NSRP Approves $1.3M for Cost Reducing Project

As part of the National Shipbuilding Research Program’s (NSRP) core mission to reduce the costs associated with Navy shipbuilding and repair, the NSRP Executive Control Board has selected 13 new research and development projects for award, totaling approximately $1.3m. These projects will be executed under the purview of the 10 NSRP communities of practice known as the Ship Production Panels.

Focus and interest among panel members regularly reveal relevant project opportunities which may not be well suited for larger-scale funding via the primary NSRP solicitation process. The Board therefore typically sets aside an amount of money each year to fund relatively small (less than $100K), short-term (12 months or less) projects recommended by the Panel Chairs.

The Panel Project selection process, which typically occurs once a year, allows any interested party to submit a short proposal to the appropriate panel, after which the membership employs a voting process to select up to a maximum of three projects for submission to the NSRP Board. Current Panel Projects can be found on the program website (www.nsrp.org).

A brief description of each newly awarded project follows:
Improved Bonding and Grounding
Panel: Electrical Technologies
Project Lead: Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding – Gulf Coast
Objective: Identify, test and recommend new technologies that can provide adequate bonding of electrical components to their foundation while meeting Defense Department standards.
Award: $100K

Rapidly Deployable Lighting System
Panel: Electrical Technologies
Project Lead: Advanced Capabilities Group
Objective: Develop a quick deployment technology for ship’s lighting that will help to reduce the time required to commission the lighting system and allow for commissioning the lighting system earlier in the construction cycle.
Award: $99K

Shipboard Installation Methods for Insulated Bus Pipe
Panel: Electrical Technologies
Project Lead: Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding – Newport News
Objective: Determine if the European methods for insulated bus pipe installation can be used on Navy ships.
Award: $100K

Course Material for Training Rigging Engineers
Panel: Planning, Production Processes and Facilities
Project Lead: General Dynamics - NASSCO
Objective: Develop and deliver training material on shipyard rigging design practices and operations.
Award: $100K

Ship Design and Construction Training Module
Panel: Planning Production Processes and Facilities
Project Lead: Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding – Gulf Coast
Objective: Develop and deliver a ship design and construction short course module for training design engineers, production engineers and shop floor craftsmen on thin-steel distortion management and mitigation techniques.
Award: $99K

Reduction of Weld Fume Risk in Naval and Commercial Shipyards
Panel: Risk Management
Project Lead: Atrium Environmental Health and Safety Services
Objective: Accurately measure and characterize welding fume generation by welding process, to define both total fume amounts and particle sizes, as required by newly-proposed occupational exposure standards.
Award: $100K

Hanger Standardization
Panel: Ship Design and Material Technologies
Project Lead: Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding – Gulf Coast
Objective: Create a repository of information on hangers currently approved for shipboard use, and document the process for qualifying new hangers.
Award: $98K

Design Manual for Fabricated Shapes
Panel: Ship Design and Material Technologies
Project Lead: Applied Thermal Sciences
Objective: Provide a simplified, integrated design manual for the replacing hot-rolled structural shapes (T- and I-Beams) with shapes fabricated from plate material.
Award: $100K

Compatibility of “Single Coat” Tank Coatings with Retained Pre-construction Primer
Panel: Surface Preparation and Coatings
Project Lead: Elzly Technology Corporation
Objective: Demonstrate the performance of “Single Coat” tank coating systems over retained pre-construction primer.
Award: $99K

Evaluation of “Spot and Sweep” Blasting as a Cost Effective Method of Underwater and Outer Hull Surface Preparation
Panel: Surface Preparation and Coatings
Project Lead: Elzly Technology Corporation
Objective: Establish initial coating evaluation procedures, QA procedures, and evaluation metrics for “Spot and Sweep” Blasting process.
Award: $96K

Green Fastening Technologies to Reduce Operating Costs and Boost Quality and Productivity
Panel: Welding Technology
Project Lead: Nelson Stud Welding
Objective: Demonstrate and quantify the cost savings in energy by the use of inverter power supply technology for both drawn arc stud welding and capacitor discharge stud welding and to evaluate the advantages of motorized gun technology used with the inverters to eliminate errors in welding gun setup.
Award: $100K

Low-Cost High-Performance Gas Metal Arc Welding
Panel: Welding Technology
Project Lead: Applied Thermal Sciences
Objective: Develop a low-cost, easily implemented equipment package that will increase weld penetration, with a reduction in filler metal usage and weld fume.
Award: $99K

Weld Sizing Criteria for Lightweight Ship Structures
Panel: Welding Technology
Project Lead: Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding – Gulf Coast
Objective: Develop fillet weld sizing criteria for thin plate ship hull structures through controlled fillet weld testing and analytical development.
Award: $100K