Marine anti-bio-fouling coating and a method of applying the coating
OwnerGareth Weedinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A marine anti-bio-fouling coating 10, for application onto the surface of a marine article 12. The coating 10 comprises a self-levelling, self-curing epoxy resin primer adhesive 14, an adhesive modified epoxy resin binder adhesive 16 and granulated Copper Nickel alloy 18. When a coated marine article 12 is immersed in water a chemical reaction occurs between the water and the Copper Nickel alloy 18 which causes a film of a complex metal oxide 20 to form on the exterior surface of the layer of Copper Nickel alloy granules 18. The oxide film 20 forms an inhospitable environment to aquatic organisms and aquatic borers, thereby preventing bio-fouling occurring on the coated marine article. A method of applying the coating 10 to a marine article 12 is also provided.
Claims3
A process to apply a marine anti-bio-fouling layer comprising:
- cleaning a surface;
- applying a primer adhesive onto the surface;
- applying a binder adhesive over the primer adhesive;
- and
- applying a plurality metallic granules comprising copper or a copper alloy over the binder adhesive that is applied over the primer adhesive, the binder adhesive and the primer adhesive thereby coupling the plurality of metallic granules to the surface, wherein the plurality of metallic granules comprises one or more metals which oxidize when in contact with water, such that, when the surface having the marine anti-fouling layer applied thereto is immersed in water, a layer of metal oxide is formed on an exterior surface of the plurality of metallic granules in contact with the water;
- wherein the copper alloy comprises a copper nickel alloy comprising eighty-eight percent copper and ten percent nickel, the remaining two percent comprising Iron and Manganese;
- wherein the granules are substantially spherical and have a size of up to 250 microns:
- wherein the primer adhesive is a self-curing and self-leveling adhesive;
- and
- wherein the binder adhesive is a self-curing adhesive, is an adhesive modified epoxy resin, and is provided as a layer having a thickness of not more than two-thirds the diameter of the plurality of metallic granules.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.