Brake actuation means for a rotary pump system

A rotary pump system comprising:

• a rotary pump having a pump shaft;
• a turbine having a turbine shaft for driving said pump;
• a coupling interconnecting said turbine shaft and said pump shaft;
• a speed monitoring system having a sensor for determining rotational speed of said pump shaft, and a controller in communication with said sensor, said controller being programmed with selected speeds for said pump shaft during operation, comparing said determined speed with one selected, programmed speed and sending a signal responsive to a difference between said determined speed and said programmed speed;
• a brake for engaging said coupling;
• and
• a brake valve adapted to receive said signal and, in response thereto, to operate said brake to conform the speed of said pump shaft to said programmed speed;
• wherein said coupling comprises a turbine disc extending radially from said shaft of said turbine, a pump disc extending radially from a shaft of said pump, said turbine disc being connected to said pump disc, and said brake comprises pads moveable into engagement with said turbine disc to slow said pump.

A rotary pump ejection system for launch of projectiles from a submarine, said system comprising:

• a rotary pump having a pump shaft for ejecting water into a launch tube to effect launch of a projectile therein;
• an air turbine having a turbine shaft for driving said rotary pump;
• a coupling for connecting said turbine shaft to said pump shaft;
• a speed monitoring system detecting rotational speed of said pump shaft, said monitoring system being programmed with selected speeds for said pump shaft at selected times during a projectile launch, said monitoring system being adapted to send a signal responsive to a difference between said determined speed and said programmed speed;
• a brake capable of engaging said coupling to slow said rotational speed of said pump shaft and thereby said pump;
• a brake valve adapted to receive said signal from said speed monitoring system and to progressively engage said brake with said coupling and disengage said brake from said coupling to conform the speed of said pump shaft to said programmed speed, said speed monitoring system comprising a speed sensor detecting said rotational speed of said pump shaft, and a controller for receiving a shaft speed signal from said sensor indicative of said detected pump shaft rotational speed, said controller being programmed with said selected speeds for said pump shaft during a projectile launch, said controller being adapted to compare said detected speed with said programmed speed, and to send a brake valve control signal to said brake valve responsive to a difference between said determined speed and said programmed speed of said pump shaft, said brake valve being adapted to receive said brake valve control signal from said controller;
• and
• a firing valve joined to said turbine for admitting air under pressure to said turbine, said controller being in communication with said firing valve to close said firing valve at the conclusion of a launch cycle.