NEWPORT – The National Institute of Standards and Technology has named the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport’s Underwater Sound Reference Division a Designated Institute.
The designation is for “Acoustics: Sound in Water,” according to a news release.
“This will formally designate NUWC Division Newport’s Underwater Sound Reference Division as the NIST measurement facility for underwater metrology,” Technical Director Ron Vien said. “The team has been working on this for years, overcoming a number of technical hurdles. … This is a huge accomplishment. When we participate at international metrology standards meetings, we represent the United States.”
In a statement, Underwater Sound Reference Division Branch Head Victor Évora said that the USRD has supported the National Institute of Standards and Technology at International Bureau of Weights and Measures meetings since the early 1990s, but it never had the NIST “proverbial stamp of approval” until now.
According to NUWC Division Newport, its Underwater Sound Reference Division is the first Designated Institute to be recognized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
USRD Chief Metrologist Steven Crocker said that it’s the first time the U.S. has had national measurement standards for sound in water.
“We’ve made these kinds of measurements in water at USRD for 40 or 50 years, but the metrological foundation and the traceability that goes along with that for every other measurement in the country – voltage, mass, length – has never existed for sound in water. Now, it does.”
A benefit, said Crocker, is having a single understanding of what the acoustic Pascal, a fundamental measurement of sound pressure, is in water. In turn, the NIST designation will provide more opportunities for collaboration between the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, academia and industry.
As a Designated Institute, NUWC Division Newport must provide opportunities for other U.S. entities to demonstrate proficiency against the standard.
This new designation will help NUWC Division Newport in equipping military efforts.
“Submarines and surface ship sensors and arrays that we acoustically characterize rely on testing that needs to be both accurate and precise to keep us competitive,” said Anthony Paolero, head of NUWC Division Newport’s Undersea Sensors and Arrays Division.
The Underwater Sound Reference Division was in Orlando, Fla., until 1997. When it closed, its operations moved to the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport.
Susan Shalhoub is a PBN contributing writer.
