Polyurea Great Wall

Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway Polyurea Protection Project

Huang Weibo * Liu Xudong Lu Ping Ma Xueqiang


Research Institute of Functional Materials, Qingdao Technological University, Qingdao, CHINA
*Corresponding author: POB No.111, 11 Fushun Road, Qingdao, CHINA
E-mail: spua@163.com liu.xu.dong-123@163.com


ABSTRACT
This paper presented the polyurea protective project of Beijing-Shanghai High
Speed Railway. It also reviewed the polyurea history in China, introuduced research
and development of polyurea in Qingdao Technological University. The analysis and
discussion on the application problems exposed in the Beijing-Shanghai High Speed
Railway project were performed in this paper. It proposed a polyurethane based all
weather surface preparation system for Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway
polyurea project and settled the long term problem confusing Chinese polyurea
industry. The comprehensive perfermance of surface preparation systems for
Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway polyurea project in jobsite was also
investigated. The pull-off test, tack free time and visual inspection were employed to
determine the adhesion and coverage effect of the bughole on shot blasted concrete
surface. The results indicate that: polyurethane based system porformed an excellent
comprehensive performance better than epoxy based system both in adhesion and in
elimination of pinhole for up coming polyurea application. This polyurea project goes
forward well even in both cold and dry season in the north, and hot and moist season
in the south attributed to this novel polyurethane based system.

Keywords: Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway, polyurea, Polyurethane based surface
preparation system, technical support
1 Introduction
Concrete structures have been widely fabricated in the construction of civil
infrastructure facilities, such as high-speed railway, stadium, tunnels, and over sea
bridges. All of the concrete structures are subjected to environment-induced
deterioration and the concrete is degrading rapidly
[1~2]
. The new kind of coating
protection technique was considered as the most effective method for improving the
durability of the concrete. The preparation of new protective coating materials and the
investigation of high performance coating techniques are significant since coating
protection become the primarily and available method for the protection of concrete
[3]
.
Polyurea is a class of excellent performance protective coating. Aromatic and normal
aliphatic polyureas are there into generally applied in the preparation of the high
weathering durability and anti-corrosion protective coatings
[4~10]
. The
Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, concrete sub grade polyurea protective project,
1

as well as a world famous giant polyurea project also wildly known as Polyurea
Great Wall is unquestioned to be one of the most magnificent feats in polyurea
history.
2 Review Polyurea in China
2.1 Application
The Polyurea Great Wall project is the largest one to use polyurea with
12,000,000 square meters in 2mm in the world since the first commercial application
of the polyurea elastomeric coating/lining technology was used in 1991.With the
successful research of this advanced technology in China, it has attracted much
attention from both academic and industrial fields. This newest technology has been
more than ten years and half of its experimental research and engineering practice is
in China, from early small scale trial of Qingdao Dolphin Aquarium and Dalian Polar
Zoo Stand to the giant project of Olympic stadium stands, Beijing-Tianjin inter-city
railway, Taiwan High Speed Railway and Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway. In
the past 15 years, polyurea traversed an extraordinary glorious experience and scored
tremendous achievements in application. The polyurea achievement was shown in
Table 1.
Table.1 Polyurea Achievement in China
Time Polyurea Project Name Areas, m
2

1999-04-04 Qingdao Dolphin Aquarium 100
2000-07-25 Basketball Field of MCRI 560
2001-10-27 Dalian Polar Zoo Stand 4500
2003-08-16 Tennis Court of Qtech 450
2004-12-12 Taiwan High Speed Railway 50000
2006-07-01 Qingdao Polar Zoo Stand 5500
2006-09-10 Beijing Fengtai Stadium Stand 12000
2007-05-15 Beijing National Theatre Pool 60000
2007-11-20 Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway 1000000
2008-04-24 Stadiums of the 29
th
Olympic Games 300000
2009-05-04 Stadiums of the 11
th
City Games 150000
2010-08-28 Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway 12000000

2.2 Research and Development
The polyurea elastomer coating technology has shown some very significant
inroads since the technology was introduced in the late 1980s. However, over the
years there has been a melding of new various application field, new polyurea system
and new technologies coming up. According to the experience of being engaged in
research and development on polyurea for more than 15 years, Research Institute of
Functional Materials commit their effort to study this new type technology from
chemical formulation design, material properties, aging behavior, engineering
application and so on in a long period. Huang Weibo, LU Ping studied the effect of
curing temperature on morphology and properties of polyurea based on polyaspartic
esters by using FTIR, EIS and AFM
[11]
(shown in Fig.1). The results indicated that
2

curing temperature had great influence on morphology and properties of the polyureas.
LU Ping et al. investigated a novel polyaspartic ester based anticorrosion polyurea
coatings for marine infrastructure protection, it showed that this work could
significantly improve the durability of marine structure
[12]
(shown in Fig.2). Huang
Weibo, Liu Xudong et al. studied the surface preparation systems for polyurea
protective coating of Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway Bridge concrete beams;
the purpose of this research was to provide an all day weather surface preparation
(Polyurethane based) for solving the delamination problem confusing polyurea
industry ranging from raw materials suppliers and distributors, formulator/system
suppliers, contractors, applicators, end-users and consultants. It provided
comprehensive solution for Beijing-Shanghai high speed railway waterproof
membrane application in myriad climatic factors of changes (shown in Fig.3).
4000 3000
40
60
80
100
2000 1000
t
r
a
n
s
m
i
t
t
a
n
c
e
/
%
wa
b



a
ve number/cm
-1

Fig.1 Infrared spectra of PAE based polyureas cured at different temperatures
a-20 ;b-80
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
outdoor insolation
Salt fog aging
F2 B2 T3

T
a
r
n
i
s
h

p
e
r
e
c
n
t
a
g
e
/
%

a
3

0
2
4
6
8
10 outdoor insolation
Salt fog aging
F2 B2 T3

S
t
r
e
n
g
t
h

c
h
a
n
g
e

p
e
r
e
c
n
t
a
g
e
/
%
0.0
1.5
3.0
4.5
6.0
7.5
9.0
out door i nsolat ion
Sal t fog agi ng
F2 B2
8 10 12
T3

E
l
o
n
g
n
a
t
i
o
n

c
h
a
n
g
e

p
e
r
e
c
n
t
a
g
e
/
%

b c
Fig. 2 Performances change percentage of T3T2 and F2 after outdoor insolation and salt fog
exposure for 350days
a- Tarnish percentage; b-Tensile strength; c- Elongation at break
0 2 4 6
1
2
3
4
5
6

onths)
1
4
3
3
5
3
1
1
1
1
1
1

Test Time(M

A
d
h
e
s
i
o
n
(
M
P
a
)
4
4
1
1
3
3
5
4
4
4
3 1
1
1
2
1
E1 E2 PU 50 , ( 90 5) %
E1 E2 PU 0 , ( 30 5) %

Fig.3.Epoxy-1, Epoxy-2 and Polyurethane based surface preparation system adhesion test
results
3 Profile of Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway
The Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway, also known as the Jinghu High-Speed
Railway, is a 1,318 kilometers long high-speed railway that will connect two major
economic zones in the Peoples Republic of China: the Bohai Sea Rim and the
Yangtze River Delta
[13]
.

The continuous operating speed is expected to be 350km/h
(220 mph), with maximum speed up to 380 km/h (240 mph). The average commercial
speed from Beijing to Shanghai will be 330 km/h (210 mph). The train travel time
will reduced from 10 hours to 4 hours. The rolling stock used on this line will be the
CRH trains. An estimated 220,000 passengers are expected to use the trains each day,
which is double the current capacity. During rush hours there should be a train every
five minutes
[14]
. The 164-km long viaduct between Danyang and Kunshan will be the
longest bridge in the world. The line also includes 22 tunnels, 16.1km in total. 1196
km in length will be ballastless. The designed service life of Beijing-Shanghai Speed
Railway is 100 years.
All of concrete beams of high-speed railway are long term subjected to
4

train-induced dynamic load, environment-induced deterioration and the concrete
degrading rapidly. As the success of polyurea technology applying to Beijing-Tianjin
inter-city railway, the whole line of Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway is selected
aromatic polyurea coating as a special membrane with functions of abrasion
resistance, impact resistance, seamless and anti corrosion for 100 years durability of
concrete.
According to Temporary Technological Guideline for Spraying Polyurea As the
Waterproofing Layer on the Bridge Beams of Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway
(Temporary Technological Guideline, lunched by Qingdao Technological University,
China Railway Engineering Consulting Group Co., Ltd. and China Academy of
Railway Sciences)
[15]
, the construction design of aromatic polyurea application for
Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway was shown in Fig.4. the construction of the
protective layer system is divided into two stages, below bed plate and above bed
plate exposed to sunlight. Table 2 presents the main performance index of special
polyurea.

Fig.4 Polyurea protection coating construction design
Table.2 The main performance index
No. Items Specifications
1 Solid content/% 98
2 Gel time/s 45
3 Tack free time/s 120
4 Tensile strength/MPa 16.0
5 Elongation at Break/% 450
6 Tear strength/(N/mm) 50
5

7 Hardness/Shore A 90
8 Heat dilatation- magnification ratio/% 1.0
9 Adhesion/MPa 2.5
10 Peeling Strength/MPa 6.0
11 Water absorption/% 5.0
12 Low temperature bend property/ -40
13 Abrasion Resistance/(cm
3
/1.61km) 0.5
14 Impermeability 0.4MPa,2h impervious
15 Impact, Height arm of fall,100cm No Cracks, No Spalling
4 Challenges
According to Polyurea Great Wall the biggest problems that the polyurea
industry is facing include surface preparation after short blasted concrete beams,
coating delamination and failure, especially in cold and dry season in the north and
hot and moist season in the south
Bridge concrete systems often require vapor barriers or other means of water-
proofing to prevent water and corrosion medium intrusion, which can ultimately lead
to delamination and failure of the coating system
[16]
. All grease compounds and other
foreign matters on the surface should be removed by sand blasting, shot blasting,
mechanical scarification or suitable chemical means. The concrete surface should also
be prepared with a grip enhancing profile to aid the proper adhesion of the substrate
and polyurea system. The shot blasting technology was considered as the best method
of the substrate surface preparation that presented the highest values of bond strength
in shear and in tension of all other considerable techniques
[17]
. Different from
grinding technology which generated a large number of dusts and could not form
completely rough surface applied in Beijing-Tianjin inner-city rail , short blasting
technology was applied in Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway. All defects in the
concrete should be routed and filled with an appropriate compatible material and
surface preparation system. Any bug holes should be filled the same and any sharp or
rough surfaces should be ground to avoid protrusions
[18~19]
. The concrete surface
defects after shot blasting was shown in Fig.5.
6


Fig.5 Concrete surface defects after shot blasting
Adhesion is the most significant factor that affected the performance of polyurea
coatings. Protective coatings must tightly bond to the concrete substrate for long-term
protection against corrosive environments. However, the interface adhesion is highly
affected by a myriad of complicated conditions including material properties,
construction conditions, the application method, the quality of concrete substrate, and
the way that the concrete substrate was prepared for the surface preparation system.
The direct consequence of the adhesion failure was polyurea coating delamination
especially in cold winter. This severe phenomenon widely existed in the polyurea
application of Beijing-Shanghai high speed railway and confused the whole polyurea
industry. Therefore, it is essential to study the influences of these critical factors, so as
to design more reliable coating system and improve the protective performance.
Polyurea delamination on jobsite in hot summer and cold winter was shown in Fig.6.

Fig.6 Polyurea delamination on jobsite in hot summer and cold winter
The tack-free time is a measure of cure process in surface preparation system and
will be correlated to the upcoming polyurea application generally. It is also an
important indicator of the surface preparation system. It could be influenced by a
variety of influencing factors such as ambient temperature, humidity, in particular
during autumn-winter and winter- spring season.
5 Solutions
From October, 2009 to October 2010, this polyurea project met a lot of troubles,
such as: cold and dry season in the north, hot and moist season in the south, thousands
of bug holes on the surface of shot blasted concrete beams, strong wind, extreme cold
and hot in winter and summer, etc. The most difficult case is to fill and level the
surface of shot blasted concrete beams by putty and primers. There is no experience to
fill and level the shot blasted High Performance Concrete beams with thousands of
bug holes and defects.
7

Firstly, the concrete surface was scraped with epoxy putty and primers. Epoxy
system was found not compatible to polyurea especially in cold winter because of its
nature properties: 1) difficult to cure or can not cure in low temperature; 2) high
viscosity in low temperature; 3) brittleness after curing, the three points listed above
were the main factors leading to the failure of upcoming polyurea coating.
According to the patent methods
[20]
, a new kind of all weather based surface
preparation system (Polyurethane based) was launched in June, 2009. It provided
comprehensive solution for Beijing-Shanghai high speed railway polyurea application
in myriad climatic factors.
It is extremely cold in Dec. 2009 to Feb. 2010. Hebei and Shandong provinces were
-10-20 with dry, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces were 0-5 with wet.
Polyurea was easy to delaminate from epoxy primers. Polyurethane based All Weather
Substrates Preparation System was accelerated to cure with catalyst in winter to
change this serious situation.
It is extremely hot in Jun. to Aug. 2010. Hebei and Shandong provinces were 40
with dry, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces were 40 with humidity. Polyurea was easy
to delaminate from epoxy primers. Polyurethane based All Weather Substrates
Preparation System was adjusted to slow the cure with special solvents in summer to
change this serious situation.
5.1 Jobsite tests
Simultaneously, epoxy based and Polyurethane based surface preparation systems
of polyurea protective coatings for concrete were selected to investigate their
adhesion characteristics, tack-free time and coverage effect under different ambient
temperatures and humidity.
The main composition of the studied coating systems codified by E1, E2 and PU
based were presented in Table 3. PU based surface preparation system was prepared
according to the patent methods
[20]
.



Table 3 Main composition of paint systems
Code Primer Putty Intermediate Topcoat
Total
thickness(m)
E1 Epoxy
Epoxy
based
Aromatic
polyurea
Aliphatic
Acrylicpolyurethane
2220
E2 Epoxy
Epoxy
based
Aromatic
polyurea
Aliphatic
Acrylicpolyurethane
2210
Polyurethane
based
PU PU based
Aromatic
polyurea
Aliphatic
Acrylicpolyurethane
2150
The pull-off tests
[21]
(according to ASTM D4541-02) were used to determine the
bonding strength of coatings to concrete under different ambient temperatures (T) and
8

humidity (H). Bonding strength was determined by pulling the metal fixture of the
substrate. A schematic diagram of the test used for adhesion was shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 7. Schematic diagram of the test
5.2 Adhesion results
The test results of adhesion in situ under different ambient condition were
presented in Fig. 8. It showed that the bonding strength development law, failure
models, the maximum value and environment adaptability were different with the test
time. Fig. 8 showed the bonding strength development law of Polyurethane based
surface preparation system increased at first and then tended to be stable during the
test period. E1 and E2 performed lower bonding strength than Polyurethane based
system under the same condition. It indicated that the Polyurethane based system
showed a better performance than E1 and E2 system. This phenomenon can be
explained as follows: the Polyurethane based system was a kind of polyurethane
based system which was applied in wet ambient it acted as moisture cured
polyurethane system and under cold dry condition it acted as plural-component
polyurethane system. The epoxy based showed an unsatisfactory effect performance,
as viscosity and liquidity of epoxy based system (E1, E2) were very sensitive to the
application temperature and humidity in site especially in cold winter it led to high
changes of internal properties in coating system, which induced to the first signs of
delamination.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
2 4 6 8 10 12

4
4
4
5
5 4
4
4
3
1
1
1
1
3
1
1
1
2
4
3
4
5
5
4
4
3
4
5
5
3
E1(cold dry) E1(hot wet)
E2(cold dry) E2(hot wet)
PU PU
Test Time(Months)
1
A
d
h
e
s
i
o
n
(
M
P
a
)

Fig.8. Adhesion test results from jobsite
*1. The blue straight dash line stands for 2.5MPa according to Temporary Technological
Guideline)
5.3 Tack free time tests
Tack free time was an important indicator of surface preparation system; it played a
9

significant role in upcoming polyurea application. The tack free time tests of three
kinds of systems on jobsite were given in Fig.9.
PU
E1
H
o
t w
e
t c
o
n
d
itio
n
--
C
o
ld
d
ry
c
o
n
d
itio
n
0
2
4
6
8
1
0
E2
T
a
c
k

F
r
e
e

T
i
m
e
,
H
o
u
r
s


Fig.9. Tack free time tests on jobsite.
Fig.9 showed that the tack free time of Polyurethane based surface preparation
system was lower than E1 and E2 surface preparation system. The best tack free time
was less than 4 hour according Temporary Technological Guideline. It can be
obviously obtained that the tack free time of E1 and E2 system was far beyond the
limit (4 hour) especially in low temperature, the tack free time prolong to about 7.3
hour even to 24 hour, it mainly due to the low temperature react activity of epoxy
based system. The upcoming polyurea application would be delayed for long tack free
time of E1 and E2 system.
5.4 Coverage effect
At Beijing-Shanghai high speed rail way construction jobsite Kunshan, Jiangsu
Province, the coverage effect tests of three kinds of surface preparation system were
conducted under the same environmental condition (T:2,H: 85%). The results were
given in Fig.10. As evident from the Figs, the coverage effect of EP1 and EP2 surface
preparation system were not satisfactory. There were still a lot of bugholes, pinholes
and defects (Fig.10a, b) on concrete surface. While Polyurethane based surface
preparation system showed a good coverage effect, the coverage ratio reached 100%,
there were nearly no defects on the prepared concrete surface.

a b
Fig. 10. Coverage effect (a) EP base treatment system (b) Polyurethane based base treatment
system
6 Technical supports
10

According to the experience of being engaged in research and development for
decades of years, Qingdao Technological University took parting in drifting the
Temporary Technological Guideline for this project, the work team technical support
of Qingdao Technological University spread from Beijing to Shanghai in this whole
railway line, the technical support contained as follows:
1). Polyurea construction design
2). Polyurea raw material preparation
3). Polyurea chemical formulation
4). Polyurea testing both in lab and in jobsite
5). Training course in jobsite
a) Temporary Technological Guideline for Spraying Polyurea As the
Waterproofing Layer on the Bridge Beams of Beijing-Shanghai High
Speed Railway.
b) The core content of the monograph Spray Polyurea Elastomer
Technology.
c) The systems of GRACO-HXP3/MP and 20/35Pro/DI.
d) Shot blasting machine, automatic spray rig, adhesion tester, thickness
gauge, temperature measurement instrument.
e) Polyurethane based all-weather substrate processing system,
automatic/manual spray skill and technology.
f) Trouble shooting and quick solution, fast identification method of pure
polyurea vs hybrid.
6). Consulting and technical service
7). Supervision and Quality control
8). Originating and holding working conference to resolve application problems
Technical support was given in Fig.11.

a b

c d
Fig.11 Technical support
a-Jobsite training; b-Jobsite consulting; c-Research in lab; d-Jobsite adhesion testing
11

7 Conclusions
Polyurea technology may be somewhat of a newcomer to the industry, but it has
shown a good deal of versatility and application use. It provides for an extremely
good cost and time effective solution to a variety of protective coating applications
over conventional technologies. With the excellent mechanical properties and the
advanced applying application characters, Polyurea is catching the eyes of engineers
in many industrial fields and has been increasingly investigated and applied in recent
years. The Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway polyurea project writes wonderfully
new and successful chapters in the history of polyurea. However, its success is
inseparable from the concerted efforts of Qingdao Technological University,
especially for new kind of surface preparation system, Polyurethane based surface
preparation plays a significant role in the polyurea application of Beijing-Shanghai
high speed railway, and it has completely solved the polyurea application problem all
the year round.
Acknowledgement
This study was supported by the Polyurea Development Associate China, Research
Institute of Functional Materials of Qingdao Technological University and various
industries.
8 References
[1] Mehta PK, Gerwick BC. Concrete in the service of modern world. In: Proceedings of
International Conference on Concrete in the Service of Mankind, University of Dundee,
Scotland. 1996.
[2] S.Srinvasan, N.S.Rengaswamy. Concrete corrosion and monitoring. Chemical Weekly, 1998,
43 (39):163-166
[3] Dulaijan SU, Maslehuddin M, Al-Zahrani MM, Al-Juraifani EA, Alidi SA, Al-Meththel M.
Performance evaluation of cement based surface coatings. In: Proceedings of 2000
International Conference, Repair, Rehabilitation and Maintenance of Concrete Structures and
Innovations in Design and Construction, Seoul, Korea, September 19-22, 2000. p. 321-38.
[4] Howarth G.A. Polyurethanes, polyurethane dispersions and polyureas: Past, present and
future. Surface coatings international part B: coatings transactions. 2003, 86(2):111-118
[5] Carl Angeloff, Edward P. Squiller, Kurt E. Best two component aliphatic polyurea coating for
high productivity applications. Proceedings of the Industrial Protective Coatings Conference.
Atlanta: SSPC, 2001.99-110
[6] Edward P. Squiller. Aliphatic polyurea coatings based on polyaspartic esters. Proceedings of.
polyurea development association conference. New Orleans: PDA, 2000.115-118
[7] Munger, Charles G., Corrosion Prevention by Protective Coatings, Second Edition. National
Association of Corrosion Engineers, 1999.
[8] Lu Ping, HUANG Wei-bo, GAO Song, CHEN Guo-hua. Study on the Properties of
Polyaspartic Polyurea Coated Concrete under Salt Fog Exposure. 3rd international
conference on concrete,2008.10,yantai, China
[9] LU Ping, Xu Yan, Huang Wei-bo, The Aging Characteristic of Polyaspartic Ester Polyurea
12

13

Coatings with Different Hard Segment Contents in Marine Environment, Corrosion &
Protection.2008, (29)3:116-118
[10] LU Ping, CHEN Guo-hua, HUANG Wei-bo, Degradation of Polyaspartic Polyurea Coating
under Different Accelerated Weathering Tests. Journal of Sichuan University. 2007,
(39)2:91-97
[11] Ping Lu, Weibo Huang, Hui Shi and Li Zhu. Effect of Curing Temperature on Morphology
and Properties of Polyureas Based on Polyaspartic Esters[J]. Materials Science Forum,2010,
650(32): 33-37.
[12] Ping Lu, Weibo Huang, Hui Shi and Li Zhu. Preperties of Linear Polyaspartic Polyurea
Coated Concrete under NaCl Solution Immersion and Co-action of Load and NaCl Solution
Immersion [J]. Materials Science Forum, 2010, 650(32): 33-37.
[13] Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Line, China. Railway-Technology.com, 2008-09-25.
[14] Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway System Optimization Research. China Railway Press.
p. 10. ISBN 978-7-113-09517-8.
[15] Huang Weibo.et al. Temporary Technological Guideline for Spraying Polyurea As the
Waterproofing Layer on the Bridge Beams of Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway. Beijing,
2009.8
[16] Dudley J. Primeaux II. Blister, Pinholing & Bughole Troubleshooting. www.polyurea.com.
[17] Huang Weibo, Spray Polyurea Elastomer Technology, Chemical Industry Press: Beijing, 2005
[18] Murph Mahaffey. Polyurea Flooring Application Profiles-Specifications to Coating. The 4th
PDA conference.
[19] Robert Johnson. Surface Preparation of Successful Coating of Concrete. The 4th PDA
conference.
[20] Huang Weibo, Lu Ping, Li Zhi-gao. CHINA. Patent 200910017392.1[P]; A surface
preparation system of concrete substrate of railway special passenger line.2009-08-03
[21] National Standards of CHINA GB/T 14902-2003. Ready-Mixed concrete. Beijing, 2003.12
[22] ASTM Designation D4541-02, Standard Test Method for Pull-off Strength of Coatings Using
Portable Adhesion Testers, 2002.
[23] ASTM Designation C679-03(Reapproved 2009)
E1
. Standard Test Method for Tack-Free
Time of Elastomeric Sealants
1
, 2009.