In Situ / Field Repair; Man-portable Weld Clad Tools for Shipboard Valve Repair

The auxiliary seawater and main seawater valves (ASW/MSW) are subject to seawater, corrode, and require repair. To remove the valves to a shop for proper long term repair requires cutting of the hull, an expensive and undesirable option. As a result, temporary repairs are usually made in place. These repairs are expensive and time consuming, utilize hazardous chemicals, and result in repairs which do not last.

Given this, it is now an optimal time to investigate laser cladding for in situ repair. Other coating technologies will also be considered, such as hotwire TIG which is currently used extensively for internal valve repair in the oil and gas industry. In addition to application of new coating technologies, the entire in situ repair process may see benefit through a review of process technology, such as through introduction of easy to use semi-automated or mechanized tool manipulators.

The objective of the proposed effort is to leverage background information and hardware developed through an ongoing Navy ManTech effort in order to develop, build, and demonstrate a man-portable semi-automated cladding system that is suitable for TIG or

This tool will reduce repair time by 30%, and will significantly lengthen inservice duration between required repairs, thereby improving the availability of assets in the event of a surge.

Joint funded REPTECH and IBIF. There are numerous other opportunities in all the branches of the DoD for improvement of repair technologies to address shipboard or field repair issues. Approximately 5–10% of the project effort will be devoted to identify.