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POWDER COATING, August 2016 3 Coating Thickness Material Analysis Microhardness Material Testing legedly allowed those workers to handle caustic chemicals improperly. These conditions exposed them to serious burn, fire, chemical burn, electric shock, and eye, face, and hand injuries. Lake Compounce was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest, continuously operating theme parks in the US. Data on OSHA's website indicates that the theme park has previously been under inspection. In 2001, a fatality occurred when a maintenance worker who was cutting grass was killed when one of the roller coasters allegedly malfunctioned. In the investigation following the fatal- ity, OSHA issued 24 serious violations and seven other-than-serious violations with fines totaling $29,000. The park settled with OSHA for at least one of the violations being dismissed and a re- duced penalty of $14,500. An inspec- tion in 2008 resulted in the theme park paying reduced fines related to three se- rious fall violations. In 2011, a third in- spection resulted in no citations. Coating detects unseen structural damage CHAMPAIGN, Ill.—Researchers at the University of Illinois are developing a new polymer coating meant to deliver a clear indication of structural damage so small that it would otherwise be un- detectable to the naked eye yet still capa- ble of catastrophic failure. When those structural materials suffer even the slightest damage, the coating changes color to alert inspectors to the problem. Potential applications include airplanes, bridges, and pipelines. The research team is led by Illinois pro- fessor of materials science and engineer- ing Nancy Sottos, aerospace engineering professor Scott White, and postdoctoral researcher Wenle Li. Their findings were published in a paper titled "Au- tonomous Indication of Mechanical Damage in Polymeric Coatings" in the scientific journal Advanced Materials. In the lab, the scientists placed micro- capsules filled with a yellow pH-sensi- tive dye in an epoxy resin. A crack, scratch, fracture, or any kind of stress on the material would break the capsule and release the dye. When the dye re- acted with the epoxy, an unmistakable c o l o r c h a n g e o c c u r r e d — t h e d y e changed from light yellow to a bright red. A crack as small as 10 micrometers is enough to cause the color change, in- dicating a loss of structural integrity. This helps to assess the extent of the damage, as a deeper abrasion or crack will break open more microcapsules, leading to a more intense red. Detecting damage before significant corrosion or other problems can occur provides increased safety and reliability for coated structures and composites. Testing showed that the coating is effec- tive on a variety of materials, including metals, polymers, and glasses. The coat- ing also possesses long-term stability and offers a low-cost solution to pre- venting structural failures. The research team is now turning its at- tention to finding additional applica- tions for its "damage indication sys- tem." Possibilities include applying it to fiber-reinforced composites and inte- grating it with the group's previous work in self-healing systems. LED light meant to improve visibility DEER PARK, Tex.—Equipment provider Marco Group International has announced the release of a new lighting tool for use in abrasive blasting applications. The new Blastmaster 308 Series LED Hose-Mounted Light is de- signed to provide a crisp light to illumi- nate the area being abrasive blasted and give the operator better visibility of the work surface. Designed to be used with multiple power sources, the LED light is said to be ideal for a wide range of ap- plications, including blast rooms, blast yards, storage tanks, and more. The three-LED module design pro- duces a 45-inch, round pattern of bright white light at 18 inches from the sur- face. The brightness created is similar to that of daylight. The light includes an abrasion-resistant urethane body that weighs only 11 ounces, which is meant to minimize additional weight on the blast hose that could lead to operator fa- tigue. The shatter-resistant borosilicate lens was designed to protect the long- lasting LED module.