USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Other

Louis E Sansone

Darren J Blier

Michael A Vartanian

Victor J Marolda

Barry A Blakely

Gregory A Simonds

Phillip Ventimiglia

A system to repair a hose made from deformable material includes an elongated container for holding a liquid heated sufficiently for softening the hose. A heater can be positioned in the container. A plurality of restraining members can be positioned to retain the hose immersed in the liquid within the container. A gas supply is used to pressurize the hose prior to immersion, and a support is provided for holding the hose before and after immersion. A method includes filling an elongated container with a heated liquid and pressurizing the hose with a gas. The pressurized hose is immersed in the liquid and maintained immersed by retaining members to soften the hose. The hose is removed from the liquid, depressurized and allowed to cool.

System to repair deformations in elastomeric hoses

Method to repair deformations in elastomeric hoses

The present invention relates to a removable air mandrel for use in manufuring towed sonar arrays. The removable air mandrel is used to position hydrophone mandrels and has an inflatable tubular structure which includes expansion limiters. The expansion limiters are preferably fibers incorporated into the tubular structure. A process for using the removable air mandrel to assemble a towed sonar array is also disclosed.

Removable air mandrel

A simple and accurate stowage drum and capstan alignment system and method or the Deployable Array Work Group (DAWG) is provided. The system includes a drum reference point fixture for obtaining the drum centerline, a drum sighting assembly and a capstan sight alignment fixture. For each spoke of the drum brought to a predetermined position adjacent the drum reference point fixture, the distance between the bulkhead and the inner and outer flanges of the drum is measured and the centerline position is calculated by averaging the readings. The drum sighting assembly is positioned within the drum and aligned with the calculated centerline. The capstan sight alignment fixture is positioned on the capstan. Looking through the scope of the drum sighting assembly to the capstan sight alignment fixture, measurements are taken of the offset, roll and rotation of the capstan unit relative to the drum. Additionally, a measurement of the drive shaft/flex coupling keyway freeplay is obtained.

System and method for alignment of stowage drum and capstan in a

A fiber optic hydrophone array is provided in which a plurality of tubes, g., fiber optic hydrophones, are to be secured about an elongate elastomeric member having a diameter that hinders each tube from being slid thereover. Each time a tube is to be positioned and secured, longitudinal tension is applied to the elongate elastomeric member to form a reduced cross section along its length in order to facilitate the sliding of each tube therealong. Adhesive is applied about the elongate elastomeric member at a desired position along its length while longitudinal tension is being applied. Then, one tube is slid along the length of reduced cross section to the desired position. The longitudinal tension in the elongate elastomeric member is then relaxed. The reduced cross section expands radially outward thereby forming a void free layer of adhesive between the tube and the elongate elastomeric member.

Fiber Optic hydrophone array

A length and elongation sensor includes an elastomeric optical wave guide d a time domain reflectometer. The elastomeric optical wave guide consists of a urethane outer cladding and an optical gel core. A transparent window is hermetically sealed to the first end of the optical wave guide and a reflective mirror is hermetically sealed to the second end of the optical wave guide. Both ends of the wave guide are then fixedly attached to the unit to be measured. The time domain reflectometer is operative for propagating a light pulse through the optical wave guide and for measuring the round-trip propagation time of the light pulse. Since the velocity of the light pulse is known, the length of the wave guide can easily be determined. The wave guide is stretchable up to 25% of its original length thereby allowing both static and dynamic length measurements of the unit to be measured.

Length and elongation sensor

The present invention relates to a sensor for measuring pressure and stra The sensor is formed by an optical fiber having at least one section wherein the fiber is twisted about itself. The at least one twisted section acts as an intrinsically self-deforming microbend deformer. The sensor further includes a source of light attached to a first end of the fiber and a power meter for measuring the amount of light lost in the at least one section. The optical fiber may have multiple twisted sections with different twist pitches and thus different sensitivities. In an alternative embodiment, the sensor may have two optical fibers twisted about each other.

Intrinsically self deforming fiber optic microbend pressure and strain

An apparatus for winding fine filaments onto stationary long rods includes supporting base having control mounting and filament mounting regions. The filament winding region includes first and second parallel bearing rods on which are slidably mounted a filament winding region traversing base member. The traversing base member traverses along the first and second parallel bearing rods at a selectable rate of speed as moved by a coupled mechanism. A filament winding head is mounted to the traversing base member and rotated about the long rod which passes through a cylindrical passageway in the filament winding head. A spool of fine filament is mounted on the filament winding head concentric with the cylindrical passageway in the filament winding head and the long rod, for dispensing fine filament from the spool onto the long rod. Also provided are a controller mechanism, coupled at least to the mechanism for effecting traversing movement of the traversing base member and for establishing the selectable rate of speed at which the traversing base member including the filament winding head and spool of fine filament traverses the winding region about the stationary long rod, for controlling and establishing a winding profile of the fine filament onto the long rod.

Computer controlled filament winding system having tensioning device

An extendable fiber optic cable includes an inner tubular core, a viscous l received in the tubular core, a plurality of optical fibers suspended in the gel, reinforcing fibers which are braided around the inner core, and an elastomeric outer cover which is received over the reinforcing fibers. The cable is first formed in a straight configuration and then formed into a plurality of coiled segments wherein adjacent coiled segments are wound in alternating directions, i.e. clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, etc. Straight segments of wire are provided between the coiled segments wherein the cable is stretchable up to 50% of its relaxed length. The alternating coil segments prevent the cable from twisting and transmitting torque forces to the optical fibers.

Torque-balanced extendable fiber optic cable

A Health-Watch that provides nearly instant access to critical medical data. It is worn on the wrist like a conventional wrist watch and contains two levels of data. The first level, which contains the most critical medical data, can be displayed on the watch's alphanumeric display screen. The second level of data, which is of lower priority and is frequently more detailed, can be accessed by an external data terminal via a serial data port on the Health-Watch. The Health-Watch combines all circuitry including memory onto a single Application Specific Integrated Circuit. An UPDATE mode provides for updating medical data.

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Brooklyn, CT, United States of America

Louis E Sansone