How to build a nuclear submarine (Astute class)

[RobWilliams]

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ODDjsK0BOg&feature=g-vrec"]How to Build A Nuclear Submarine (Full) - YouTube[/nomedia]


REALLY enjoying this episode, learning very interesting things about constructing a nuclear submarine. Full of little nuggets of information.

Highly recommend it.

 

[Lostfleet]

Apprantice Electrician is I think the best way to recruit people to the shipyard

One thing I am suprised though is once you get really get close to the hull in it's steel form, it is not that smooth. This is totally an aesthetic comment not a technical one when you look at submarines they are all clear lines but in this video I think camera got too close to show not so pretty details

 

[RobWilliams]

Yeah I was thinking that too, I was looking at the welds and wondering how they'd end up smoothing them out - guessing they won't just use a sander/grinder

My guess was they just slap on the rubber tiles if the hull is acoustically sound, no point smoothing it out if it's going to get a really effective + smooth rubber layer as the cost of paying all the workers to do it isn't a neccesary cost.

That's what I reckon anyway.

 

[Lostfleet]

if they had to sand and grind those joint, we would be expecting the submarine to enter service in the year 2020

Covering with rubber tiles as you said is the most probable solution.

I found this article on the internet, I have no idea what it says but I assume it summarizes that welding this sort of steel is not ordinary task,

http://image02.wiki.livedoor.jp/d/e/doramarine/606dd98201f469ef.pdf

 

[RobWilliams]

Covering it with tiles isn't a solution to not having to increase work on the finish, UK SSNs - the T boats definitely have them, not sure about S boats - are covered with those tiles because they reduce the subs acoustic signiture (and I read somewhere it causes less resistance with the water so it's more efficient - but not sure), the fact that it pretty much waves a magic wand over the hull is pretty much a byproduct of having to put them on.

I'm not sure if sanding/grinding would increase the speed, IIRC the tiles are put on with black putty-like stuff in the sort of "gun" you use to seal windows and the like. But one thing I have learnt is that sanding/grinding a weld down apparently weakens the weld so imagine that all the way around the hull in rough seas. Massive tragedy waiting to happen.

They are very different, that much i'm sure of. I recall a video of 2 Astute hull sections being "put" together but the crane could only get the sections to ~1 inch, from my very limited experience with welding that's a huuuuuuge gap for welding.

I'm in a Computing lecture at the minute, i'll have an in depth read later, thanks

 

[EXSSBN2005]

Wow those cut aways are incrediably accurate, if they are like US Navy subs I can probably tell you what gas / liquid is in the pipe and what system it belongs to people who analyze photos probably are going to have alot of fun pieceing together everything from the components.

As far as hireing practices go, apprentice, journeyman, master is the steps thru which US goes thru, I would assume it is approxmitely the same for the UK.

Spots where it is down to bare metal on the outside are usually ground down unless they are to be covered over by something other than paint IE anti skid on the upper walking surfaces / exterior hull sections. Yes a 1 inch gap is huge (1/2 in is not much better) but they are wire welding, got to slowly build up from there and after the weld is done I'm sure they will either ultrasonic test or some other form of non destructive testing to check the structural integrity of the weld, more to come after I finish the whole video.

 

[RobWilliams]

Yeah, i've done MIG welding too and It looks bloody hard doing it with circumferential welds.

Yup they do ultrasound + x-ray testing on all outer hull welds. It's quite promising for Barrow really considering the ISD of the last Astute is ~2024 and that the Vanguard replacements are due in 2028 so they'll have a continuous order book for a while now.