Drag reduction for ships by compliant coatings - dolphin skin

 
Reducing the energy consumption for transport is currently the greatest challenge for ship technology. Since the 1950s it has been discussed whether elastic, compliant coatings can keep the flow of water laminar along a solid surface and thus reduce the drag of e.g. a ship's hull. Fraunhofer IFAM, in cooperation with the Hamburg Shipbuilding Research Institute and other partners, recently succeeded in proving that this approach can lead to a drag reduction of 6%. A current project is working on the development of practically usable coatings for use on ships. This is a major challenge, as the materials have to be very specific in terms of their mechanical and technological properties. The technology and the current results are presented and discussed.