Overview
Project Number: S2939
Project Title: Bonded Joiner Bulkheads for U.S. Navy Vessels
Period of Performance: OCT22 – APR24
Objective
Non-structural joiner bulkheads on Navy surface ships require welding at the connections to the deck above and below, despite being defined as non-structural. The time to prepare, weld out, repair, coat, and finish these bulkheads is significant. Bulkhead hot work also requires a fire watch on the opposite side of the bulkhead. The purpose of this Composites Manufacturing Technology Center (CMTC) project is to test and validate the use of various adhesives to install joiner bulkheads on U.S. Navy vessels in lieu of traditional welding.
Payoff
The projected labor hours to install joiner bulkheads were expected to decrease significantly. However, due to the necessary cure time for the specified adhesives, the overall work duration increased considerably compared to the existing installation method. Testing of the identified adhesives was conducted in order to obtain data that may prove useful in other shipbuilding applications.
Implementation
The use of adhesives to install joiner bulkheads on U.S. Navy vessels will not be implemented at this time.
*Prepared under ONR Contract 00014-21-D-7001 as part of the Navy ManTech Program.
*DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release: distribution unlimited. DCN# 2024-11-6-309; Approval Date: 11/14/2024
