Enhancement of Drain-Down Capabilities of Submarine Antennae.

摘要

Water droplets on submarine antennae degrade signal transmission and increase signature. To improve antennae coating performance a surface which repels water is required. In this study several experimental coatings were compared for their ability to remove water droplets from their surface. The contact angle of a drop of water on each surface was recorded as well as the hysteresis, which is a measure of how easily a droplet will roll off an inclined surface. It was found that the experimental coatings from the University of NSW had the highest contact angles and lowest hysteresis over a 1 week period of immersion in seawater. These coatings may provide far better drain-down capabilities than the standard polyurethane coatings presently used. Other coatings such as Intersleek and Rain-X provided short-term improvements in drain-down efficiency, with the added advantage of easy application.