Microbial Biofilm Effects on Drag-Lab and Field

Abstract

Marine fouling on US Navy hulls causes increased propulsive fuel use and refueling frequency, and decreases ship range and speed. Modern antifouling (AF) coatings are effective against hard fouling for relatively long periods, but do accumulate marine microbial biofilms. Therefore, with respect to drag, the focus has recently shifted from hard fouling to microbial biofilms since even thin films can contribute significantly to drag. Antifouling paints are being evaluated in the laboratory for drag minimization and are ranked based on drag performance with and without biofilm. All paints experienced increased drag after accumulating biofilm. Significant variations in drag and resistance to biofilm accumulation were noted.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1992
Accession Number
ADP023028

Entities

People

  • Elizabeth G. Haslbeck
  • Gerard S. Bohlander

Organizations

  • Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Ac Motors
  • Antifouling
  • Boundary Layer
  • Brushes
  • Coatings
  • Drag
  • Friction
  • Instrumentation
  • Layers
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Oxides
  • Standards
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Thickness
  • United States
  • Water

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Fluid Dynamics.
  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Microbial Pathology

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology