EYE ON INNOVATION
NORFOLK NAVAL SHIPYARD USES INNOVATIVE “HAMSTER” TOOL ON VIRGINIA CLASS SUBMARINES STORY BY KRISTI BRITT • PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST PHOTOS BY SHELBY WEST • NNSY PHOTOGRAPHER
22 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • APRIL 2021
Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) recently teamed with Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division (NSWCPD) to bring an advanced prototype to America’s Shipyard with the intent of testing the bond between a coating and hull of Virginia-Class (VACL) Submarines. The prototype, known as the Hammer Activated Measurement System for Testing and Evaluating Rubber, or HAMSTER for short, was jointly produced by NSWCPD and a contractor to provide a more efficient and accurate reading to determine the bonding condition of the hull of the vessel. “In the past, shipyard workers would utilize a variety of methods to identify the Special Hull Treatment (SHT) on the vessels; however, these methods were all subjective and opened themselves up to errors in their readings due to the user relying on vibrations or hearing an audible response to determine the quality of the bond,” said NSWCPD Materials Engineer Lisa Weiser, who along with NSWCPD Mechanical Engineer James McDonnell is leading in the prototype’s development and distribution. “The HAMSTER will quickly and objectively identify debonded SHT on Virginia-Class Submarines, using an impact hammer to determine the bonding condition of the hull.” The HAMSTER is a portable, battery-powered hammer that uses a unique algorithm to provide a realtime evaluation of the condition of the bond with each
