The Shock Trial is on the way out U.S. Navy
Forbes: The U.S. Navy Eyes A Shock Trial-Free Future
The U.S. Navy is debating the utility of shock trials. Shock trials test how ships handle undersea explosions, giving sailors a better understanding of how the vessel will hold up in battle. In technical terms, shock trials make the hull vibrate to see how the installed and integrated components respond to ensure the ship can continue to fight. Once a regular feature of naval shipbuilding, the Navy’s enthusiasm for this real-world simulation of battlefield conditions has dwindled over time. Why?
There are a variety of reasons the Navy wants to move away from shock trials. Shock trials are expensive, only taking place under a constrained set of conditions. Weather conditions and environmental concerns make scheduling difficult. Even worse, busy shipyards make it challenging to bring a ship in for timely repairs after the shock trial occurs.
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WNU Editor: This tells me that the costs and time lost repairing the ship have become unsustainable for the US Navy.
WNU, that, but also the fact that you can simulate shock trials now.. just like you simulate nuclear explosions these days.. remember when the last few European nations tested nukes? I think France was one of the last.. now they know enough (the science has been solidified, and no huge changes are being made to the basic nuke principles) to simulate the efficacy of nukes in a computer
ReplyDeleteSame with materials and construction.. boats, the shape of boats, the material science is all established for decades.. I'm quite sure much is done in simulations now and/or they just don't learn as much to offset the costs of such endevaours
Not only the Navy but the prime contractor as well.
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