US Navy Environmental and Other 2

[sreid]

We have been asked to bid on a custom amplifier for a US Navy application. All of our work to date has been commercial, ship board Navy is entirely new territory for us. Can some one direct me to documents on environmental requirements and testing. Also, preferred parts for connectors, wire,etc., and water cooling plumbing.

 

[IRstuff]

All the relevant requirements should be in the procurement specification, typically in section 3.5, assuming they followed the DoD-STD for that.

Typically, something like:

MIL-STD-167 for shipboard vibration
MIL-S-901 for shipboard shock (only for ship-critical systems) (the "hammer" test)
MIL-STD-810 for most other environments, like salt fog, acoustic, temperature, humidity, etc.
MIL-STD-461 for EMI/EMC
MIL-STD-2164 for environmental stress screening

Interface requires should likewise be in your procurement specification.

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[jraef]

We used to refer to MIL-S-901 as the "battle ship" shock standard, because it was about the mechanical shock that takes place when a gun battery fires broadsides. I wonder it it was changed to "hammer test" because the age of battleships is over?


"You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals" -- Booker T. Washington

 

[VEBill]

You'll almost certainly have to hire a certified test house, or more than one, to perform all the mandated tests and write the report(s) (e.g. 130 page report for a small box, plenty of screen captures of 'evidence').

An example (just an example) is MET Laboratories, Inc. - was used by one of our vendors once or twice. Obviously you'd probably choose one close to you.

Costs might be on the order of mid 5-figure$, up to the low end of 6-figure$. YMM certainly V.

You should probably approach them as soon as you have a preliminary design, and start to get quotes and select them.

With luck, you might even be able to tap into their expertise to review your design. But some may have policies against that (keep an arm's length etc.).

 

[IRstuff]

Actually, I would suggest that you get a preliminary from the test house, such as

https://www.nts.com/,

as part of the bidding, just to make sure you have allocated sufficient cost in your bid.

re. 901 - The test was meant to simulate the ship getting hit, as this was a problem in WWII, when ships were hit and the impact shocks damaged critical systems on the ships. 901 covers 2 types of testing for simulating such shocks; a "hammer test" and "barge test." The former puts the lighter UUTs on an "anvil" which is hit by a "hammer," while the latter places the heavier UUTs on an actual barge in a small pond where actual explosives are used. Rumor had it that the Navy was only accepting barge testing, even for lighter UUTs, but our IR&D was terminated before we got that far.

TTFN
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[sreid]

Guys,

Thanks for the information, all very useful.

Steve

 

[izax1]

I guess you'll have to attach the amplifier somehow?? Remember, it is smart mechanical design that saves non-mechanical equipment from failure when exposed to harsh environmnts.