Specialists in

Full Life-Cycle Support

Design services provided by Gibbs & Cox rely on an experienced team of marine, mechanical, and engineering specialists. This work involves a wide range of activities, beginning with concept and feasibility design and continues through detailed design, construction support, life-cycle support and into ship-alt design for service-life extensions.

Key components and output of the design process include:

  • System tradeoff studies
  • Preparation of contract guidance drawings and working drawings
  • Functional and detailed design drawing and calculation development
  • Ship checks
  • Alteration and Engineering Change Proposal development and integration
  • Preparation of procurement documents
  • Selected record plan preparation and updates
  • Technical manual preparation and revisions
  • Ship system analysis
  • Preparation of cost/time/schedule estimates

Successful Projects Start with the Fundamental of System Engineering

Gibbs & Cox applies the fundamentals of system engineering processes to all of our projects.

As a full service, multi-discipline engineering and design services provider, we are uniquely qualified to not only support the identification and definition of requirements, but also complete the selection of appropriate verification, validation means and integration.

Early Phase Development for Advanced, High-Performance Ships & Crafts

G&C’s experience in advanced high-performance ships and craft involves early phase development, which includes total ship design and the development of algorithms and other basic technology for input to the design process.

Gibbs & Cox continues to be in the forefront of Hull, Mechanical & Electrical (HM&E) system development and technology improvements. We have expert understanding of the detailed design challenges that exist when implementing new technologies in the demanding naval combatant environment. Our experience and expertise in this field allows us to identify design features that, when incorporated, will make the developmental systems easier to integrate into the ship.

Gibbs & Cox has supported the advanced technological development of:

  • System automation for autonomous (unmanned) operation
  • Integrated Power Systems
  • Advanced Degaussing Systems
  • Composite materials
  • Hybrid electric propulsion systems
  • Highly producible modular designs
  • Auxiliary systems architectures
  • Renewable energy
  • Environmental treatment systems
  • Advanced high-power weapons and sensors

Test and Trials Support for Government & Commercial Clients

Gibbs & Cox routinely supports tests and trials for government and industry (commercial) clients.

This support is performed in a variety of environments, including:

  • Equipment manufacturing facilities (for factory acceptance testing)
  • Land-based test facilities (for proof of concept testing)
  • Shipyards (for equipment and system tests)
  • Pier-side (for full system operational testing)
  • Sea for full ship trials.

Participation in tests and trials enables our engineering personnel to identify operational issues and resolve them on the spot.

Functional System Development

Gibbs & Cox has a history of evolving ship system designs from early-stage feasibility studies to fully engineered and designed systems created in 3D modeling environments and documented by detailed fabrication drawings and calculations.

The key to our success in functional system development is the application of a phased-development process, where the level of detail associated with the system design is gradually increased for each successive design product before the start of detailed design.

This process has been successfully executed on every Gibbs & Cox total ship detailed design program, and features the development of a variety of design and engineering products, including:

  • System diagrams from concept to production-level
  • Arrangement drawings for machinery components and spaces
  • Engineering calculation packages including:
    • Fluid flow analysis
    • Shafting sizing, flexibility, and vibration analysis
    • Pipe flexibility analysis
    • HVAC heating and cooling load analysis
  • Inquiry specifications for system components (to request data from vendors)
  • Build Specifications for system fabrication and installation
  • Purchase Specifications for procurement of components
  • Fabrication drawings for each system, including detailed component arrangements and complete bills of material

Gibbs & Cox utilizes an extensive software suite as part of our functional system development process.

Our software suite ranges from graphics tools such as 2-D AutoCAD, computer-aided design and 3D modeling tools such as AutoCAD, Intergraph Smart 3D, Ship Constructor; and engineering analysis tools such as Pipe-Flo, Shaft Designer, MatLAB Simulink, and CAESAR II.

We have applied our functional system development process to a number of recent programs, including:

  • FFG(X) Conceptual Design
  • Littoral Combat Ship – Freedom Class
  • Multi-Mission Surface Combatant
  • DDG 51 Flight III
  • Canadian Navy Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS)
  • USCG Offshore Patrol Cutter Preliminary/Contract Design
  • Autonomous Ship Design

Want to learn more about our experience with marine engineering?

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“[the] team received very strong endorsement at Design Review #2 placing us in an excellent position for [future phases of the project].   Based on the superb efforts of G&C, they are our trusted design agent for Detail Design and will perform a majority of the design work. … I have been involved in naval combatant ship design for 40 years and have never seen applause at a design review like we received at DR2.  Well Done!”