Metallurgist admits faking steel-test results for Navy subs

[dennishoddy]

i've done mostly aerospace stuff in my career, never naval, but I'll say this as to why you're right. Pencil whipping one test you'd be able to profit all the TM&L you charge the contract for actually doing it. Imagine how much that adds up to for the company over 20 years. I'm glad she got caught.

The folks in those subs at depth will be terrified when they get back from a deployment and see they might have experienced a hull failure because of willful neglect.
How can something so critical be given to one person without second party authentication?
Sounds like another Joyce Gilchrist/Bob Macy situation.

 

[adamsredlines]

I hear her dad does bridge inspections on the Mississippi River

 

[PBramble]

The folks in those subs at depth will be terrified when they get back from a deployment and see they might have experienced a hull failure because of willful neglect.
How can something so critical be given to one person without second party authentication?
Sounds like another Joyce Gilchrist/Bob Macy situation.

I'm not condoning her behavior, but they'd have to get a sub 13K feet in the air in Antarctica on the coldest day to hit that temperature. From the sounds of the article, that's the test she scrubbed. The water temperature in the coldest parts would have to drop just over 130 degrees to hit -100. I'm betting hull fracturing isn't high on the list of priorities if that happens.

 

[SoonerP226]

The folks in those subs at depth will be terrified when they get back from a deployment and see they might have experienced a hull failure because of willful neglect.

I dunno about that; submariners seem to be a different breed of cat from the get-go. Pretty much everything about the boats is dangerous, and they've all volunteered for that duty, so not doing a test that isn't directly analogous to real world conditions probably isn't going to move the needle.

 

[GlockPride]

The set parameters matter, even if you think they don’t apply. They’re there for a reason. Either meet them, explain why they can’t be met or don’t sell the product.
I’m tired of this corruption, graft and dishonesty that is going on. You screw up submarine metal and people can die. We, as a country, rely on those subs as a deterrent to World War. I think that makes them pretty darn critical. Yes, no one died YET, but having a potential failure deep underwater on a multi-billion dollar sub because of the metallurgy is a BIG deal. She needs to pay dearly and it needs to be major network news around the country of the consequences of shortcuts.

 

[TomTom]

I have spent 6 years in the Antarctica program. At South Pole there in ONE Sun rise and ONE Sun set per year...Its a long night. The temperature at the surface (South Pole sits on 9300 feet of ice) during my winter (night) was -107. And yes we all had to get out in it and work.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

The Navy wanted that test done for specific reasons and rational. Perhaps this will help, just because a wristwatch is waterproof to 200 Meters does not make it a dive watch. It may be watertight to 200 meters in a pressure test but that is static, not dynamic. When a diver is moving the pressure changes, and the watch may no longer be watertight while in use. In reality, a true dive watch with a 100 meter depth rating may be better than one with a 200 meter rating. Look at the sub, it is a 500 foot long tube that may need to bust through several feet of ice. It may go from a depth of several hundred meters under great pressure at high speed through ice water and bust throug the ice, all of this in a very corrosive environment. The entire structure is subject to cold, shock and pressure and lack of pressure. Now what? How many subs have been built and not tested? How reliable are they, do we scrap them and build new ones? At a time when china is kicking our a$$ with a larger navy, hypersonic missiles, has accomplished a 100 second contained fusion reaction and we have a dementia riddled president this adds further to our national embarassment.

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

The Navy wanted that test done for specific reasons and rational. Perhaps this will help, just because a wristwatch is waterproof to 200 Meters does not make it a dive watch. It may be watertight to 200 meters in a pressure test but that is static, not dynamic. When a diver is moving the pressure changes, and the watch may no longer be watertight while in use. In reality, a true dive watch with a 100 meter depth rating may be better than one with a 200 meter rating. Look at the sub, it is a 500 foot long tube that may need to bust through several feet of ice. It may go from a depth of several hundred meters under great pressure at high speed through ice water and bust throug the ice, all of this in a very corrosive environment. The entire structure is subject to cold, shock and pressure and lack of pressure. Now what? How many subs have been built and not tested? How reliable are they, do we scrap them and build new ones? At a time when china is kicking our a$$ with a larger navy, hypersonic missiles, has accomplished a 100 second contained fusion reaction and we have a dementia riddled president this adds further to our national embarassment.

Yeah, and I'm concerned about our national security. The people that asked for the job of securing the integrity of our nation don't seem to be concerned at all. Let us hope the prospect of a gun behind every blade of grass is enough to deter an invasion. That said, don't become complacent and do keep your powder dry.

Woody

 

[Bocephus123]

It was probably charpy impact test. And it is kind of retarded to perform the test at negative 100 degrees F for sub parts. But still no reason to falsify test results.

If its what your contracted to do and paid very well you probably should do it

 

[Bocephus123]

Yeah, and I'm concerned about our national security. The people that asked for the job of securing the integrity of our nation don't seem to be concerned at all. Let us hope the prospect of a gun behind every blade of grass is enough to deter an invasion. That said, don't become complacent and do keep your powder dry.

Woody

They would have to be fools im almost 60 and still got a lot of go get it left in me hopefully we all do