New Shipboard Insulation Expected to Save Time and Money
Systems Command's (NAVSEA's) Engineering for Reduced Maintenance (ERM) team outlined Sept. 29 a new thermal barrier materials initiative designed to reduce maintenance expenses, improve shipboard quality of life and reduce shipboard weight. ERM is part of NAVSEA's Naval Systems Engineering Directorate team which seeks to streamline costly and time-consuming maintenance procedures in the fleet. Thermal barriers, the insulation on high temperature pipes and equipment, protect Sailors from serious burns and keep heat from dissipating, improving operational efficiency. Current insulation, commonly called "lagging," consists of up to six inches of a heavy, mortar-like, calcium silicate compound encased in fiberglass cloth.
AVSEA Engineering for Reduced Maintenance
2007 was another successful year for the Naval Sea Systems Command’s (NAVSEA) Engineering for Reduced Maintenance (EFRM) team, with the warfighter-focused program making great strides in reducing shipboard maintenance burdens. Working under NAVSEA’s Naval Systems Engineering Directorate, the EFRM team seeks to streamline costly and time-consuming maintenance procedures in the Fleet. At January’s Surface Navy Symposium, NAVSEA Commander, Vice Adm. Paul E. Sullivan, talked about the importance maintenance plays in achieving NAVSEA’s mission. “We can’t just build the new ships we need for the 313-ship Navy and go home,” said Sullivan. Whether reducing significant Fleet maintenance costs…
