Abstract: An elongated optical fiber is vertically positioned within seawater in a deep-depth targeted zone by vertical suspension thereof from a floating buoy. Electrode sensor arrays are positioned in vertically spaced relation to each other on the optical fiber for generating warning signals in response to detection of hostile conditions. The warning signals are converted into signal data collected and transferred to a transmitter in the floating buoy from which the sensor arrays are suspended within the targeted zone positioned on the optical fiber. Such collected data signals are transmitted through an antenna within the floating buoy to locations above the seawater surface for surveillance purposes.

Abstract: The moving slip ring surface of electrical machinery transfers electrical current by contact thereof with liquid metal directly or through the tips of a plurality of closely spaced brushes positioned along the bottom of a housing under pressure within which the liquid metal is contained. The brush tips are respectively connected to lower ends of fibers electrically interconnected within the housing and exposed to the liquefied metal received and retained within the housing. According to one embodiment, the liquefied metal is retained within containment material filling the housing for contact exposure of the fibers therewith. According to another embodiment, exposure of the fibers to the liquefied metal within the housing is effected by entry of the liquefied metal into hollow brush tubes connected to and extending from the bottom of the housing, through which stem portions of the fibers extend to the brush tips.

Abstract: A solid metallic piston of a fluidborne sound projector is provided with a plurality of parallel spaced fluid passages extending between opposite axial end faces of the piston so as to equalize fluid pressures exerted thereon within a chamber enclosed within an end portion of a conduit having an end wall attached thereto through which a solid piston rod extends from the piston to an acoustical power source from which acoustical energy is mechanically transmitted as displacing forces applied to one of the axial end faces of the piston. Displacement of the piston within the chamber is limited in one axial direction by abutment of the rear end face thereof with the conduit end wall and in the other axial direction by abutment of a larger diameter section of the piston with a forward stop on an annular seal fixed to the conduit end portion, through which a smaller diameter section of the piston extends from the larger diameter section.

Abstract: The hull of a submerged sea craft adjacent its stern end is provided with auxiliary facilities for controlled maneuvering operations under low speed conditions, including steering, stopping and negative thrust backing performed independently of main propulsion of the craft. The auxiliary maneuvering control facilities include a curved channel pipe connected to two angularly related sub-channel pipe sections for selectively controlled outflow of fluid which is pressurized by a maneuvering control pump within the curved channel pipe before outflow through exit openings in the hull in different directions, as negative angle thrust jets and as steering control jets perpendicular to the hull centerline. By use of a sub-channel flow diverting flapper and gate valves at the inlet and exit outlet openings in the hull, all of the maneuvering operations may be performed under selective control.

Abstract: A self-cleaning composite deck drain apparatus which includes a removable top part having a top grating surface for receiving waste liquid and a trap for catching particulate matter from the liquid at a lower end. The drain apparatus further includes a bottom part having a drainpipe within an annular chamber formed thereabout for receiving and holding the top part. Circumferentially spaced locking tabs are affixed to the edge of the top part below the grating surface thereof for reception within tab receivers in the bottom part when the top part is inserted into the chamber of the bottom part and turned for locking of the tabs within the tab receivers. The top part includes a threaded bore within which a valve is manually operable to open and close the drainpipe. The deck drain apparatus is made of composite plastic materials to resist corrosion.

Abstract: A structural power transmitting component embodies a shaft and a gear or pulley held threadedly positioned on the shaft by four nuts while interconnected by a torque transmitting wedge and key. The shaft is especially configured to establish structural interrelationships with the nuts, wedge, key and gear so as to facilitate assembly and disassembly of the component as well as to maintain the wedge and key deformed under engagement by the nuts to avoid development of internal clearances during start-up and stoppage of torque transmission to thereby preclude generation of noise during such operational start-up and stoppage of transmission through the component.

Abstract: Excessive fuel is dumped by ejection under a pressurized outflow velocity from an aircraft during flight as jets in a direction parallel to air stream flow relative to the aircraft, from a rearwardly facing exit opening of a fuel jettison device mounted on the lower surface of the aircraft, with the exit fixedly spaced below the lower aircraft surface a short distance to avoid the Coanda effect while reducing or eliminating fuel and fuel mist impingement on aircraft surfaces.

Abstract: Shipboard wastewater undergoes treatment within an automatic system based on membrane bioreactor technology. Bacteria that are naturally present in the raw waste stream break down during treatment and consume organic material in the wastewater. Membranes in a bioreactor within which the wastewater is treated provide a physical barrier, retaining the bacteria and other solids while producing an effluent sufficiently clean to be discharged directly overboard. To ensure adequate treatment, a flow-through ultraviolet disinfection unit is employed in the system downstream of filtration. Inorganic and other non-biodegradable material that accumulates in the bioreactor with time is removed automatically to maintain the desired solids concentration in the bioreactor.

Abstract: The stern end of a seawater hull has a rotor hub with propeller blades thereon. The rotor hub is rotated for propulsion of the hull by means of a propeller shaft extending through a sealed compartment within the hull. Such sealed compartment and an electrically powered control system is disposed within the hull to automatically adjust angular deflection of deformable tip portions of the propeller blades by means of blade embedded actuators, in response to varying input signals which respectively reflect changes in seawater conditions such as temperature and strain imposed on the propeller blades during propelling rotation of the rotor hub.

Abstract: A debris sensor arrangement is positioned within an enclosed body of fluid for detecting the presence of metallic debris particles therein. Debris detection involves exposure of cantilever beams to the fluid when magnetized within an electromagnetic field to attract the metallic debris particles thereon and induce vibratory motion thereof at a resonant frequency varied by changes in the density of the debris particles magnetically held thereon. Measurement of the resonance frequency reflecting the density of the debris particles within the fluid being tested thereby monitors the corresponding wear of machinery reflected by the debris density.

Abstract: A wheeled platform is positioned between the legs of a marine terminal crane for reception thereon and departure therefrom of a motor truck from which a container is transferred by the crane onto a dockside positioned ship. The container is supported by the platform on tables that are automatically positioned and maintained in operative alignment with the crane spreader bar through which the container is transferred to the crane boom in response to location indicating signals from a sensor grid on the platform.

Abstract: Wastewater is delivered to a single tank of a bioreactor system to undergo biological treatment. After undergoing such biological treatment, the wastewater is centrifugally separated outside the tank into contaminated portions with lowered and increased concentration of solids therein to respectively undergo filtration within a small volume chamber of the tank and continuous return to a large volume chamber for biological retreatment during operation of the bioreactor system. Under different conditions of the wastewater delivered to the tank, one of the separated portions of the biologically treated wastewater is disposed of by direct discharge in by-pass relation to the small chamber when delivery thereof into the small chamber is interrupted under selective valve control.

Abstract: A metal-matrix material in the form of a carbide powder together with a sodium fluoride flux is deposited as a charge within a crucible for induction heating thereof to a flux melting temperature to thereby initiate pretreatment. The molten flux is spread over and covers powder particles of the metal-matrix carbide throughout, in response to stirring by rotation of an agitator during said flux melt heating within the crucible. The charge may be covered within the crucible by an air-purging blanket of argon gas during said heating. The powder fluxed charge is then cooled within the crucible before removal therefrom and sealingly packaged within aluminum soda cans or foil wrappings for future use storage. Such packaged charges are transferred from storage and introduced into a casting mold for enhanced centrifugal cast molding of metallurgical products, such as a metallic ring having an outer carbide bronze surface.

Abstract: A homopolar motor features radially inner and outer pairs of axially aligned rotor drums to which axially aligned drive shafts are respectively connected and extend therefrom through an outer motor housing to drive a corresponding number of propellers located in axial spaced relation to each other outside of the housing for rotation about a common axis. A magnetic shield is fixedly mounted within the housing to enclose the rotor drums within a magnetic field established by disk and ring magnets positioned within the radially inner pair of the rotor drums. Current collector brushes maintain electrical contact between the rotor drums and a source of DC electrical energy supplied through a power input tube to the magnetic shield from a location between opposite axial ends of the housing. The drive shafts journaled within the housing extend from either opposite axial ends of the housing or from only one axial end of the housing to the propellers.

Abstract: One or more docking cages releasably attached to a tow line extending from the stern of a retrieval ship, emit tracking beacon beams picked up by sensors in unmanned underwater sea craft vehicles being approached, for steered propulsion thereof into rammed hook attachment to the cages. A sea craft vehicle thereby releasably attached to a cage, is towed onboard the retrieval ship by storage reel-in of the tow line, which is then disconnected from the cage and the retrieved vehicle for subsequent use in retrieval of other unmanned sea craft vehicles.

Abstract: Nickel and chromium as the exclusive components of an alloy is formed by mixing under cover of nitrogen gas and spray casting thereof wherein a molten outflow stream of such alloy components is atomized by exposure to jets of the nitrogen gas after pressurization, resulting in formation of molten alloy metal droplets deposited on to a surface.

Abstract: A pair of vertical guide supports are slidably received in horizontally spaced rails removably mounted on a vertical target surface to be treated, such as the hull of a ship. A rack support interconnects the vertical guide supports and is vertically displaceable relative thereto with a rack plate thereby positioned in spaced relation to the target surface. A treatment device such as a pressurized paint ejector is positioned on the rack plate for selectively imposed movement therewith along linear paths to positions at which it is aligned perpendicular to the target surface to be completely treated by application or removal of paint for example.

Abstract: A wheel supported conveyor having a central platform crane section disposed between opposite end crane sections is positioned in underlying relation to a container holding spreader of a dockside terminal crane for transfer of containers to and from the chassis of trucks moved into loading positions without obstruction along parallel spaced passage lanes formed in the end crane sections. Sections of a roller track are respectively associated with each of the conveyor crane sections for displacement of the containers laterally between a common track path and the truck passage lanes. Container spreaders are slidably mounted on the end crane sections effecting said lateral displacement of containers between the truck passage lanes and the common roller track path.

Abstract: A floating object is attached to a shipboard hoisting crane through its attachment device under high seawave conditions, by maintaining alignment of the crane attachment device under maneuvering thrust control with a location on the floating object during lowering of the attachment device onto the floating object. Such maneuvering thrust control is established by thrust jets emitted from the attachment device under control of optical scanning detection cells mounted on the attachment device for reception of a reception location indicating beam emitted from the floating object.

Abstract: Elongated processing elements are anchored at opposite ends thereof between holding discs retained within rigid seal rings enclosing a chamber within a cylindrical module housing, through which a flow of contaminate-laden bilgewater is conducted. Such discs are formed within the seal rings with the elongated elements positioned therein by deposit and curing of epoxy resin. Such elements are then assembled within the module housing to seal the chamber thereby established therein. Spacing between the bundled elements is maintained by spacers to accommodate filtration of the bilgewater during flow thereof through the chamber and lateral outflow of a cleansed filtered portion from the elements through a drain outlet.