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By combining experience with experiments, UTLX Coatings Research and Development people help customers select the best protective systems for tank or hopper car fleets. Union Tank Car and its Canadian affiliate Procor set up an in-house coatings and linings consulting service for customers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. That determination launched what is now known as the UTLX Coatings Research and Development with a staff of professionals who become busier every day. "Two trends fueled the thrust for the new venture." notes Jim Molnar, technical manager of coatings and linings. "One is a greater stress on absolute product purity, where even the slightest bit of contamination just isn't acceptable. The other is a stronger emphasis on appearance and durability of the car's exterior paint. Many shippers have told us that they really improve their image among end users when they present better looking railcars." UTLX Coatings Research and Development draws upon a long legacy of expertise that began back in 1936 with Lithcote, the first company to apply a protective interior coating to a tank car. While Union Tank Car now offers a full line of Lithcote products, Molnar stresses that unlike many supplier services, UTLX Coatings Research and Development's goal is objective testing and analysis, not merely recommending in-house products. UTLX Coatings Research and Development works with more than 400 different coatings and linings from many suppliers. It uses the latest high-tech lab equipment to conduct a wide range of tests including: Product effects on linings and coatings: Technicians immerse coating samples, or coupons, into containers of actual customer products, simulating real-life shipping temperatures and movement. If necessary, the samples can be tested in a special "cold wall" cell that simultaneously creates different temperatures on each surface. "This is helpful for customers who might be shipping a product loaded very warm, but traveling through very cold weather," Molnar explains. "It can provide a true test of how a coating will perform under very specific conditions." Effect of coating film defects on performance: If a paint finish is scratched or gouged during railcar use, how will a coating react around the damaged area? Will it peel or blister if exposed steel on the tank rusts? UTLX Coatings R&D can test such a scenario using a cabinet that introduces purposely distressed samples to controlled moisture conditions simulating high humidity, rain, even salt water. The effects are microscopically examined to project the likely rate of any coating deterioration. impact of dry-loaded products on interior coatings: Can a coating withstand potential abrasion from loading and unloading of dry products such as plastic pellets shipped in hopper cars? UTLX Coatings Research and Development technicians can find out using a tube-shaped apparatus that lets tested products free-fall against coating samples for time periods equal to loading/unloading cycles. Effects of different weather conditions on exterior paint: Since many customers are concerned about how their cars will look after several years, one frequently used instrument is a "weatherometer" chamber that subjects samples to alternate periods of simulated sunlight and darkness, even controlled "rainstorms". Weather effects can be tested either in real time, or accelerated in a device that compresses up to ten years' paint exposure into about six months. Best application methods: Since coating and lining work represents a major share of the services provided at many UTLX and Procor repair shops throughout the U.S. and Canada, we frequently conducts research to determine optimal application guidelines such as thickness, best mix of coating material with solvents, and procedures for spray applications. "Customers can expect prompt answers to their inquiries, often in their initial conversation with an UTLX Coatings Research and Development representative," reports Molnar. The group's greatest success, however, has been in helping customers overcome tough problems that might otherwise go unresolved. Even better, such value-added service is generally performed at no charge for Union Tank Car and Procor customers. Here are a few cases from the UTLX Coatings Research and Development's files: • Amoco Oil's transportation executives had observed that the once-shiny paint on their new tank cars began to fade noticeably after a couple of years, particularly in areas most often facing the sun. They challenged us to figure out how to improve the finish without using special gloss-retentive paints that can cost up to four times as much as standard coatings. After screening dozens of reasonably-priced paints, we subjected samples of selected candidates to several months of ultraviolet exposure and moisture. One paint demonstrated gloss retention similar to higher-priced paint systems and was subsequently applied to the company's cars. • Hoechst Celanese was using stainless-steel tank cars to ship dimethyl terepthalate (DMT), but wondered whether a coated carbon steel car could provide adequate product protection at a lower cost. UTLX Coatings Research and Development helped locate another coating that could stand up to the product, as well as developed specific application procedures and inspection schedules with the help of Procor's Oakville, Ontario, shop. After several months of trial shipments, the company's executives became confident enough to use the product as the new standard for DMT shipments. • Canadian customer Cominco Ltd. noticed some of its recently lined sulfuric acid cars developing a bathtub ring where their coatings were beginning to peel off. UTLX Coatings Research and Development learned through discussions with Cominco representatives that a clarifying agent was being added to each loaded tank just before shipping. Tests determined that this agent was the culprit causing the lining reaction, and the condition ended when the clarifying procedure was appropriately modified. Some of our efforts have led to residual benefits for many other shippers.
For instance, Lithcote Direct To Metal Epoxy Paint was internally developed
and now has been adopted as the proprietary finish for leased UTLX cars."
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