Designing the Future DDG 51 Class Computer Aided Design

The DDG 51 Class of AEGIS guided missile destroyers is the Navy’s premier surface combatant. Named for famed World War II hero. Admiral Arleigh Burke, these ships represent state-of-the-art technology. This 504 foot, 8,300 ton destroyer has been designed with improved seakeeping and survivability characteristics and carries the sophisticated AEGIS Weapon System. Derived from the Greek word meaning “shield”, AEGIS ships are the “shield of the fleet”. The Navy has commissioned the first two ships of the class. They have performed beyond expectation in rigorous at-sea trials designed to fully test combat capability. The DDG 51 Class ships are replacing retiring fleet assets. In a decreasing Department of Defense (DoD) budget environment, however, acquisition costs must be reduced to continue to build capable warships. The Navy’s Destroyer Program Office is pursuing the implementation of Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) technology to reduce costs without reducing ship’s capability. Under Navy direction, the ship construction yards, Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding, are aggressively pursuing the transition to CAD-based design, construction, and life cycle support This effort also involves General Electric, the Combat System Engineering Agent. Building a three dimensional (3D) computer model of the ship prior to construction will facilitate the identification and resolution of interferences and interface problems that would otherwise go undetected until actual ship construction. This 3D database contains geometry and design data to support system design. Accurate construction drawings, fabrication sketches, and Numerical Control (NC) data can be extracted directly from the database to support construction at each shipyard. At completion of construction, a model representing the “as built” configuration will be provided as a lifetime support tool for each ship’s projected 40 year life. The transition to CAD-based design and construction has applied fundamental concepts of the DoD’s Computer Aided Acquisition and Logistic Support (CALS) initiative. In addition to creating a 3D database representing ship design, the shipyards have developed a neutral file translator to exchange this data between Computervision and Calma CAD systems in operation at Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding respectively. This object oriented transfer capability ensures data is shared rather than duplicated. The CALS concepts of concurrent engineering and computer aided engineering analysis are being applied to design an upgrade to the ship that features the addition of a helicopter hanger. The CAD models are used as an electronic baseline from which to assess proposed modifications. Optimizing the design before the first piece of steel is cut will reduce construction costs and improve the quality of the ship.