US Navy: Fluid Handling Systems Defending America
The United States Navy has been defending America for well over 200 years and modern naval warfare environments provide exceptional challenges to operational and weapon systems functionality. Modern naval weapons system rely heavily upon state of the art engineering systems which must be capable of functioning in sea-to- sea, sea-to-land and sea-to- air combat engagements.
Weapon systems from gun turret control through to hydraulic launch systems for carrier based aircraft rely upon a range of fluid handling components which are critical to the combat effectiveness of warships under the most demanding conditions that may be encountered at sea.
Under combat and peacetime conditions, fluid handling systems must deliver exceptional performance with “always available” reliability. They are literally mission-critical systems demanding low noise, optimal design for performance and fast replacement as well as cross-substitution between on board systems and other ships. Low weight solutions are mandated to maintain operational performance of US Navy vessels but at the same time, systems must be capable of enduring extreme conditions, including an ability to withstand combat damage and yet continue to operate effectively.
Hydraulic failure can render a US Navy carrier combat ineffective and render an entire Battle Group severely exposed or combat ineffective if aircraft cannot be launched. Fluid systems must be highly resilient and the safety of the fleet relies directly upon system resiliency and dependability. More than this, there must be long mean times between failure and short mean times to repair – downtime due to failure or maintenance must be kept to an absolute minimum to ensure high availability.
While exceptionally high levels of functionality must be delivered under extreme weight and engineering parameters, the US Department of defense also operates under tight budgetary constraints as well.
Nowhere else in the world are hydraulic fluid systems under such pressure both in delivering exceptional products and utility for dollar spend.
Tags: ARM, fluid handling systems, high availability, MTBF, MTTRSMR, US Navy