Underwater Winch Study for Project LINEAR CHAIR

摘要

A series of LINEAR CHAIR arrays are planned for installation on underwater tracking ranges. The purpose of this study is to identify potential underwater winch approaches for adjusting the length of several array configurations. The underwater winch will provide a means for positioning the sensor array at specific depths between 200 and 1500 feet below the sea surface. The water depth will be 3000 feet. Normal positioning of the array will be at .5 foot/second. Emergency haul-down will be accomplished at 10 feet/second. An underwater winch survey was conducted in 1972 that reported on ten underwater winches which represented the state-of-the-art design at that time. Since that time, five submersible winches have been developed or are under development. None of the existing winches reviewed will meet the requirements of the LINEAR CHAIR Project Fixed Array. Several approaches appear promising for positioning the array. The prime candidates are the hydraulic accumulation winch for the single-leg configuration and the gravity capstan for the multi-leg configurations. Refinement of the capstans and the hydraulic accumulation winch approaches, in conjunction with the array configuration development process, is recommended. Also, the components (i.e., power cable, transformer, controller, etc.) required to support the winch must be identified, as well as the impact upon installation imposed by including the winch in the array.