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EPDM
Oct 30, 2016 23:50:37 GMT
Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2016 23:50:37 GMT
EPDM is a type of synthetic rubber used for watertight and airtight seals, such as face masks, roofing, and fish ponds. It comes in various thicknesses, and there's glues to hold pieces of it to other pieces. I just got some of it, .040 thick, laid out on my roof. While it's not very thick, it feels pretty tough. I suggest it be considered in place of other waterproof coatings, even hull paint. It isn't slick, so marine grown will attach to it. But i am thinking that maybe removing such a hull from the water when not in use, and/or a very often automated cleaning process would defeat the growth. For instance, a personal taxi which is used to run to town every two weeks can be kept aboard the seastead during the weeks it's not acually in use. Only paint (or cement, geopoly) protects steel structures in the splash zone, perhaps epdm would make a nice watertight jacket over steel.
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EPDM
Oct 31, 2016 0:20:30 GMT
Post by jeff on Oct 31, 2016 0:20:30 GMT
There is also roll-on liquid EPDM. Will be using it on the bus roof.
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EPDM
Oct 31, 2016 15:40:08 GMT
Post by thebastidge on Oct 31, 2016 15:40:08 GMT
Consider Plasti-dip. plastidip.com/People use it for coating motorcycle frames, truck rims, etc. It's pretty tough, and water-resistant. As for bio-fouling, a surface supplied air rig or a SCUBA compressor should be standard on any platform that is going to be permanently in the water. This should be a regular maintenance task to send someone down with a pressure washer and do a section of the hull for any part which you do not actually want accreting growth.
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EPDM
Nov 2, 2016 3:05:13 GMT
Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2016 3:05:13 GMT
This should be a regular maintenance task to send someone down with a pressure washer There's some robotic cleaners for ship cleaning. I've read of them, never seen one tho. duckduckgo.com/?q=robot+hull+cleaningAlso, i read of inspections of the sunk ships in Pearl Harbor, the intent of the inspection was to evaluate how long the ships were going to exist before they crumbled. What was reported is that areas which got sunlight and had the heaviest plant growth also had the least metal corrosion. Those areas of the hulls in shade and will less or not biogrowth, were heavily corroded. I at currently at a loss on how we can take advantage of this. Obviously, providing light to cover corrosion-prone hulls to promote proper plant growth will consume too much electricity. And may be inadequate in the splash zone, possibly even requiring artificial controlled splashing to the right locations. While i will be putting steel (unless i can used a proper geopoly structure) deep into the water offshore, i won't be in such fertile waters as Pearl Harbor, nor be as deep as the ships on the bottom. I wish we had some feedback on the three 4-legged "Texas Towers" still standing after 50 years, see what effect real ocean water has had on them, as they have not been cleaned below the waterline.
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EPDM
Nov 2, 2016 3:32:50 GMT
jeff likes this
Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2016 3:32:50 GMT
Have you seen this? www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVtgmm0cnoII'd much rather use the polyurea than the epdm, but that's like saying i'd rather use geopoly than steel; i can get the epdm and the steel.
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EPDM
Nov 2, 2016 17:47:09 GMT
Post by thebastidge on Nov 2, 2016 17:47:09 GMT
Plant growth is only part of it. Barnacles and other invertebrates actually sink byssal roots into solid structures and weaken them over time. It's partly compensated for by adding/accreting mineral, but it's not a means of maintaining float-y hull integrity, IMO.
Oxidation has different effects on different materials. The zincs I changed out the other day were not completely consumed, but at probably 25% consumption, they apparently don't function as well at keeping other metal parts from corroding because the surface oxidation prevents them from sacrificing as effectively. A person who was extremely cost-conscious might perhaps clean up the surface rather than replacing, I suppose.
Aluminum, bronze, and copper gain a patina that slows further corrosion, while iron gets flaky when oxidized and the continual surface erosion due to crumbling doesn't help to preserve it.
Plant growth and even coral is most prevalent in the top 10 meters of the water column, where sunlight reaches it. that's one reason for the relative paucity of pelagic sea life compared to the shallow zones.
I've seen similar polyurea demos, Pretty cool stuff.
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EPDM
Nov 2, 2016 18:02:40 GMT
Post by thebastidge on Nov 2, 2016 18:02:40 GMT
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