch Feinmahltechnik ("Netzsch"), a German manufacturer of bead mills. The IsaMill is primarily known for its ultrafine grinding applications in the mining industry, but is also being used as a more efficient means of coarse grinding. By the end of 2008, over 70% of the IsaMill's installed capacity was for conventional regrinding or mainstream grinding applications, with target product sizes ranging from 25 to 60 μm.
A haze meter measures the amount of light that is diffused or scattered when passing through a transparent material. Transparency is important because a material needs to be more or less see-through depending on its practical usage, e.g. a grocery bag needs the light to be more diffused so that less can be seen while food packaging film needs the light to be less diffused so that the contents can be seen clearly. For reasons such as these haze meters are necessary to determine which material is needed for which practical purpose.
Drawdown charts are rectangular pieces of non-fluorescent paper which are used to test a variety of coating properties. These properties include opacity, spreading rate, penetration, and flow & leveling behavior. This non-fluorescent material has to be especially rugged in order to maintain its structure and give reliable readings, as the coatings tested are often corrosive or abrasive. These charts are necessary in the testing of any coating as they give reliable and accurate readings for any type of coating before the coating is applied to the intended material.
Cupping testers are employed in the testing of the elongation and deformability of lacquers and protective coatings applied to metal substrates. This sort of test is essential because it allows one to test the durability of a lacquer or protective coating before the coating is applied to a product.
The color measurement of a liquid is the evaluation of that liquid's color properties. This is usually done through visual means, but can also be done by through automated means. The former provides approximate data, while the latter can provide objective data on the color properties of any given liquid.
There are two different types of haze that can occur in materials:
The hiding power is an ability of a paint to hide the surface that the paint was applied to. Numerically, it is defined as an area of surface coated by a volume of paint at which the "complete hiding" of the underlying surface occurs.
