Strippable anti-fouling covering for marine structures

Abstract

Abstract A strippable covering for protecting marine structures from fouling in contact with water which comprises a sheet-like water-insoluble base prepared from a synthetic, thermoplastic polymeric material selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride and polyethylene, said base ranging in thickness from 4 to 8 mils and coated on one side thereof with a water insoluble, acrylic adhesive material comprising homopolymers and copolymers of acrylic acid and acid esters, said adhesive material ranging in thickness from about 0.5 to 2 mils, said base coated on the opposite side thereof with an anti-foulant film-forming composition comprising a film-forming ingredient consisting of polyvinyl chloride and wood rosin present in the amount of 11-17% by weight, a pigment component comprising an anti-foulant including cuprous oxide, iron oxide, tin fluoride, and possibly other organo-metallic anti-foulant materials, said pigment further comprising as an anti-foulant ingredient an aromatic bituminous material of a resinous nature such as coal tar or the like, said pigment component present in an amount of about 52% by weight, a diluent or solvent selected from the group consisting of aromatic hydrocarbons, ketones and mixtures thereof, said solvent present in an amount of about 32% by weight and a plasticizer present in an amount of about 2% by weight, said plasticizer selected from the group consisting of tricresyl-phosphate, alkylphthalates, triphenyl phosphate and mixtures thereof. The covering of the present invention provides effective protection against corrosion and attack by marine organisms yet is easily removable at the end of a season before replacement with a like covering material without the need for costly and time-consuming scraping procedures.

Inventors

• 👤 Emile Ruppert, Jr.

Bibliographic Details