ICE SHEDDING MATERIALS FOR SURFACE SHIP APPLICATIONS

TOPSIDE ICING WILL BE ONE OF THE MAJOR IMPEDIMENTS TO SUCCESSFUL U.S. NAVY SURFACE SHIP OPERATIONS AT HIGH LATITUDES. NONE OF THE WIDE VARIETY OF ANTI-ICING AND DE-ICING TECHNIQUES IDENTIFIED TO DATE HAS OFFERED MORE THAN VERY LIMITED PROMISE. SINCE COMBAT READINESS AND SHIP SAFETY CAN BE SEVERELY IMPAIRED BY TOPSIDE ICING, IT IS PROPOSED THAT EXISTING AND EMERGING MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES AND CONCEPTS BE IDENTIFIED WHICH CAN PREVENT OR REDUCE ICE BUILD-UP AND/OR EASE REMOVAL OF THE ICE. THE TECHNOLOGY SEARCH WILL BE COMPREHENSIVE IN SCOPE, COVERING DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN, GOVERNMENT AND COMMERCIAL SOURCES. THE SEARCH WILL COVER THE TECHNICAL LITERATURE, MATERIALS MANUFACTURERS, SHIP OPERATORS, AND RESEARCHERS, AND WILL DRAW HEAVILY UPON THE LONG-ESTABLISHED AND CURRENT PERSONAL CONTACTS THE STAFF OF THE NKF ARCTIC TECHNOLOGY GROUP HAS WITHIN THE ARCTIC ENGINEERING COMMUNITY. AN ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY WILL BE DEVELOPED FOR USE IN RANKING THE MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES AND CONCEPTS, THE MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES AND CONCEPTS WILL BE RANKED, AND AN OUTLINE OF THE REQUIRED ACTIONS NECESSARY TO REALIZE RELIABLE APPLICATION OF THE SELECTED TECHNOLOGIES AND CONCEPTS WILL BE PREPARED.