Solvent-Free Coating Composition for Vibration Damping

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Solution Overview

Problem

Coatings with volatile components face issues such as contraction and 'mudcracking' due to lack of cohesive strength, leading to surface defects and reduced sound and vibration damping effectiveness, especially when exposed to water, which also causes damage and increased weight.

Innovation Solution

A coating composition comprising a polymer formed from functional monomers with unreacted reactive groups and a reactive diluent with ethylenically unsaturated double bonds, combined with a filler material, achieving a high solids content of at least 95% and a dry film thickness of at least 1 mm for enhanced sound and vibration damping.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If a coating contains volatile components (water and/or organic solvent), then the coating can be applied and cured through evaporation, but the coating undergoes volume decrease and contraction forces that cause mudcracking and surface defects

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoating application and curingVSAvoidsurface defect free
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the fundamental parameter of the coating composition by using a solvent-free formulation with high solids content (at least 95%), eliminating the volatile components that cause contraction and mudcracking while maintaining coating applicability through reactive diluents

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a composite coating system combining polymer particles, reactive diluents, and fillers in a solvent-free matrix, where the interconnected polymer network provides cohesive strength to resist contraction forces during curing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Stability of the object's composition

If a coating lacks sufficient cohesive strength to resist contraction parallel to the substrate surface, then the coating can accommodate volume decrease, but the coating breaks up into small flat segments separated by gaps or continuous linear voids

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoating integrity during curingVSAvoidcoating continuity
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses spherical polymer particles that pack and fuse together during curing to form a continuous network, where the curved surfaces of adjacent particles interlock to provide cohesive strength and prevent segmentation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a composite structure where polymer particles form an interconnected network embedded with fillers, providing a three-dimensional framework that resists contraction forces and maintains coating continuity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

3Reliability

If exposure to water is unavoidable, then the coating must provide water resistance, but water absorption increases coating weight, softens the coating, and reduces damping

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewater resistanceVSAvoidcoating weight
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts water-absorbing components from the coating formulation, using a solvent-free composition with hydrophobic polymer and filler materials that inherently resist water absorption while maintaining low coating weight

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a composite coating with hydrophobic polymer matrix and water-resistant filler materials that work together to provide water resistance while maintaining low density and effective damping properties

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The coating composition effectively resists contraction and maintains sound and vibration damping properties while minimizing water absorption, resulting in a stable and durable film with improved performance.

Implementation Method 1

Coatings that contain a volatile component, such as water and/or an organic solvent, undergo a decrease in volume as the volatile component evaporates from the surface of the coating

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectEvaporation: Evaporation

Implementation Method 2

Without intending to be bound by any particular theory, it is believed that if the coating has sufficient cohesive strength, the coating will contract in only one dimension in a manner such that the coating thickness will decrease while the coating resists contraction in any direction parallel to the substrate surface

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCohesion: Cohesion

Implementation Method 3

EP 1253176 A2 and WO 2013/174611, for example, describe solvent-free acrylic coating compositions for vibration damping applications

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectViscoelasticity: Viscoelasticity

Data Source

PatentEP3632940B1Coating compositions, coatings and methods for sound and vibration damping and water resistance
Publication Date: 2022.11.30 PPG INDUSTRIES OHIO INC

AI summary

A coating composition having a measured solids content of at least 95 % according to test method ASTM D2369 is disclosed. The composition includes a mixture of (a) a polymer prepared from one or more functional monomers having a (meth)acrylic monomer, an allyl monomer, or combinations thereof each having an ethylenically unsaturated double bond and an additional reactive functional group, and (b) a reactive diluent. At least some of the additional reactive functional group of the functional monomer remains unreacted during formation of the polymer. The reactive diluent has at least one ethylenically unsaturated functional group, no additional functionality, and a boiling point of greater than 100°C. The ethylenically unsaturated functional group of the reactive diluent and the additional reactive functional group remaining within the polymer do not react. Also disclosed are coatings formed from the cured coating composition and methods for providing sound and vibration damping through a substrate.