Cable brake and lock
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorHarold P. Feldman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cable brake and lock device to control the release of a mooring cable crises a spring-biased piston abutting an elastic brake element, with the cable passing through both. An initial, preselected force is applied by the spring to the piston and the brake element, causing the element to lock onto the cable. When the force of the ambient, hydrostatic pressure exceeds that of the spring, the spring is compressed, releasing the piston from the elastic brake element to permit the cable to run freely. Any decrease in the ambient pressure will permit the piston to again contact the brake element to lock the cable.
Claims14
A control device to automatically regulate the deployment of a flexible connecting element passing through the device in response to ambient pressure which comprises:
- a housing having a central, longitudinal bore in a fluid communication with the ambient environment;
- a resilient element positioned within said bore and having a passage for the flexible connecting element;
- a biasing means for applying a selectable, predetermined force to said resilient element and responsive to pressure increase in said bore to reduce the force on said resilient element;
- means to vary the force of said biasing means;
- said biasing means comprising a force transmitting member reciprocally positioned within said bore having one end in abutting contact with said resilient element;
- a spring in said central bore and in biasing contact with the remaining end of said force transmitting member;
- and wherein
- two interconnected tubular elements comprise said housing and said means to vary the force of said biasing means includes roatable connecting means joining said tubular elements,
- whereby said biasing means responds to increases in the ambient pressure force within said bore to permit the flexible connecting element to pass through said resilient element when the ambient pressure force equals to exceeds the predetermined force of the biasing means and rotation of the tubular elements varies the compression of said spring.
In combination with a mooring cable, a cable brake and lock device to automatically control the passage of the mooring cable through the device in response to ambient hydrostatic pressure to control the deployed mooring length of the cable which comprises:
- a segmented tubular housing having a longitudinal chamber in fluid communication with the ambient water;
- an elastomeric brake element within said chamber proximate one closed end portion of said housing, said brake element having a central hole for passage of the mooring cable;
- a resilient spring within said chamber proximate the other closed end portion of said housing;
- a piston member reciprocally positioned within said chamber and in abutting contact with said spring and said brake element, said piston member movable in response to spring force to cause said brake element to grip the mooring cable passing through said brake element and in response to increased hydrostatic pressure within said chamber to remove the gripping force of the brake element on the mooring cable;
- adjustment means to selectively vary the force of said resilient spring;
- and
- wherein said adjustment means comprises threaded attachment means to rotatably join the open end portions of said segmented tubular housing, said attachment means permitting adjustment of the total length of said longitudinal chamber to vary the spring force.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.