More than Antifouling

摘要

When foul release antifouling paints were commercially introduced in the mid-1990s to replace the cheaper and shorter-lasting Controlled Depletion Polymers (CDPs), the recorded fuel consumption was lower at the same service speed, implying lower drag characteristics. However, there was no scientific evidence to prove and support this finding at that time. In order to provide such evidence, a long term postgraduate research project was undertaken at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne sponsored by the EPSRC, International Coatings and the European Community programme CEHMAR. The main objective of this research was to collect data on the drag, boundary-layer and roughness characteristics of foul release type antifouling paints and tin-free SPC coatings, and to compare them systematically to see if the foul release system offers reduced drag and if it does, how?