Compact Underwater Buoyancy System for Expendable Sonobuoys
Abstract
There is a need for a compact underwater buoyancy system capable of maintaining a specified (about 10 lb) weight at any present water depth from 0 to 2,000 ft. It would be used in expendable sonobuoys where hydrophones or transducers must be kept at a present depth. Defense Systems, Inc. (DSI) built and demonstrated such a device in Phase I, an engineering model of such a device in the form of an expanding, nested set of 6 in. diameter 4 in. long cylinders. Upon deployment and activation by a salt water switch and electronic timer, an initial expansion of the nested cylinders takes place to compensate for the payload weight. Then a microprocessor and pressure-sensor-controlled stepping motor is used to micro adjust cylinder expansion to cause the device to change buoyancy, thus maintaining depth at the present level. The buoyancy device uses little electric power, contains no hazardous devices and has a very low projected unit cost.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 31, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA211454
Entities
People
- Andrew Wohl