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Old 07-05-2018, 03:40 PM
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Arrow Navy Testing Superhydrophobic Hull Coatings For Submarines

Navy Testing Superhydrophobic Hull Coatings For Submarines
By: Kyle Mizokami - Jul 5, 2018
RE: https://www.popularmechanics.com/mil...or-submarines/

New water-repellent coating should make submarines and other ships more fuel efficient, faster, and quieter.

A new water-repellent coating under development by the University of Michigan could reduce fuel costs for U.S. Navy ships, increasing fuel economy by making it easier for them to cut through water. The new coating could also make ships—especially submarines—faster and quieter.

Researchers at the University of Michigan funded by the Office of Naval Research are trying to develop durable “superhydrophobic” water coatings for ship hulls. Water encounters less friction passing over air bubbles than it does a ship’s hull, so the solution is to cover the hull in literally millions of tiny air bubbles. This reduces drag, which also reduces the amount of energy needed to drive a ship. That means increased fuel efficiency and longer ranges for warships.

According to Anish Tuteja, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at U of M, sixty percent or more of a ship’s fuel is used to overcome drag. A reduction in drag of even just twenty percent would yield significant fuel savings. The university team tried out hundreds of coatings before finding the right, apparently secret, mix. The next step is to make the coating durable enough to last for years submerged, so the Navy doesn’t have to continuously maintain it.

In addition to fuel efficiency there are two other potential benefits of a superhydrophobic coating. One is that ships coated with them become a little faster, as the amount of drag decreases. Another potential benefit—also a function of drag reduction—is that ships become quieter. In undersea warfare, quietness is everything, allowing submarines to sneak up on targets and slink away after making their attacks. The U.S. Navy currently covers its submarines with anechoic coatings, rubber or polymer tiles that are affixed to hulls with glue and are designed to reduce detection at certain sonar frequency bands.

Although effective as late as 2017 the Navy was having trouble with its anechoic coatings sloughing off at sea. A superhydrophobic coating on the other hand might be a more durable solution with the added benefit of making the submarine harder to detect by all types of sonar.

In addition to military use, a superhydrophobic coating would also have huge implications for the shipping industry. The coating would lower commercial shipping fuel costs while reducing the amount of fuel used to ship goods worldwide. Unfortunately, once the ONR finally does develop a coating it will likely try to keep it out of the commercial market as long as possible. Like all tech, a superhyphobic coating can equally be applied to Russian, Chinese, and North Korean submarines just like American ones to make their subs quieter—and more deadly.
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