The use of breakthrough polymer and composite technologies will help reduce the cost of vessel construction. This was stated by Konstantin Golubev, General Director of CMKB "Almaz", at a meeting of representatives of the design block of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (OSK) and petrochemical companies, which took place at the design bureau's site in St. Petersburg.
The use of import-independent domestic composite materials solves the problem of import substitution and increasing technological sovereignty.
Polymers and composites replace metal where it is important to reduce weight, as well as to give the vessel corrosion resistance, and increase the service life of components in aggressive environments, OSK added.
Where composites are needed:
- hull and deck
- onboard pipes
- mechanisms and transmissions
- panels
- insulation and electrical solutions
CMKB "Almaz" specialists have been developing composite shipbuilding since 2004. The bureau designed the world's largest minesweeper, whose hull was created using the vacuum infusion method. This refers to the Project 12700 "Alexandrit" mine countermeasures ship with a monolithic fiberglass hull.
Vessels of this project are serially built at the Sredne-Nevsky Shipbuilding Plant (SNSZ) in St. Petersburg. The application of technologies developed at CMKB "Almaz" at Russian shipyards will be a big step towards reducing the cost of building warships and vessels, OSK concluded.