USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Robert A Roush

Robert S Janus

David L Bartlett

Raymond P Pineault

Kurt J Janecek

Austin H Wolfe

William T Young, Jr

Robert J DeAngelis

The invention is directed to a grommet including a cylindrical body fabried from rubber or synthetic rubber material. The body has a centrally located aperture extending therethrough and at least one radially located aperture with a slit for easily receiving a cable or the like. The grommet further includes a rigid insert secured to the body in the centrally located aperture. The insert has female threads formed therein for releasably securing a tool thereto to remove the grommet from the ballast tank without destroying the body of the grommet. The insert has a tubular member and an outwardly projecting circumferential flange formed on the tubular member. The body is formed on the tubular member wherein the flange secures the insert axially with respect to the body. Preferably, the body is fabricated from neoprene and is vulcanized to its final form.

Grommet having metal insert

A mechanical strain relief for a cable is firmly attached directly to the using of the connector to which the cable termination is plugged into. The strain relief has a split clamp aligned perpendicularly to the cable and extends from the housing sufficiently such that the clamp does not interfere with the use of a watertight rubber boot bonded to the housing to make the connector watertight. The clamp is opened and the cable is inserted into the connector. The clamp is then closed and tightened against the cable, such that any forces on the cable are transmitted through the strain relief to the housing. A guard extends from the strain relief and is shaped to loop around the cable to provide protection for the connector from foreign objects which would otherwise strike the termination or connector.

Mechanical strain relief

A method for making polyurethane acoustic windows. A molding material is lied to a reservoir connected to the bottom of the mold to fill the mold under the influence of a vacuum applied at the top of the mold. After initialling filling the mold, a second reservoir connects to the vacuum port and additional material is added to the first reservoir to partially fill the second reservoir. Thereafter the mold with the reservoirs attached is located in a pressure oven for curing. After curing the mold an acoustic window is removed from the mold for post molding operations.

Acoustic window and method for making the same

An acoustic transducer comprising a housing, and first and second stacks of ransduction plates disposed within the housing for engaging opposed wall portions of the housing, the first and second stacks being adapted to be held in compression between the housing opposed wall portions. A threaded stud extends from the first stack to the second stack, and a nut is threadedly engaged with the stud and adjacent one of the stacks. Movement of the nut on the stud operates to move the stacks toward the housing walls, respectively, to compress the stacks, and operates to relax compressive force on the stacks to enable withdrawal of one of the stacks and replacement thereof.

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Norwich, CT, United States of America

Robert A Roush