The Development of a New Standard for the Vibration of Ship Propulsion Systems

The U.S. Coast Guard has traditionally used the methodology and criteria in MIL-STD-167-2A and its predecessors for acceptance testing of new ship propulsion systems. The original standard was written in 1954, with geared turbine drives in mind. It has been changed somewhat over the years but has not kept up with the development of new types of propulsion systems. The Coast Guard tasked John J. McMullen Associates, Inc. to propose a new standard with updated requirements for conventional propulsion systems, and to include requirements in the new standard for nonconventional propulsion systems such as thrusters, cycloidal propellers, and water-jets. For conventional systems, a review of existing criteria from the U.S. and other countries was performed. In the case of thrusters, water jets and cycloidal propellers, there are no U.S. or international standards covering these systems, so several manufacturers were requested to famish any relevant data and their recommendations. A draft of this standard was distributed widely to industry and government to get comments and suggestions. This report explains the rationale behind the proposed criteria.