FADING - Lightening of the paint's color, usually caused by exposure to light, heat or the weather.
FAN PATTERN - The geometry of a spray pattern.
FATIGUE - The phenomenon leading to fracture of a material under repeated or fluctuating stresses having a maximum value less than the tensile strength of the material.
FATIGUE STRENGTH - The maximum stress that can be sustained for a specified number of cycles without failure.
FAULT CURRENT - A current that flows from one conductor to ground or to another conductor due to an abnormal connection (including an arc) between the two. A fault current flowing to ground may be called a ground fault current.
FEATHER EDGING - Reducing the thickness of the edge of a dry paint film, e.g., the edge of a damaged area, prior to repainting.
FEATHERING - Reducing the thickness of the edges of an undamaged coating film, such as adjacent to a damaged coating or rusted area, by abrasion or sanding to produce a smoothly tapered transitional area prior to recoating.
FERRITE - The body-centered cubic crystalline phase of iron-based alloys.
FERRITIC STEEL - A steel whose microstructure at room temperature consists predominantly of ferrite.
FERROUS - (1) A chemical compound that contains iron in the bivalent (2+) state. (2) Any metal alloy based primarily on iron.
FERROUS - Refers to a metal that contains primarily iron, such as steel, stainless steel and cast iron.
FIBERGLASS-REINFORCED PLASTIC - A resin-rich coating or lining into which layers of fiberglass reinforcement have been incorporated to produce mechanical and physical properties superior to the base resin itself.
FIELD COAT - The coat or coats applied at the site of erection or fabrication.
FIELD PAINTING - Surface preparation and painting operation of structural steel or other materials conducted at the project site.
FIELD STANDARD - A quality control reference product (e.g., surface) used for comparison to construction work at the job site.
FILIFORM CORROSION - Corrosion that occurs under a coating in the form of randomly distributed thread-like filaments.
FILM - A thin, not necessarily visible layer of material.
FILM FORMATION - The paint's ability to form a continuous dry film. In a latex paint this process is the result of the water evaporating and the fusion of the binder particles.
FILM INTEGRITY - Continuity of a coating free of defects.
FINGERING - A broken spray pattern delivering heavier paint to one area than another.
FINISH - (1) Final coat in a paint system. (2) Sometimes refers to the entire coating system
FINISH COAT - See Topcoat.
FISH EYE - A small dimple or crater resembling a fish eye that forms in a wet applied coating. See Crater.
FISH EYES - Paint defect that manifests itself by the crawling of wet paint into a recognized pattern resembling small “dimples” or “fish eyes.”
FLAKING - The detachment of pieces of the paint film itself either from its substrate or from paint previously applied. Flaking (scaling) is generally preceded by cracking, checking or blistering and is the result of loss of adhesion usually due to stress-strain factors.
FLAMMABILITY - Those characteristics of a material that pertain to its relative ease of ignition and relative ability to sustain combustion.
FLAMMABLE - Any substance easily ignited in the presence of a flame; any liquid having a flash point below 100°F (37.8°C).
FLAMMABLE LIMITS - The concentration of flammable vapor in air, oxygen, or other oxidant that will propagate flame upon contact when provided with a source of ignition. The lower explosive limit (LEL) is the concentration below which a flame will not propagate; the upper
FLASH - Uneven gloss or color resulting from an unsealed substrate or excessively high or low temperatures during drying.
FLASH POINT - The lowest temperature of a liquid at which it gives off sufficient vapor to form an ignitable mixture with the air near the surface of the liquid or within the vessel used. Materials with flash points below 100°F (37.5°C), such as most solvents and solvent-borne coatings are considered dangerous. The standard method for flash point is defined in ASTM D 3941.
FLASH RUSTING - Rusting that occurs on metal within minutes to a few hours after blast cleaning or other cleaning is complete. The speed with which flash rusting occurs may be indicative of salt contamination on the surface, high humidity, or both.
FLASH-OFF TIME - Time which must be allowed after the application of a paint film before baking in order that the initial solvents are released, which prevents bubbling.
FLAT PAINT - A paint with little or no sheen. Used mostly on interior walls and ceilings, and exterior wall areas.
FLOW - The ability of a coating to even out upon application, so that brush and roller marks are not visible.
FLUID TIP - The removable end of an air-spray gun from which the atomized paint is sprayed and in which the needle is seated. The fluid tip works in conjunction with the needle to regulate the flow of fluids before they are atomized.
FORCED DRAINAGE - Drainage applied to underground or submerged metallic structures by means of an applied electromotive force or sacrificial anode.
FORE PEAK TANK - The watertight compartment at the forward most end of a ship
FOREBODY - The portion of the ship’s body forward of the midship section
FORECASTLE - The superstructure on the upper deck at the fore end of a ship.
FOREFOOT - The lower end of a vessel’s stem which curves to meet the keel
FOREIGN STRUCTURE - Any metallic structure that is not intended as a part of a system under cathodic protection.
FORM RELEASE AGENT - Compound such as petroleum oil, wax, and silicone applied to concrete forms to allow easy removal from poured concrete after it has cured.
FORWARD - The front end of the ship
FOULING - An accumulation of deposits. This includes accumulation and growth of marine organisms on a submerged metal surface and the accumulation of deposits (usually inorganic) on heat exchanger tubing.
FRACTOGRAPHY - Descriptive treatment of fracture, especially in metals, with specific reference to photographs of the fracture surface.
FRACTURE MECHANICS - A quantitative analysis for evaluating structural reliability in terms of applied stress, crack length, and specimen geometry.
FREE MACHINING - The machining characteristics of an alloy to which an ingredient has been introduced to give small broken chips, lower power consumption, better surface finish, and longer tool life.
FRETTING CORROSION - Deterioration at the interface of two contacting surfaces under load which is accelerated by their relative motion.
FULL COAT - Application of a coating at a specified film thickness designed to achieve a desired effect.
FUNGICIDE - An ingredient used in some coatings and sealants to keep mildew and other fungi from growing on the surface.
FURAN - Type of resin formed by the polymerization or polycondensation of furfuryl, furfuryl alcohol, or other compounds containing a furan ring.