Footprinting Characteristics of ACRYLUME® Steel Sheet

The "footprinting" characteristics of ACRYLUME® steel sheets were evaluated against conventional chemically treated GALVALUME® steel sheet. The acrylic coating provides more protection to the metallic coating than does the bare sheet chemical post-treatment alone. Although slight marks can be seen on the acrylic coating on the ACRYLUME® steel sheet, they are much less well defined and less noticeable from a distance than on the chemically treated GALVALUME® steel sheet.

It is well known that GALVALUME® steel sheet must be carefully handled in the field, particularly during the erection of building sidewall and roofing panels, especially when the slope is high and the roof is visible from the ground. Heavy foot traffic and handling with dirty, soiled gloves can create unsightly dark marks on the surface which can be very noticeable after erection is complete. ACRYLUME® steel sheet, however, has a tough organic barrier combined with the usual humid-storage stain resistant post-treatment to minimize the detrimental effects of rough handling and footprinting.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the acrylic coating, both ACRYLUME® steel sheet and conventional chemically treated Galvalume® steel sheet panels were equally scuffed five times using a work boot to simulate heavy foot traffic on a roof. The chemically treated material had vanishing oil applied to the surface approximately two weeks prior to the test while the ACRYLUME® steel sheet panel did not. After scuffing, the panels were lightly wiped with a dry paper towel to remove debris from the scuffing action. Figure 1 shows photographs of the materials immediately after scuffing and a light wiping.

Based on this qualitative testing, the ACRYLUME® steel sheet has a clear advantage over conventional chemically treated Galvalume® steel sheet with vanishing oil. Although ACRYLUME® steel sheet does not completely eliminate footprinting, it greatly reduces the tendency for footprinting as well as other marking associated with handling and building erection. In most instances, the acrylic-coated surface should be uniformly bright after erection is complete.

ACRYLUME® is a trademark of United States Steel
GALVALUME® is a registered trademark of BIEC International, Inc., and some of its licensed producers.

Figure 1

ACRYLUME® steel sheet (above) and GALVALUME® steel sheet with chemical treatment and vanishing oil (below) after five foot scuffs.

GALVALUME® vs. ACRYLUME® steel sheets

Real-life examples show the anti-footprinting benefits of ACRYLUME® steel sheet (on right) when compared to GALVALUME® steel sheet (on left).

Actual application of ACRYLUME® steel sheet (October 24, 1997)