Standard Practice for Evaluating the Effects of Outdoor Weathering on Pipeline Coatings

Abstract

4.1 Since coated pipe may be stored outdoors for long periods before burial, weathering tests described in this practice are needed to evaluate the stability of these coatings stored outdoors. The results obtained should be treated only as indicating the general effect of weathering. Exposure conditions vary greatly from year to year, from one part of a year to another, and from locality to locality. The results of short-term (6-month) exposure tests are more meaningful if exposure is started in the spring in order to include the summer, when ambient temperatures are warmest and more radiant energy from the sun is received. In some southern climates where climatic conditions are more uniform throughout the year, the time of year when short-term exposure is started is less critical. In all localities, the longer the exposure period, the more repeatable are the results obtained.