Search results

Previous articles in this series have described some of the techniques that are used to characterise paint film properties. In many instances results from such tests are used predictively, that is they yield information on the likely performance of the coating during service. It is however, widely accepted that the most accurate way of determing performance is to actually subject the coating‐substrate combination to the service conditions it will meet in practice, or a close approximation to them. Suitability can then be assessed by periodic inspection and/or by taking measurements of some appropriate parameter which might be expected to change with time. A great many techniques have been developed and refined over the years that are intended to replicate service environments in some simplified and reproducible way; an indication of the range of test methods that can be employed to this end can be seen in a recent article by El‐Sawy. Many of these techniques are suitable for the laboratory and range from simple immersion tests in appropriate solutions through to exposure testing in controlled environment cabinets. Because of the problems of interpreting the results from laboratory simulation testing though, exposure of test panels in the natural environment is also widely practiced. This, the last article in this series, will consider some of the recent literature concerning environmental testing, with particular reference to techniques appropriate for assessing the weather, marine and corrosion resistance of coatings.

There is currently a lack of research describing the best way to design learning environments for increasing numbers of children with autism. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of classroom design on the learning and behaviour of pupils with severe autism. The research variables of interest were classroom layout; furniture, fittings and equipment (FFE); materials; colour scheme; wayfinding; lighting; acoustics; and security.

This study conducted a post-occupancy evaluation of classrooms for pupils with severe autism aged 3–19 in a school ten years after its completion. Data collection included a visual assessment of the building and an online survey to educators and administrators asking how satisfied they were that the research variables benefited pupils with severe autism.

Key findings were that zoned areas for different activities met students’ needs. Withdrawal rooms off the classroom, access to shared hygiene facilities and a secure outdoor area received high ratings. The main criticisms were the lack of robustness of FFE and the inability to control temperature. Results were collated into a table of recommendations for classroom design for severely autistic pupils.

The findings demonstrate classroom features that support the needs of pupils with severe autism, an area with limited prior research. Some findings support previous research and some adds new knowledge to our understanding of design for this population. The results provide empirical evidence for professionals involved in designing classrooms for pupils with severe autism.

To identify a method of evaluation as well as conditions under which corrosion in the form of flash rusting attacks steel treated with a coating of water‐borne binders.

The paper worked with soluble alkaline silicates – sodium silicate – acting as flash rusting inhibitors, while aqueous dispersion binders were used in primer paints. Sodium silicate, potassium silicate and lithium silicate were studied from this point of view. Their inhibiting properties were described with the aid of a scanning method, determination of metal weight loss and electron raster microscopy.

Sodium silicate was identified as a very good flash rusting inhibitor for applications in styrene‐acrylate water‐borne paints.

Sodium silicate, potassium silicate and lithium silicate can be used in industrial coatings as high‐performance inhibitors of flash rusting.

A coating containing corrosion defects occurring during the creation of a film loses its anticorrosion properties and provides only low anticorrosion protection against atmospheric corrosion when the film of coating is later exposed to a corrosion environment. This paper proved that silicates could be very efficient flash rusting inhibitors under certain conditions.

The aim of this paper is to examine whether the process of organisational change in implementing the environmental quality standard ISO 14001 can act as a driving force for sustainable development (SD) and value creation.

The paper first presents an analysis of the concepts of: the ISO 14000 environmental management system (EMS); SD; values‐based value creation; and service quality. These concepts are then applied in a case study of organisational change at Flügger AB (Sweden), a company that has undergone a comprehensive transformation process based on ISO 14001 over a period of more than ten years.

The study reveals that ISO 14001 certification can be used as an active tool for promoting comprehensive organisational changes leading to SD and value creation.

The single case‐study design of the present research does not enable empirical generalisations to be made. Future research in this area should focus on generalising the present findings by studying the development and integration of values‐based thinking in other empirical settings.

The study provides useful insights into the successful adoption of ISO 14000 EMS as an active tool for SD and value creation.

The paper makes an original contribution to the study of holistic organisational change by explicitly linking the adoption of an EMS with values‐based thinking and sustainability.

An organotin copolymer with tin content of 22% was prepared by the reaction of methyl methacrylate and tri‐n‐butyltin methacrylate. The prepared copolymer was incorporated into a paint formulation containing cuprous oxide as an external toxin. Laboratory evaluation of the formulation showed that the average value of the leaching rate of Cu was 7 µg/cm2/day, while the leaching rate of tin was found to be in the range of 0.033 µg/cm2/day. The antifouling performance of the prepared formulation was tested as painted areas on the hull of a trading ship. After about one year's running period through the Mediterranean and Red Sea harbours the tested areas showed good antifouling efficiency compared with the commercial antifouling paint.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the ongoing discourse centred on enhancing building performance to provide an interpretation of life cycle cost (LCC) analysis, directly applicable to building construction in coastal areas located in tropical wet–humid settings.

A survey of 50 buildings based on physical observation is carried out to identify typical failure patterns in wet‒humid environment. Further, a comparative initial construction cost and LCC analysis is computed for two alternative building schemes with identical floor plans: Scheme A using sound construction and detailing to guard against future maintenance problems and Scheme B adopting the typical designs evident in the study area.

The result of the analysis shows that in the long-run scheme, A is an economically more viable option than B, as the increased initial costs are entirely offset by the reduced running cost.

The contextual nature of LCC analysis poses difficulties in applying the evidence provided in this study to provide a generalisable financial justification to buildings clients.

The outcome of the study provides analytical validation to overcome resistances and enables informed decision making by clients, which is necessary to promote transition from conventional to environmentally responsive design choices suitable to wet–humid conditions.

The study provides an interpretation of LCC analysis, directly applicable to building construction in the tropical wet–humid setting of coastal areas against the backdrop of inconsistencies in the practical application of the theory of LCC.

An accelerating trend in the development of aqueous paint has been taking place recently so much so that it has been predicted that at the end of the present decade 80% of all motorcar finishes will be water‐based. Anticorrosion primers are included in these forecasts and there is now available a range of primers based on a new generation of polymers with improved mechanical properties, low moisture vapour permeability, good UV resistance, adhesion and solvent resistance. Using water to protect steel from corrosion would appear to fly in the face of logic, but an ever‐increasing number of paint manufacturers are doing just this. It has been claimed that properly formulated waterborne primers offer performance equal or superior to conventional solvent‐based systems.

The cruise sector has undergone a significant transformation over the past decades, rendering it amongst the fastest growing tourism segments. Nevertheless, cruise holidays represent a relatively small fraction of the entire tourism sector; and so do their economic impacts and externalities. The cruise business has emerged as a result of technological developments in passenger air-transportation and the resulting decline of passenger-shipping. While the increased visibility and over-exposure of its market and product developments may have enabled the re-invention and growth of the cruise sector, they are also amplifiers for its economic and sustainability risks. The purpose of this paper is to relativise both the potential risks and benefits to contribute to more pragmatism in future destination development investments and policies.

Based on a brief historical analysis of cruising and current trends, a realistic future is painted where the passenger and capacity growth rates of cruise tourism gradually level out.

Moreover, the cruise business becomes increasingly technologically driven to maintain profitability and establish its position in the wider experience portfolio of holiday consumers.

Traditionally, the relevance argument for cruise tourism research is based on the reported sector's growth rates and corresponding impacts, positive and negative, on destinations. Yet, the mere reproduction of growth rates and passenger numbers in isolation may well foster a misconception and even an overstatement of the cruise sector's significance and role within the wider tourism context. Arguably, the historical analysis and the comparative statistics contained in this paper paint a much-needed realistic picture and contribute to a deeper understanding of the sector's current dynamics.