Metal sheets and plates having friction-reducing textured surfaces and methods of manufacturing same
View Patent ↗Metal sheets and plates having friction-reducing textured surfaces and methods of manufacturing these metal sheets and plates are disclosed herein. In an embodiment, there is provided a transportation vessel that includes at least one metal product having at least one surface that is substantially grooved, wherein the substantially grooved surface forms a riblet topography, the riblet topography including a multiplicity of adjacent permanently rolled longitudinal riblets running along at least a part of the surface, and wherein the riblet topography is coated with at least one coating sufficiently designed and applied to preserve the riblet topography. In an embodiment, the multiplicity of adjacent permanently rolled longitudinal riblets results in a friction-reducing textured surface. In an embodiment, metal product is used in fabricating at least a portion of an aircraft. In an embodiment, metal product is used in fabricating at least a portion of a rotor blade.
1. A transportation vessel comprising:
at least one metal product having a surface comprising:
a substantially grooved riblet topography including a multiplicity of adjacent permanently rolled longitudinal riblets running along at least a part of the surface;
an aluminum oxide film coating on the riblet topography;
a first organic primer layer applied to the coated riblet topography; and
a second topcoat layer applied over the first organic primer layer,
wherein the first organic primer layer and the second topcoat layer provide a substantially constant thickness coating along the entire surface of the riblet topography to preserve the riblet topography while simultaneously providing corrosion protection and self-cleaning capability to the riblet topography.
2. The transportation vessel of claim 1 wherein the multiplicity of adjacent permanently rolled longitudinal riblets results in a friction-reducing textured surface.
3. The transportation vessel of claim 1 wherein the metal product is an aluminum alloy sheet or plate.
4. The transportation vessel of claim 3 wherein the sheet or plate is fabricated from an Alclad aluminum alloy.
5. The transportation vessel of claim 3 wherein the metal product is a titanium sheet or plate.
6. The transportation vessel of claim 3 wherein the metal product is a steel sheet or plate.
7. The transportation vessel of claim 1 wherein the riblet topography includes at least one hundred adjacent permanently rolled longitudinal riblets.
8. The transportation vessel of claim 1 wherein the multiplicity of adjacent permanently rolled longitudinal riblets are evenly spaced a distance apart.
9. The transportation vessel of claim 8 wherein the distance ranges from about 25 μm to about 5.0 mm.
10. The transportation vessel of claim 1 wherein each of the multiplicity of adjacent permanently rolled longitudinal riblets have a peak height between about 25 μm to about 5.0 mm.
11. The transportation vessel of claim 1 further comprising an easy/self-cleaning coating.
12. The transportation vessel of claim 1 wherein the primer layer is an epoxy primer.
13. The transportation vessel of claim 1 wherein the topcoat layer is a polyurethane topcoat.
14. The transportation vessel of claim 11 wherein the easy/self-cleaning coating is a super-hydrophilic coating.
15. The transportation vessel of claim 14 wherein the super-hydrophilic coating is a light-activated system containing anatase titanium dioxide.
16. The transportation vessel of claim 1 wherein a hydrophobic chemical additive is added to the topcoat layer.
17. The transportation vessel of claim 16 wherein the hydrophobic chemical additive is a functionalized siloxane system.
18. The transportation vessel of claim 1 wherein the metal product is used in fabricating at least a portion of an aircraft.
19. The transportation vessel of claim 1 wherein the metal product is used in fabricating at least a portion of a rotor blade.
20. The transportation vessel of claim 1 wherein the organic primer layer has a thickness of between 25 μm and 65 μm.
21. The transportation vessel of claim 1 wherein the topcoat layer has a thickness of between 25 μm and 65 μm.
22. The transportation vessel of claim 1 further comprising a third super-hydrophilic coating layer over the second topcoat layer, wherein the first organic primer layer, the second topcoat layer, and the third super-hydrophilic coating layer provide a substantially constant thickness coating along the entire surface of the riblet topography to preserve the riblet topography while simultaneously providing corrosion protection and self-cleaning capability to the riblet topography.