'Mud-cracking' in a Latex paint film

Abstract

Thicker coatings of paint made up of water, polymer latex, titanium dioxide pigment and with no organic solvents, exhibit mud-cracking when they dry. This is due to a build up of stress in the drying film. There is a need to develop a theory of mud mechanics which shows the role of the pigment volume concentration in the paint thickness and the latex viscosity in developing stress in the film.

The aim is to reduce the build up of stress in the drying film to avoid crack initiation.