General Dynamics Advanced Technology Systems, Inc.

Robert D Smith

James J Bitetto

Gerald Edward Tourgee

James Christopher Coyne

Frank D Messina

An ocean plow device and accompanying method which incorporate a passive plow blade and a jetter tool working in conjunction with one another to lower drawbar and increase cable deployment speeds. In order to avoid cavitation due to sand dilation, in one embodiment of the plow device, the jetter tool includes nozzles oriented in a downward and backward direction relative to the plow device which creates a flow pattern to turbulently remove surface soil in front of the jetter tool in a rapid manner. The jetter tool is pivotally suspended from a point in front of the passive plow blade, such that the jetter will be free to find its own equilibrium position. That is, the pivotal mounting enables the jetter tool to rotate upward in harder soils and become fully extended in softer soils in order to reach the equilibrium position. The passive plow blade behind the jetter tool provides a constant burial depth for the cable and also provides protection from side loads encountered during deployment. By utilizing the jetter tool, the present invention avoids forces due to the effect of pore water by creating a slurry through the mixing of high flow rate water with sand, and forming a trench in which the passive tool can follow. In one embodiment of the invention the passive plow blade is backward raked so as to be capable of riding up and over the obstacles thereby providing snag clearing and obstacle avoidance features.

Growing community of inventors

Basking Ridge, NJ, United States of America

Robert D Smith