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THE CHALLENGE: A major theme park attraction in Orlando, Florida uses an aboveground ėcanalî with a constant current to convey unpowered boats around a lively scenario with leaping pirates, swashbuckling rogues and piles of loot. The canal sides are dry jointed walls poured onto a concrete base. Areas of this joint and base leak sufficiently under a 3-foot head to cause annoying water ponding and unacceptable loss of valuable water. Because of the constant demand for this attraction it was out of the question to drain the canal for maintenance.
THE SOLUTION: Thin Film Technology, working with Poly-Tuff Coatings of Clearwater, Florida attended to exhibit one evening after normal activities had closed for the day. Poly-Tuff personnel wearing waders entered the canal and water jetted the concrete base underwater using a 3,000 psi pressure washer. The constant current in the canal swept most of the fine debris into drains while larger pieces of debris were removed by hand.
In order to make the canal as unobtrusive as possible the BIO-DUR® 560 was tinted to a very dark gray, which appears almost black after installation.
BIO-DUR® 560 is water tolerant, 1/1 ratio solvent-free epoxy coating manufactured by TFT. Application was made by pressure rolling onto the prepared concrete surface using a Poly-Tuff pressure roller unit. This equipment heats and accurately proportions the BIO-DUR® 560 components then mixes and pumps them to the pressure roller unit underwater. The Poly-Tuff operator, who had never applied coating underwater before, rolled the BIO-DUR® 560 over the surface achieving immediate adhesion and 100% coverage.
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RESULT: The large test area was properly covered with tightly adherent, glossy BIO-DUR® 560 resulting in an attractive, dark surface. Water leaks were seen to stop immediately, subsequent inspections made over a period of months following this application confirm the complete integrity and perfect sealing of the leaks in the test area. Present status is that this application continues to be observed prior to large scale underwater coating of the attraction.
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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