Abstract: The aircraft landing arrest cable has wear resisting sleeves positioned thereon in spaced relation to each other to thereby hold the cable out of contact with a non-skid landing surface in a lowered position of the cable. Stresses imposed on the cable when engaged by a tail hook suspended from aircraft during landing, are absorbed by the wear resisting sleeves which are held clamped in positions on the cables by fluid adhesive previously injected into the sleeves. The wear resisting sleeves are respectively formed from pivotally connected sleeve sections made of an impact shatter-proof and durable material such as polyurethane with abutting edges held in contact with each other under a clamped condition of the sleeves on the cable, established by the injected adhesive.

Abstract: A configuration of grooves provided in a nonskid coating on an aircraft carrier flight deck promotes the lateral and backward drainage of slippery liquids. A straight longitudinal middle groove extending fore and aft intersects multiple “W”-shaped grooves each extending athwartship. Each W-shaped groove includes a pair of “V”-shaped groove sections located on opposite sides of the middle groove. Each V-shaped groove section aims vertex-forward and includes a pair of straight groove segments defining an interior angle in the approximate range between 60° and 120°. Abrasive entities may be included in the coating for nonskid purposes. The coating's inclusion of metal-polymer nanolaminate entities along with other pigment entities may serve to reduce or minimize solar heat absorption, particularly in terms of increasing solar reflectance and decreasing thermal emittance.

Abstract: Many embodiments of the present invention are imbued with both sight-facilitative and touch-facilitative characteristics. The invention's unitary resinous matrix configuration encompasses, in the form of small discrete bodies, three genres (luminescent, reflective, retroreflective) of visually enhancing material along with tactilely enhancing material. The retroreflective and abrasive bodies partially project at a light-exposable surface of the resinous matrix material; the luminescent and reflective (diffuse and/or specular) bodies lie beneath the light-exposable surface. The luminescent, reflective and retroreflective bodies are complementarily and cumulatively effective; in particular, they versatilely afford increased visibility at practically all angular lines of sight as well as under practically all deficient illuminative conditions. The abrasive bodies afford vehicular skid prevention, surefootedness and the capability to manually and/or pedally “feel one's way” to safety.

Abstract: Jet blast deflector panels hinged to the deck of an aircraft carrier are pivotally displaced through mechanical actuators to raised angular positions for deflecting exhaust plumes from jet propelled aircraft during take-off to protect closely spaced approaching aircraft which are to take-off thereafter in front of the deflector panels. The underside surface of each deflector panel is formed from a thermal insulating material to provide thermal protection from heating by impinging jet exhaust plumes, and is subsequently cooled by blasts of fluid or air beneath the deck when the deflector panel is in its lowered retracted position.

Abstract: Inflation of impact absorbing bags is effected on a portable platform positioned on an emergency landing zone after jettisoning of damaged landing gear from a helicopter fuselage. The impact absorbing bags when inflated form a cradle shape conforming to the bottom of the helicopter fuselage.

Abstract: Robotic cladding of an underlying substrate with a composite metallic surface layer on a prepatterned interface with the substrate, is performed by a laser induced surface improvement process whereby a particulate ceramic additive introduced into a matrix mixture forms the surface layer with a permanent non-skid property bonded by intermixing of molten portions of such matrix mixture and the substrate at the interface, enhanced by prepatterning of such interface.

Abstract: Oil spill polluted water is conducted under pressure in sequence through arator devices to collect and burn a polluted water mixture having its oil concentration increased by extraction of water therefrom during axial flow through the separator devices. Such water extraction is effected by sequential radial outflow through oil flow blocking filter walls of the separator devices in response to rotation thereof.

Abstract: Oil spill polluted water is conducted under pressure in sequence through arator devices to collect and burn a polluted water mixture having its oil concentration increased by extraction of water therefrom during axial flow through the separator devices. Such water extraction is effected by sequential radial outflow through oil flow blocking filter walls of the separator devices in response to rotation thereof.

Abstract: Oil and water continuously collected during an oil spill skimming operation s initially heated for flow through a separator wherein water is separated and discharged into the sea to reduce the water content of a heated oil and water solution fed to a combustion chamber under pressure for continuous in-situ burning interrelated by feedback control with the heating step to provide combustion products, including combustion gas that is cooled and cleansed by scrubbing before discharge to atmosphere, and a slurry of cooled non-gaseous combustion products that are evaporatively dried to form a reduced quantity of carbonaceous solid waste.

Abstract: A composite for use on submarines and surface craft for controlling self-erated noise when listening with sonar. The composite includes two layers of PVF.sub.2 transducers separated by a layer of phase shifting or absorbing material. The inner transducer senses noise from the ship and subtracts this from the signal from the outer transducer representing noise plus the desired signal. In a second mode the sensed noise is regenerated through the outer transducer 180.degree. out of phase to cancel the noise and allow more accurate detection.

Abstract: A protective device for a container containing toxic or hazardous materia includes a shell, a mechanism positioned in the shell for sealing a puncture in the container so as to prevent release of the toxic materials from the container and a mechanism for attaching the shell to the container.

Abstract: A double hull structure includes a controllably crushable stand-off struce for maintaining a separation between inner and outer hulls and may be retrofit onto existing hulls either in modular and/or break-away sections or as a complete "shoe" enclosing the existing hull. This retrofittable hull is preferably of a non-metallic composite material which reduces or eliminates corrosion of the existing hull, extending the usable lifetime thereof. The controllably crushable stand-off structure is designed to provide sequential failure, preferably by sequential energy absorbing brittle fractures with little elastic deformation, to provide protection of the existing hull during collisions and/or groundings and thus enhance cargo containment. The brittle fracture is preferably provided by the use of non-metallic composite material in beams of the stand-off structure and/or the inclusion of syntactic foams.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the two dimensional measurement of displacements of sample materials using a photodetector grid array and optical fiber embedded in the test specimen. The system consists of a light source which is passed into one end of an optical fiber which has been embedded a beam specimen, so that when the beam is placed in motion, the light traverses through the fiber and emerges from the opposite end where its projected image traces a pattern simulating that of the beam. In a preferred embodiment, the collimated exiting light is incident upon a light beam splitter which directs equal portions of the light toward a quadrant photovoltaic cell device and toward a charge couple device (CCD). The CCD is connected to an optoelectronic viewing device for initial calibration, display and monitoring. The photodetector array is connected to a translator/amplifier which increases the photocells' source currents and converts them to equivalent voltages for output to a digital data processing terminal.

Abstract: A load bearing connective damper for service in tensile, compression, and torsion as a shock and vibration isolation mounting device. Dampers are constructed using a multidimensionally braided textile shape and a viscoelastic material disposed in the interstrand spaces of the textile shape.

Abstract: Conventional Copper based antifouling paints are improved by adding from 01 to 20.0 weight percent based on the weight of the Cuprous ion source of an additive compound which(A) will give a positive acid test to litmus paper in distilled water;(B) is at least slightly soluble in sea water; and(C) does not react quickly with cuprous ions in sea water to produce precipitates.

Abstract: Marine structures which are designed to be submerged in an aqueous environt containing fouling organism are protected fro fouling by the use of an organotin containing polymer wherein the tin is chemically bonded to the polymer. The polymer inhibits fouling of the exposed surface of the structure while minimizing the adverse effects on the surrounding environment due to reduced leaching of the organotin compound from the polymer.

Abstract: Marine structures which are designed to be submerged in an aqueous environt containing fouling organism are protected from fouling by the use of an organotin containing polymer wherein the tin is chemically bonded to the polymer. The polymer inhibits fouling of the exposed surface of the structure while minimizing the adverse effects on the surrounding environment due to reduced leaching of the organotin compound from the polymer.

Abstract: Objects which are designed to be submersed or submerged are rendered antiling by using an organotin polymer wherein the tin is chemically combined in or bonded to the polymer. The polymer inhibits fouling of the exposed surface of the object while minimizing the effect on the surrounding environment due to reduced leaching of the organometallic compound from the polymer.