Hot hulls might mean slipperier ships
A scientist has proposed that ships could move through the ocean with less friction, if their hulls were heated to above the boiling point of water
Article Summary
Want to make a ship move faster through the water? Well, one thing that you can do is paint its hull with low-friction or anti-biofouling paint, to keep barnacles and other marine organisms from growing on it. According to Prof. Derek Chan, from the University of Melbourne's Department of Mathematics and Statistics, another approach that should work is to heat that hull up to a temperature of over 100C (212F). His proposed method is based on a 255 year-old principle known as the Leidenfrost effect.
« Back to Hot hulls might mean slipperier ships
Related Articles
