Apollo11
Posts: 24082
Joined: 6/7/2001 From: Zagreb, Croatia Status: offline
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Hi all, quote:
ORIGINAL: TOMLABEL quote:
ORIGINAL: Apollo11 What's the story with this "Experimental blue u/w hull paint"? Measure 82 - Camo against subs! Seriously, it's a new silicon based anti-fouling paint that is eco friendly. PORT ROYAL is the test platform for it. Toxic hull paints have been a problem for years. They have been looking for a replacement for red lead and nothing seems to do the same job without creating the same problems. There has been a move towards two part epoxies. They dry smooth and hard, which does not give the sea critters anything to cling to and, as an added bonus, decreases drag. They are also expense, have bonding and durability issues, require precise application and did I mention, are expense. A lot of the color is just pigment, so the blue might not be the final color; it may show defects better for testing purposes, etc. The Canadian Navy has been using it for several years now, and the French Navy for their experimental landing craft - http://www.meretmarine.com/article.cfm?id=108703 Another area has been with film coatings. Basically, you wrap the hull with a plastic film. It has the same limitations as the epoxies with durability being dominant. However, it does have some advantages. It can be manufactured with micro grooves that decrease drag even more and can contain encapsuled toxins, specific to clinging sea critters, so that it is not as damaging to the environment as coatings that just leach toxins into the water. TOMLABEL Thanks for greta info Tom! Leo "Apollo11"
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Prior Preparation & Planning Prevents Pathetically Poor Performance! A & B: WitW, WitE, WbtS, GGWaW, GGWaW2-AWD, HttR, CotA, BftB, CF P: UV, WitP, WitP-AE
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