Watertight Door Hinges

Problem: The 52,000 watertight doors in the fleet were experiencing severe failure rates due to excessive hinge deterioration. Repairs are very time consuming and expensive.

Solution: MTTC, in conjunction with Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock, Philadelphia, subjected new hinge pin concepts to very exhaustive testing (1.25 million cycles). Several achieved the equivalent of over ten years continuous service without significant wear.

NAVY POC
Ken Brayton
NAVSEA-05P7
(202) 781-3678

Benefits

Estimated Navy Cost Avoidance:

Minimum Annual:      $10,000 K

Minimum 15 Year:   $150,000 K

Fleet Impact: Continuous replacement of watertight doors and hinges is tedious and expensive. Some doors which recently had to be replaced every two months will now be able to perform for many years before requiring service. The cost savings in time and materials are enormous. A real sailor de-motivator has been eliminated.

Status: Complete

Fleet Approval

U.S. Navy has approved the new hinges for service use and has ordered 10,000 hinge pin sets. Navy Tiger Teams are installing these sets on deploying ships as quickly as new parts are received.

Many senior Admirals are aware of this initiative and have expressed total support. The NAVSEA website and Inside the Pentagon newsletter have highlighted this successful program.

NAVSEA Website: Watertight Closure