Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Shark skin suits for ships

Shark skin saves naval industry money:

"Covering ship hulls with artificial shark skin could help ships sailing smoothly. The growth of marine organisms such as barnacles on ship hulls is a major cause of increased energy costs in the naval industry....

...Shark skin comprises scales that can flex individually from each other. Liedert produced a synthetic shark skin of elastic silicone, which has a significantly decreased contact surface.

This reduced contact surface makes it harder for barnacles to attach, and reduces fouling by 67%. When applied to the ship hull, this artificial surface enables ships to "self-clean", and a speed of 4-5 knots would remove all organisms attached with little adhesion."

Sweet. What a great idea, thinking outside the box....