Marinisation (also
marinization) is design, redesign, or testing of products for use in a marine environment.
Most commonly, it refers to use and long-term survival in harsh, highly
corrosive salt water conditions.
Marinisation is done by many manufacturing industries worldwide including many military organisations, especially navies.
In some instances, cost is not a guiding force, and items may be designed from scratch with entirely non-corrosive components engineered and assembled to resist the effects of vibration and constantly changing flight dynamics. In others, particularly in "marinising" an existing product that was not designed specifically for a marine environment for sale in the public marketplace, a balance must be found between the competing criteria.
There are three main factors that need to be considered for a product to be truly marinised.
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Resistance to corrosion.
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Resistance to vibration.
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Ability to function properly in conditions of constantly changing attitude (an object's orientation about its center of gravity).
Examples
Metals
Marinised
metals include some of the following:
- The adjectival phrase "marine grade" being used when the above alloys have all impurities removed and are suitable for exposure to a marine environment.
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Metals electroplated or dipped in a corrosion-resistant material, e.g. galvanised steel
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Metals painted with special anti rust or anti corrosion coatings
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Plastic coated metals
Electronics
Marinised
electronics use one or more of the following protection methods. In most cases more than one method is used:
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Coating by a spray or dipping to protect from salt air and water.
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Full encapsulation in some form of resin or gel.
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Specialised mounting of internal parts for vibration protection.
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Use of specialised corrosion resistant solder and corrosion resistant metals.
Batteries
Marinised batteries are usually
Gel battery or sealed maintenance-free batteries. Not using marinised batteries in salt water can be deadly in an enclosed environment for many reasons:
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Sulfuric acid and salt water react to generate dangerous hydrogen chloride gas, necessitating the use of valve-regulated maintenance-free sealed batteries.
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The battery must have stronger plates and separators to withstand constant vibrations and impacts caused by large waves striking the hull. Plate collapse can cause short-circuits and electrical fires or explosions.
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A marine battery must function at any angle due to the changing attitude of the vessel it is mounted in. Gel VRLA battery batteries are best for this purpose.
See also
