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THE LONDON EYE: This is the worlds largest enclosed Ferris Wheel. This magnificent structure was erected on the bank of the River Thames almost opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, England. Components of the structure came from many countries: the crystal gondolas from Italy, steelwork from France, the giant central bearing from Czechoslovakia – and the British Airways blue coating around the piers and base from TFT in Houston. .
THE CHALLENGE: The River Thames is tidal at the London Eye, steelwork driven into the riverbed and around the waterline had to be protected against corrosion even when applied or cured underwater while still matching the “British Airways” blue color.
THE SOLUTION: Chemists at the TFT laboratories in Houston, Texas modified the standard BIO-GARD™ 251 solvent-free epoxy coating to match the RAL 5002 color and curing requirements of the London Eye and produced a brilliant blue version. This material was made in a “Non-Hazmat” quality for simple air shipment and produced at the TFT laboratory.
The coating was flown to England for this project and installed with the assistance of technical personnel from Innovative Epoxy Solutions in the UK.
“Non-Hazmat” and similar non-toxic, non-flammable formulations are a specialty of TFT. In addition to making the workplace safer these products are much easier to ship, especially by air, and are essentially zero VOC at normal temperatures.
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RESULT: The lower legs, structural steel and entire waterline areas of the tour boat embarkation piers were coated with BIO-GARD™ 251 in the specified RAL 5002 color. Applications made at low tide were covered with water before curing as the tide came in however due to the hydrophobic nature of the formulation there was no adverse effect on the color of the cured surface. After over two years of service the coating remains in perfect condition providing beautiful protection to a remarkable structure.
For more information regarding this project contact:
Jeff Longmore, Technical Director
Thin Film Technology, Inc.
P.O. Box 580669
Houston TX, 77258-0669
(713) 910-6200 Bus.
(713) 910-6210 Fax
Email: jeff@thinfilmtech.net
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