The Development of a Surface Finisher of Car Park Slab Using Waterborne Silicon Acrylic with Polyamide [Part II: Safety Tests]

Abstract

Due to the environmental concerns of solventborne coating systems, environmental directives have recently been promulgated in many countries. Additionally, integrated environmental policies have been pushed in many fields to minimise influences on the environment. Waterborne silicon acrylic finishers have gained much interest to replace the traditional finishing system. To satisfy the requirements, a waterborne finisher with polyamide was previously developed and its performance was determined. For further safety assessment, various tests were conducted, such as gas toxicity, heavy metals tests, chemical resistance test and chloride migration test, followed by equivalent standards. In the cases of gas toxicity and heavy metals evaluations, both results were acceptable considering their corresponding standards, e.g. KS F 2271, KS F 3888-2 and BS EN 71-3. Based on the evaluation, silicon acrylic with 30% mix ratio of polyamide resin (SA+PR30%) could be implemented as an environmentally friendly finisher for various applications. In the chemical resistance and chloride migration test results, the developed finisher showed a barrier effect in the chemical environment. Thus, the developed finisher could be an alternative finisher applicable for slabs in chemical industrial areas.