US3565028A

US3565028A - Steerable self-propelled submersible

Info

Publication number: US3565028A
Application number: US745633A
Authority: US
Inventors: Dorothy B Hancks; Stephen F Moran
Original assignee: US Department of Navy
Current assignee: US Department of Navy
Priority date: 1968-07-17
Filing date: 1968-07-17
Publication date: 1971-02-23
Anticipated expiration: 1988-02-23

Abstract

A torpedo, which can be launched conventionally from a torpedo tube trails a hydrophone on a long cable. A shroud encircling the propellers is articulated on a ball and socket joint to steer the torpedo, and to serve as a reel for carrying the long cable until after launching. Holddown fingers which keep the coiled cable in place, are scuttled a measured time after launch.

Description

United States Patent Dorothy B. l-lancks;

Stephen F. Moran, San Diego, Calif. 745,633

July 17 1968 Feb. 23, 1971 the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Inventors Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee STEERABLE SELF-PROPELLED SUBMERSIBLE 6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

u.s.c| 114/20, 114/201 1m. c1 ..F42b 19/10, F4 lg 7/04, F41 g 7/00 Field ofSearch 114/20 20.1

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,987,893 6/1961 Robins0n,Jr l14/20UX 3,084,652 4/1963 Lager 114/20 3,205,846 9/1965 114/20 Primary Examiner-Benjamin A. Borchelt Assistant Examiner-Thomas H. Webb Attorneys-George J. Rubens, .l.C. Warfield, John W.

McLaren and Truman L. Styner ABSTRACT: A torpedo, which can be launched conventionally from a torpedo tube trails a hydrophone on a long cable. A shroud encircling the propellers is articulated on a ball and socket joint to steer the torpedo, and to serve as a reel for carrying the long cable until after launching. Holddown fingers which keep the coiled cable in place, are scuttled a measured time after launch.

PATENTEU FEB23 19?: 3565028 sum 1 OF 3 mm Wm. A M WW? /8 $1M lhh' y flg w 20 Z g I 1 /3a IF\ "Mill; ml 5 I W" W, W W. "W ,2 /2 a 2 DOROTHY Eff/ 21952 STEPHEN E MORAN ATTORNEYS PATENTEDFEBZBIQH 3.565028 SHEET 2 OF 3 KID? 9g, V fiM F/ 6. 3 INVENTORS DOROTHY 8. HANG/(S BgTEPHEN F. MORAN STEERABLE SELF-PROPELLED SUBMERSIBLE The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

PRIOR ART The art of torpedoes and torpedo launching is highly developed. Underwater launching of a self-propelled torpedo is relatively simple, initial propulsion by compressed air or ram being sufficient to easily clear the torpedo from the launching vessel.

For certain technical reasons it is desirable, now, to permit the torpedo to tow a transducer or hydrophone at the end of a relatively long cable. The problem of clearing the torpedo with its long cable and hydrophone becomes a difficult problem.

The object of this invention is to provide a torpedo or submersible which with a towing cable will effectively clear the launching tubes and get under way without fouling the cable.

SUMMARY The torpedo of this invention has no elevator or rudder fins. Instead, a shroud is mounted on radial struts, encircles the counterrotating propellers, and is articulated on a ball and socket joint for steering the torpedo. The hydrophone to be towed is attached at one end of a cable which at the other end is attached to the stern of the torpedo hull. During the launch, the cable is coiled upon the outersurface of the shroud while the hydrophone is carried in a tube attached to a temporary fin which is scuttled after launching. Holddown fingers for securing the cable coils are attached to or are a part of fins which, also, are scuttled after launching. Removal of the fins and fingers permits the coil to slip from the shroud and trail the self-propelled torpedo without fouling.

Other objects and features of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art by referring to the preferred embodiment described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one torpedo equipped with the features of this invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are enlarged elevational and end views, respectively, ofthe stern ofthe torpedo of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view partly in section of the principal parts of the stern ofthe torpedo of FIGS. 1-3;

FIG. Sis a view taken on sectional line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows a second position of the fin-holding tongs of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 shows details ofthe tong release mechanism of FIGS. 5 and 6.

The torpedo 10 of FIG. 1 is conventional in general contour. At the stern are two

counterrotating propellers

22 and 24, FIGS. 3 and 4, enclosed with shroud 18. On the outside of the shroud is coiled the cable 19 the turns of the cable being held in place by

fingers

12a, 13a, 14a, and 15a, extending rearwardly from the

fins

12, 13, 14, and 15. One end of the cable 19 is attached, through the insulating fitting 20, to the signal gear within the torpedo and is attached at the other end to the transducer 21 which is carried in tube 16 mounted on fin 13. A measured time after launch when the torpedo is certain to be clear of the launching equipment, the fins 12-15 are detached from the torpedo, and scuttled. Removal of the fins carries away the holddown fingers 12a-15a and permits the coil of cable 19 to slip from the shroud. Many reliable launchings have been made without fouling the cable.

The shroud is mounted upon the articular joint now to be described. The torpedo now is steerable with a minimum of drag inasmuch as the fins have been eliminated.

FIG. 4 shows the principal parts of one successful mechanism for scuttling the fins and for steering the torpedo. The

counterrotating propellers

22 and 24 are mounted upon concentric shafts, respectively, 23 and 25. The hubs of the propellers are truncated conical sections to continue the streamlined contour of the hull. The two

shafts

23 and 25 are suitably journaled in the fixed tube 26 which is, in turn, a part of and supported by the bulkhead 27. Spaces astern of the bulkhead may be flooded, while the space forward is dry. The articular joint for moving the shroud 18 in elevation as well as in azimuth, comprises the ball 28 and complementary socket 29. The ball 28 is threaded to the outer rear end of fixed tube 26. To reduce friction, ball bearings may float in raceways in the surface of either the ball or the socket. Three or more radi al struts, 18a, connect the socket member 29 to the shroud l8.

Conveniently, power for steering is provided by solenoids, and with novel mechanical linkage,'cornplete steering control in all dimensions is effected with on and off or binary voltage signals. Solenoids 30, preferably four in number, are spaced uniformly about the center line of the torpedo and are bolted to header 27. Each solenoid has a round magnetic armature 31 which pulls on rod 32 to tilt the socket member 29 on its ball support. Conveniently, part of the linkage 32 may be flexible to permit freedom of translation of linear motion to rotary motion of the socket on the ball. According to an important feature of this steering mechanism, the socket 29 is returned to a medium straight-ahead plane by the compressed coiled springs on roundhead machine bolts 36. The bolts clear holes in plate 35 and are adjusted in position by threaded nuts. Sleeves of measured length between the bolt head and plate limit the maximum deflection angle of the shroud. Plate 35 is keyed or otherwise fixedly attached to the tube 26. In operation, with solenoids deenergized, the spring-pressed bolts 36 move the shroud into straight-ahead position. When any of the four solenoids recieved a signal the armature plunger moves a sufficient distance to draw the near side ofthe socket, and the shroud, against the positive stop provided by the sleeve on bolt 36. It has been found desirable to evenly space eight of the stop bolts 36 around the periphery of the stop plate 35. As stated, each stop bolt can be adjusted to normally hold the shroud in its neutral head-on position as well as to determine the maximum deflection of the shroud from the head-on positron.

As mentioned above a measured time after launch the fins 12-15 must be scuttled and the cable '19 released. Each of the four fins, like the fin 13 shown in FIG. 4, are stamped with a protruding ear 13b which extends through a slot in the aft skirt of the torpedo. Each of theears is perforated with an opening as at 13c. Preferably the metal of the fins is light weight aluminum and is anodized to minimize corrosion. Small feet 13d, best seen in FIG. 2, is attached to fin 13 to enable the fin to stand upright when in operating position.

The mechanism for holding the fins and for releasing the fins on signal is called tongs and is best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Tong plate 40 pivots freely on fixed tube 26 so that tong points 40a, 40b, 40c, and 40d can move into and out of engagement with the corresponding

openings

12c, 13c, 14c, and 15c. Tong plate 44 is in all important respects identical to tong plate 40, but is placed on tube 26 and rotatable in the opposite direction so that the tong points 44a, 44b, 44c, and 4411 engage, respectively, the opposite ends ofthe openings l2c-15c Springs 46 are under tension and normally bias the tong points to open position.

To rotate the tong points together and into firm contact with the fins, cam surfaces 55 and 5 6, FIG. 7, on the tong plates, respectively, are forced apart by the wedge 48. In addition to the details in FIG. 7, see also the wedge in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6. As wedge 48 moves toward the right in FIGS. 4 and 7 on push rod 50, the

tongplates

40 and 44 rotate together" or, respectively, in counterclockwise and clockwise directions and releases the tong points from the holes in the ears'on the fins. Push rod 50 is positively held :in its locking position, toward the left in FIGS. 4 and'7, by a linkage including the fusible wire 51 connected at one end to the stud screw 52 affixed to the end of push rod 50. The other end of the fusible wire engages the post 53 extending through but electrically insulated from the bulkhead 27. When a timing circuit, not

shown, indicates that the time has arrivedfor scuttling the fins a power circuit is closed through post 53, wire 51, and the grounded frame of the torpedo. Sufficient current is applied to burn wire 51 and freeing push rod 50 to move to the right, in FIG. 4 and 7 in response to a coiled compressed spring on the rod, and hence, permitting springs 46 on the tong plates to open the tong points and release the fins.

As stated, the hydrophone 21 is carried in the tube 16 on the outer edge of fin 13. The hydrophone fits loosely in the tube so that the tube and its fin will drop away as the torpedo attains headway and the hydrophone cable 19 is straightened to give velocity in the water. The forward end of the now outstretched cable is embedded in insulating bushing 20 to relieve strain on the seals in the torpedo wall. The shroud l8 effectively prevents the spinning propellers from cutting the cable.

We claim:

l. A steerable self-propelled submersible comprising:

an elongated tubular streamlined hull with a generally conical-shaped stern and with a coaxial propeller shaft;

a propeller on the stern end of said shaft;

a tubular protective shroud generally coaxial with said hull and enclosing said propeller;

a transducer cable coiled on said shroud;

a plurality of stabilizing fins disposed about and detachably secured to the stern of said hull;

holddown fingers attached to said fins and overlying said coil to hold the turns of said cable in place on the shroud; and

means responsive to a predetermined signal for scuttling said tins and fingers to release said cable.

2. The submersible defined in claim 1 further comprising:

an articular joint adjacent the stern of said hull;

radial struts connecting said shroud to a movable element of said joint to articulate said shroud for steering said submersible.

3. The submersible defined in claim 1, further comprising complementary ball and socket members, one of said member being fixedly attached to the body of said submersible and the other member being freely movable and constituting the sole support for said shroud.

4. The steerable submersible defined in claim 1 further comprising a holding tube on one of said fins for receiving and retaining a transducer during launch.

5. In the steerable submersible defined in claim 1 said means for scuttling the fins comprising:

two counterrotating tong plates with tong points for engaging recesses in each fin;

tensioned spring means connected to said plates for biasing said tong points toward open releasing position;

a wedge placed between cam surfaces on said tong plates for holding said tong points in tin-engaging position; and means for moving said wedge outof said holding position.

6. in the steerable submersible defined in claim 5, the mentioned wedge-moving means comprising:

a push rod carrying said wedge;

a spring for biasing said push rod and wedge into tong releasing position;

a fusible wire holding said push rod against the push rod spring; and

a circuit for applying sufficient electric power to said wire to destroy the wire.

Claims

1. A steerable self-propelled submersible comprising: an elongated tubular streamlined hull with a generally conicalshaped stern and with a coaxial propeller shaft; a propeller on the stern end of said shaft; a tubular protective shroud generally coaxial with said hull and enclosing said propeller; a transducer cable coiled on said shroud; a plurality of stabilizing fins disposed about and detachably secured to the stern of said hull; holddown fingers attached to said fins and overlying said coil to hold the turns of said cable in place on the shroud; and means responsive to a predetermined signal for scuttling said fins and fingers to release said cable.

2. The submersible defined in claim 1 further comprising: an articular joint adjacent the stern of said hull; radial struts connecting said shroud to a movable element of said joint to articulate said shroud for steering said submersible.

5. In the steerable submersible defined in claim 1 said means for scuttling the fins comprising: two counterrotating tong plates with tong points for engaging recesses in each fin; tensioned spring means connected to said plates for biasing said tong points toward open releasing position; a wedge placed between cam surfaces on said tong plates for holding said tong points in fin-engaging position; and means for moving said wedge out of said holding position.

6. In the steerable submersible defined in claim 5, the mentioned wedge-moving means comprising: a push rod carrying said wedge; a spring for biasing said push rod and wedge into tong releasing position; a fusible wire holding said push rod against the push rod spring; and a circuit for applying sufficient electric power to said wire to destroy the wire.