USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Victor J Marolda

Louis E Sansone

Roy R Manstan

A normal belt capstan assembly for arrays towed by vessels includes a drive wheel mounted on the vessel and adapted to deploy and discharge an array. The drive wheel has a continuous groove throughout an outer edge thereof with opposed rims on either side of the groove. The assembly further includes a normal belt mounted on a plurality of rollers and disposed along a portion of the periphery of the drive wheel, the belt having a continuous central groove formed in a surface facing the drive wheel. The combined drive wheel groove and central groove are adapted to receive the array and termination module, and a retaining groove on either side of the central groove are adapted for receiving the drive wheel rims. The normal belt provides a normal force to the array and termination module.

Normal belt capstan assembly

An electrical connector includes a plug section having a body, and a receptacle section which is connected to the plug section. A collapsible seal is disposed within a circumferential groove formed in the plug section. The receptacle section has a cylindrical housing with a clamping ring for securely engaging and connecting the receptacle section to the plug section. Upon connecting the receptacle section to the plug section any hydrostatic forces present in the chamber between the receptacle section and the plug section causes the collapsible seal to collapse within the groove thereby providing a volume defined by the groove which receives fluid therein for preventing hydrostatic lock.

Underwater mateable electrical connector with anti-hydrolock feature

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

Disclosed is an apparatus for deploying and retrieving a towed array from a ehicle. This apparatus includes a cable storage device positioned inside the vehicle hull. A winch is positioned adjacent this cable storage device for paying out the array and retrieving the array from and to the cable storage device. The array extends in a first length from the cable storage device to the winch to a hull exit point. A fluid bearing is positioned between the first and second length of the array. This fluid bearing comprises an internal arcuate cable conveying passageway and a fluid inlet for introducing a fluid to said internal cable conveying passageway so as to reduce stress and friction on the array.

Guide tube bend fluid bearing

Disclosed is a fuel bladder having a flexible bladder wall with a fuel out aperture in which a tubular penetration body extends through the aperture and an interior flange on the tubular penetration abuts the interior side of the flexible bladder wall. A tubular valve connection member is superimposed over the fuel outlet aperture such that its outer peripheral surface abuts the inner peripheral surface of the tubular penetration body. A washer and a lock nut are positioned over the tubular penetration member to press the fuel bladder wall against the tubular penetration member interior flange. An O-ring seal is positioned between the proximate surface of the tubular penetration body and the interior side of the bladder wall. Another O-ring seal is positioned adjacent the outer peripheral surface of the tubular penetration body and the exterior side of the bladder wall.

Fitting for flexible fuel bladder

A plug-receptacle type electrical connector in combination with a thin, cular, elastomeric membrane joining a plurality of cylindrical elastomeric embossments formed as an integral part thereof. Each embossment further has conical ends at each extremity and an outside diameter slightly larger than the receptacle socket cavity it will contact. Each embossment also has a longitudinal through-hole of inside diameter (ID) slightly smaller than the electrical connector plug pin it is intended to fit over. The membrane is coated with a dielectric grease and slipped over the plug pins. Connector clamping forces produce hydrostatic forces, first on each embossment which causes water remaining between the pin and the embossment ID and then pin-to-pin to be broken into a discontinuous series of microspheres. The resulting discontinuity produces full electrical isolation for the assembled pins and sockets and pin-to-pin for the mated connector. Total refurbishment of a connector may thus be accomplished in situ.

Underwater mateable electrical connector

A plug-receptacle type electrical connector in combination with a thin, cular, elastomeric membrane joining a plurality of cylindrical elastomeric embossments formed as an integral part thereof. Each embossment further has conical ends at each extremity and an outside diameter slightly larger than the receptacle socket cavity it will contact. Each embossment also has a longitudinal through-hole of inside diameter (ID) slightly smaller than the electrical connector plug pin it is intended to fit over. The membrane is coated with a dielectric grease and slipped over the plug pins. Connector clamping force produce hydrostatic forces, first on each embossment which causes water remaining between the pin and the embossment ID and then pin-to-pin to be broken into a discontinuous series of microspheres. The resulting discontinuity produces full electrical isolation for the assembled pins and sockets and pin-to-pin for the mated connector. Total refurbishment of a connector may thus be accomplished in situ.

Growing community of inventors

Salem, CT, United States of America

Victor J Marolda