blues are more tropical,” Tustin-Fuchs explained.
More specifically, here’s what’s
trending in each color family.
Reds: The berry tones of the past
few years are being replaced by vibrant
reds with orange undertones. Think
tomato red, a tangy attention-grab-bing colour that pairs well with warm
browns, spicy oranges and golden yellows. The new reds also work nicely
with elegant darks, jewel tones and other bright tones. The top red pick of the
Dulux brand for the year is Tender Rose
(10YR 16/407).
Oranges: Terracotta and spice hues
will be all the rage in the coming year,
moving away from the melon and pink-
orange tones of seasons past. Lively and
expressive, the new oranges are both
soothing and eclectic, warmed up with
pastel pinks and greys, or cooled down
with turquoise or dark blue. Oranges of
2014 – including Pagoda (60YR 36/468)
from the Dulux brand – work particularly well on an accent wall.
Yellows: Trendy yellows for 2014
range from gentle pastels to cheery
brights to antiqued golds, all exuding an
air of warmth and optimism. Most popular will be a delicate, buttery yellow –
such as May Yellow (50YY 75/254) from
Dulux paint – that coordinates well with
many of the year’s stylish colours, including rusty oranges, muted neutrals and
warm browns.
Greens: Building off the growing
popularity of emerald and teal, the
2014 greens, such as Sea Isle (10GG
57/307) from Dulux paint, take their
cue from lavish jewel tones. Leaning
more towards blue than yellow, the
hottest green shade for the year is cool
mint. Playful yet delicate, this hue
pairs well with more intense greens,
as well as blue, pink, soft neutrals and
pale khaki.
Blues: Oceanic blues will take centre
stage in the blue family over the coming
year. From deep Mediterranean Sea-like
colours to tropical Caribbean tones and
the airy, ethereal hues reminiscent of the
earth’s atmosphere, the new blues take on
a natural dazzle. Used easily as a feature
color or bold accent, the key blue from
Dulux paint for 2014 is Huckleberry
(70BB 10/275).
Violets: Purples will move in two different directions in 2014, towards both
red-purples and blue-purples. Those with
reddened undertones are vibrant and daring, while blue-tinged violets are soft,
diluted and retreating. Popular Dulux
paint purple choices for the year ahead
are Deep Aubergine (13RR 06/179) and
Picton (10RB 36/082).
BASF Supplies Superior Edge Protection for Rotor Blades
Wind turbines need to have a service life of 20 years in order to be
economically efficient. BASF has now developed a robust paint
that protects rotor blades even better, especially on the edges,
according to the company. RELEST Wind LEP technology offers
four times higher resistance than conventional solutions.
Wind turbine rotor blades are exposed to enormous stresses.
At the blade tips, speeds can reach up to 300
kilometers per hour. Add to that the impacts
of rain, hail, snow, sand and UV radiation. The
rotor blade edges are most vulnerable to impacts. This is because the rotor blades – generally 40 to 60 meters long and in many cases
even up to 90 meters long – consist of parts
that have been joined together. The glued
seam runs along the blade edge.
“To protect the edges from erosion, sand
and water, we have developed the new product RELEST Wind LEP. This new generation
of polyurethane coating protects this sensitive area of the rotor blade even better,” explained Harald Müller, technology management for Post-Coatings at BASF.
Rain erosion resistance tests have demon-
strated the paint’s superior protective func-
tion. RELEST Wind LEP has achieved results that are up to four
times better than conventional solutions currently available on
the market. To test rain erosion resistance, BASF uses a rain ero-
sion test apparatus at its Oldenburg site. The device supplies
data that simulate reality. The test specimens rotate on special
mounts in the testing stand and can reach speeds of 500 kilo-
meters per hour. At this speed, water drops are introduced into
the test stand (around 30 liters per hour) so that they hit the test
specimens. This experimental design creates conditions that are
very similar to those real rotor blades are subjected to.
Creating optimum protective properties
and allowing easy application were both pri-
orities during development. “The product
has to fit our customers’ individual needs.
Rotor blade coating is performed in a vari-
ety of ways depending on the manufacturer,
for instance, by hand with brushes, rollers or
spraypainting. The paint can be used with all
of these methods,” Müller said. Other ad-
vantages of the paint include the fact that the
product can be applied under a wide range
of climate conditions and that despite the
elasticity of the coating, it can be sanded, for
example, for touch-up jobs.
Apart from edge protection, BASF offers other RELEST coatings for rotor blades.
All parts of the system, which includes gel-coat, putty, edge protection and topcoat,
consist of solvent-free, two-component polyurethane compounds and comply with current VOC regulations. With its
RELEST Wind RepKit, BASF also offers refinish solutions for
minor damage to the finish.
Rotor blade coating is performed in
a variety of ways depending on the
manufacturer, for instance, by hand with
brushes, rollers or spraypainting. The
new BASF-paint can be used with all of
these methods.
