VISCOTAQ® Product FAQ’s

For maintenance and in the ditch applications, an easy-to-apply coating is of utmost importance. Unlike, for instance, tapes, a continuous homologue layer of coating is favorable to prevent spiral effects. Most importantly, the adhesion of a viscous elastic coating is created on a molecular level, such that water cannot penetrate between the coating and the surface. Salts have an impact on spray-applied coatings, where viscous elastic coatings are not adversely influenced in their performance by salts. They encapsulate any residue due to the viscous component of the material. Therefore, the viscouselastic coating outperforms conventional coatings in the field.

VISCOTAQ is a true viscous elastic material. It does not use any butyl or rubber-type components but is amorphous. Furthermore, VISCOTAQ is a solid material, therefore stable, once applied. Other viscous elastic systems are fluid-type materials and therefore are continuously in a dynamic phase. Especially under elevated temperatures and/or under an angle at soil-to-air transitions, this system may show some sliding, where VISCOTAQ does not. The reason is that VISCOTAQ is a solid with a melting point at 152.9 C and a true yield point at elevated temperature.

The elastic component creates a memory effect during damage, while the viscous component creates some flowing properties. Let’s say somebody punctures the coating. The outer wrap has some tension around the product and enough to create some flow: the material oozes out of the pinhole, and the repair is automatically made.

We have tested VISCOTAQ with different grades of surface preparation, and as a rule, one can say that the higher the grade of surface preparation, the better the adhesion of a material will be. With VISCOTAQ, surface preparation is less sensitive, and one can say that everything above a commercial brush preparation is sufficient for a proper performance of the coating. Our advice, however, is to always clean at a level SA 2-1/2 or NACE SSPC 10. This always gives the best performance.

You can use VISCOTAQ as a repair material for pipeline coatings; however, the material is not suitable for the remediation of pipelines, i.e., repair of wall thickness. VISCOTAQ can withstand low-pressure leaks in pipes, but for higher pressures, we advise using composite materials or welded steel sleeves.

A yield point is the point where the viscous component starts to overrule the elastic component. At this yield point, the material starts to flow.

No, also not at elevated temperatures. This is one of the unique properties of VISCOTAQ visco-elastic coatings. Unlike other viscoelastic materials, VISCOTAQ is formulated to have a uniform layer thickness around the pipe under normal circumstances. This is the advantage of a solid material and a true yield point.

Yes, you can, although it depends very much upon the situation in and near the pipeline trench(es) if this will help you to improve the speed of operation. In the case of bell holes, one may consider wrapping by hand, as one may have several teams wrapping at the same time in different bell holes. With a wrapping machine, one needs to change rolls, and one needs to move the machine from one bell hole to another, and these actions also require time. In case of a continuous run in one trench, a wrapping machine might be advantageous, although we think one should consider this only for longer distances.

Yes, you can. VISCOWRAP is a solid and has a Heavy Duty PE as an outer wrap, and hence a very high mechanical impact. The best way is to lift the pipe by hooks at both ends and consequently lower it into the trench. In this way, you avoid coating damage as much as possible. In the case of long-distance transportation, VISCOTAQ Rockshield Protection is available for protecting the coating.

Yes, absolutely! Although VISCOTAQ products can be considered as a solid at the end, the material has cold flow and wetting characteristics and will penetrate the pores of the substrate. The bond of VISCOTAQ material increases over time. VISCOTAQ will always show a cohesive fracture, which means that when the material is peeled off, it will break apart and leave a corrosion-protective layer on the pipe. In this way, one always has the guarantee of corrosion prevention, which makes VISCOTAQ so unique.

Every batch of VISCOTAQ material has a batch number indicating, among others (but not limited to), the date of production, the machine where it has been produced, the raw components that have been used, et cetera. The material made from each batch is turned into a final product that is packed in heavy-duty triple-wall carton boxes. All cartons are packed on pallets with side stacks and sealed into seaworthy pallets. Pallets can be stacked in a 20 or 40 container. For each roll shipped, the date of production and production details can be retrieved.

Yes. VISCOTAQ is a joint invention of Kleiss & co. and Amcorr Products and Services, and patents have been applied for worldwide. VISCOTAQ can be considered an improved viscoelastic coating technology. The goal has been to develop a viscoelastic coating with improved coating characteristics. VISCOTAQ, for instance, is a solid material designed as a pressure-sensitive adhesive. As a solid, it will not show any dripping behavior at elevated temperatures and cause unequal coating thicknesses. Moreover, due to its solid characteristics, the material will show good resistance against shear. When tested against shear (Alyeska Shear Test January 2010), the material showed no shear at 23 C, and the shear at 50 C stopped after 50 hours and was minimal. Even at an elevated temperature of 80°C, the shear was only 5 mm/hour, and a cohesive fracture was witnessed, leaving material on the pipeline for corrosion prevention.

Yes, but this depends on the ambient temperature and the type of VISCOTAQ material. The higher the temperature, the quicker the tack. As a solid, the adhesion process is different from that of a typical fluid, but at the end, the adhesion of VISCOTAQ is tremendous and unrivaled due to the design of the material, which can be explained by specific rheological models, and due to the low surface tension. Actually, this is one of the key points of the invention and the patent.

You can expect a cohesive fracture. And a cohesive fracture is a cohesive fracture: when peeling off, the material breaks apart, and a layer is left on the pipe. Officially, a peel test should be done after 7 days according to the EN 12068. In case this is not possible, we advise you to wait 72 hours before doing such a test, as VISCOTAQ needs a certain time to completely adhere to the substrate. Once adhesion is obtained, it is impossible to peel the VISCOTAQ product off the substrate!

Never say never….There may always be unforeseen circumstances like earthquakes, unknown or unforeseen chemicals in the ground, earth slides, natural disasters, etc., that can cause a change in the underground conditions, and of course, nothing lasts forever. But to answer the question: No, you will not get any corrosion within a reasonable time span.

Yes, you can. VISCOWRAP is a solid and has a Heavy Duty PE as an outer wrap, and hence a very high mechanical impact. The best way is to lift the pipe by hooks at both ends and consequently lower it into the trench. In this way, you avoid coating damage as much as possible.