Viscoelastic coating paste for protecting against macrofouling and method for producing a coating

• US 20060144286A1
• Filed: 02/12/2004
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cggveritas Services Holding Incorporated (CGG), Stiftung Alfred-Wegener-Institut Fuer Polar-Und Meeresforschung
• Original Assignee: Cggveritas Services Holding Incorporated (CGG), Stiftung Alfred-Wegener-Institut Fuer Polar-Und Meeresforschung
• Inventors: Baum, Christof
• Application Number:
  US10/545,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20060144286A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 106/18
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 5/16 Antifouling paints; Underwater paints
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 5/1662 Synthetic film-forming substance
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 5/1675 Polyorganosiloxane-containing compositions
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 5/1687 Use of special additives

Abstract

A non-toxic anti-fouling coating paste having a rheologic switching behavior based on a flow point, which can be set to the hydrodynamic and biological environmental conditions of a submarine component to be protected and which is between 5 Pa and 2,000 Pa above the wall shearing stress of the unfouled component to form a substrate which prevents colonization by marine fouling organisms.

Claims

1. A visco-elastic solvent-free and water-repellent polymeric coating paste for use as an attachment substrate for the temporary self-cleaning protection against natural macro fouling of a water-wetted component, characterized by a non-toxic compound adjustable in its flow point to the transition between a rigid and a liquid condition and to the hydrodynamic and biologically ambient conditions of the components, the flow point being 5 Pa to 2,000 Pa above the wall shearing stress of the protected component in the non-fouled state thereof, the adjustment of the flow point being performed by the selection of the basis of the compound of the paste and by the homogeneous admixture thereof with stress thickening or stress thinning fillers.

2. The coating paste of claim 1, characterized by a flow point 5 Pa to 200 Pa above the wall shearing stress of the protected component in its non-fouled state.

3. The coating paste of claim 1, wherein the main component of the non-toxic compound is selected from the group consisting of silicone, fluorocarbon or hydrocarbon.

4. The coating paste of claim 3, characterized by silicone oil as liquid basis of the compound.

5. The coating paste of claim 3, characterized by petroleum jelly as hydrocarbon.

6. The coating paste of one of claims 1, characterized by the admixture of silica, metal or metal oxide particles or particles or fibers of biological support components as shear-strengthening additive.

7. The coating paste of one of claims 1, characterized by the admixture of form-imparting particles.

8. The coating paste of one of claims 1, characterized by a coating thickness selected in accordance with the height of the surface roughness and the mechanical stress of the component to be coated, the intended life expectancy of the coating and/or the fouling pressure.

9. The coating paste of claim 7, characterized by a coating thickness between 0.02 mm and 5 mm.

10. A method of producing a coating as an attachment substrate by use of a visco-elastic solvent-free and water-repellent polymeric coating paste for the temporary self-cleaning protection against natural macro-growth on a water-wetted component in particular of one of claims 1 to 9 by means of a coating device for applying the coating paste, characterized by a first coating process by means of polishing or spraying of the coating paste onto the dry and clean component to be protected and, optionally, by additional or renewed coating processes of the pre-coated component under water.

11. The method of claim 10, characterized by a coating apparatus with sliding, vibrating or rotating elements or a combination thereof.